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The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration


 
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Agency Overview

Background

Behavioral health is a component of service systems that improve health status and contain health care and other costs to society.  Yet, people with mental and substance use disorders, because of their illness, have largely been excluded from the current health care system and rely on public "safety net" programs.  Last year alone approximately 20 million people who needed substance abuse treatment did not receive it and an estimated 10.6 million adults reported an unmet need for mental health care.  As a result the health and wellness of the individual is jeopardized and the unnecessary costs to society ripple across America's communities, schools, businesses, prisons & jails, and healthcare delivery systems. 

Organizational Overview

SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.  The Agency was established in 1992 and directed by Congress to target effectively substance abuse and mental health services to the people most in need and to translate research in these areas more effectively and more rapidly into the general health care system.  Over the years SAMHSA has demonstrated that - prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders.  Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society.  Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the Nation’s health. 

To accomplish its work SAMHSA administers a combination of competitive, formula, and block grant programs and data collection activities.  The Agency’s programs are carried out through:

  • The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) which focuses on the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.
  • The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) which seeks to prevent and reduce the abuse of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
  • The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) which supports the provision of effective substance abuse treatment and recovery services.
  • The Office of Applied Studies (OAS) which has primary responsibility for the collection, analysis and dissemination of behavioral health data.

Together these units support States, Territories, Tribes, communities, and local organizations through grant and contract awards and provide national leadership in promoting the provision of quality behavioral health services.  Major activities to improve the quality and availability of prevention, treatment and recovery support services are funded through competitive Programs of Regional and National Significance grants.  A number of supporting offices complement the work of the three Centers and the Office of Applied Studies. 

SAMHSA’s core competencies include releasing and managing block grants and special programmatic funding and providing states, providers, communities and the public with the best and most up-to-date information about behavioral health issues and prevention/treatment approaches.  Increasingly, we are expanding those competencies to focus collectively on using SAMHSA’s resources and influence to effect real and measurable differences in the lives of people and communities throughout America.

Major Programs

Children’s Mental Health Services

Children’s Mental Health Services ($121 million) awards competitive grants to States and localities to support the development of comprehensive community-based systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders.  Grant recipients increase their matching contribution over the six-year grant period from 33 percent of the Federal contribution in the first two years to 200 percent in the final two years.  More than 10,000 children receive services through this program annually.   Of those served 89 percent attend school regularly following receipt of services and 69 percent have no contacts with law enforcement.

Community Mental Health Services Block Grant

The Mental Health Block Grant ($421 million) distributes funds to 59 States and Territories according to a statutorily specified formula that considers such factors as State population, total personal income, taxable resources, and the cost of service provision.  Ninety-five percent of the funding for this program is allocated to the States, which use this flexible funding source for such activities as strategic planning, outreach to potential clients, infrastructure development, and mental health services.  SAMHSA retains the remaining five percent to support the States through technical assistance, data collection, and evaluation activities.

Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant

The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant ($1.8 billion) distributes funds to 60 States and Territories and the Red Lake Indian Tribe according to a statutorily specified formula that considers such factors as State population, total personal income, taxable resources, and the cost of service provision.  Ninety-five percent of the funds for this program are allocated to the States.   States are required to use 20 percent of the funds they receive for primary prevention activities, and the remainder for such activities as strategic planning, outreach to potential clients, infrastructure development, and substance abuse treatment services. SAMHSA retains five percent to assist the States in the development of their substance abuse systems through technical assistance, data collection, and evaluation activities, and to finance national data surveys on the incidence and prevalence of substance use.  Most of the set-aside funds support the agency’s national surveys.  In the last two years, there have been over 2 million admissions to substance abuse treatment programs that receive public funding.

Access to Recovery

Access to Recovery ($99 million) awards competitive grants ($4 million per year, on average) to States and Tribes to support substance abuse treatment and recovery support services through a voucher-based system.  Recovery support services that are provided through this program include medical care, housing, childcare, transportation, employment training, and education.  In 2009, this program served almost 90,000 people.  Of those served, more than 80 percent abstained from substance use at follow-up.   In FY 2010, the length of award will increase from three years to four years.

Strategic Prevention Framework and Partnerships for Success

The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants program ($112 million) awards competitive grants ($2 million per year, on average) to support States, Tribes, and Territories in carrying-out a needs assessment using epidemiological data, developing a strategic plan to address their identified needs, build capacity, implementing evidence-based prevention efforts, and evaluate the outcomes.  Over 700 evidence-based approaches were implemented through the Strategic Prevention Framework in 2008.  In FY 2009, SAMHSA started funding a new 5-year grant program, Partnerships for Success, which is build on the success of the State Incentive Grant program.   The new Partnerships for Success program is designed to achieve a quantifiable decline in state-wide substance abuse and incorporates an incentive award to grantees that reach or exceed performance targets.      

Drug Free Communities

Approximately $82 million is appropriated to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) each year to support the activities of approximately 750 community-based substance abuse prevention coalitions through the Drug Free Communities program.  While overall program responsibility rests with ONDCP, SAMHSA provides day-to-day program management and oversight for the program through an interagency agreement.

National Surveys

SAMHSA manages three major health data collection programs to assist policymakers, treatment providers, and patients in making informed decisions regarding prevention and treatment of mental illness and substance abuse.   These include the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DAISIS) ($12 million) which inventories all public and private substance use treatment facilities as well as treatment admissions and discharges; the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) ($17.0 million) that serves as a public health surveillance system of drug-related visits to emergency departments and drug-related deaths; and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) ($47 million) which serves as the primary measure of prevalence and incidence of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and related health and mental health disorders among civilian, non-institutionalized population 12 years and older.  

The National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices

The National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is a searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders.  SAMHSA has developed this resource to help people, agencies, and organizations identify and implement programs and practices that have been scientifically tested.  Currently, NREPP contains reviews of approximately 150 interventions, and 3 to 5 new reviews are added each month.

Last Update: 1/20/2010