SHIN Overview

SAMHSA’s Health Information Network (SHIN), initiated in 2005, includes the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) and the National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC) .  SHIN connects the behavioral health workforce and the general public to the latest information on the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders.

Background

In 2006, a review was conducted of the two Clearinghouses.  This included:

• Operations and delivery systems,
• Current content priorities, and
• Recommendations for future improvements. 

As a result, we have undertaken a major effort to combine the operations of our two clearinghouses to better serve you. 

View the Clearinghouses Program Review Report (PDF).

Services Provided

SHIN provides the following services to the public:

• Contact Center – responds to almost 50,000 individuals a month who are seeking information or treatment resources, and is available 24 hours a day; seven days a week.  Trained Information Specialists (including Spanish-speaking staff) serve a wide range of audiences including the general public, substance abuse and mental health service providers, policy makers, researchers, and grantees through telephone, email, postal mail, fax, and in-person responses.

• Publications Order Fulfillment – manages the entire SAMHSA print and audiovisual inventory, consisting of over 1,600 unique items and over 28 million individual copies.  Warehouse Staff fulfills an average of 20,000 publication orders a month.  This translates to 1.8 million individual publications distributed per month.

• Web Site and Email Communications – maintains and updates related Web sites which receive approximately 1.5 million visits per month.  Manages SAMHSA's eNetwork email distribution system, which reaches over 15,000 subscribers with approximately 50,000 opens (contacts) per month.

• Outreach and Collaboration – provides materials and promotion of SAMHSA programs and products through conference exhibits and other partnership and outreach activities, including support for the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and related product inventory.

Contact SHIN

Email:  SHIN@samhsa.hhs.gov

Phone:  1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)
TTY:  1-800-487-4889
Fax:  240-221-4292

Mail:
SAMHSA’s Health Information Network
P.O. Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345

Web Site:  http://www.samhsa.gov/shin