10.05.2010

A Plan for SAMHSA's Roles and Actions 2011 – 2014

Spent a lot of time while at the Alternatives Conference this past week listening in and attending meetings that dealt with where SAMHSA is heading in the coming couple of years.  Because so many of us depend upon their ability to fund the services we all use,what their focusing on and planning to promote in the future is of high importance to us all.  

One of the biggest pushes I've noticed is the desire to begin really melding physical health with behavioral health and I suspect you'll begin seeing some key funding opportunities coming down the pike for efforts that work to fuse these two areas together.  Makes perfect sense and frankly it's way overdue.

One thing I encourage you to do is to read their document Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA's Roles and Actions 2011 – 2014 and then head on over to their site to leave a comment or two.  This is YOUR opportunity to be heard by those who make it possible to afford the bulk of what we're trying to accomplish, so take the time to get your thoughts and points across.

SAMHSA's Eight Strategic Initiatives

SAMHSA has identified eight strategic initiatives to focus the Agency's work on improving lives and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. These initiatives will focus SAMHSA's efforts and maximize the impact of our resources on areas of urgency and opportunity. They will also enable SAMHSA to shift its programs to better compliment the shifting policy landscape resulting from the Affordable Care Act and Parity.
SAMHSA recently released a detailed plan for achieving the goals of the agency's eight new strategic initiatives entitled Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA's Roles and Actions 2011 – 2014. In conjunction with the release of the document, SAMHSA is piloting a new tool as part of the agency's continuing efforts to increase opportunities for public engagement, collaboration and participation. This tool allows people to come together, share ideas in response to a question, discuss those ideas, and vote the best ones to the top. Everyone is encouraged to read the plan and provide feedback.

Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA's Roles and Actions 2011 – 2014

Document sections:

SAMHSA Strategic Initiatives


  • Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness

    Create Prevention Prepared Communities where individuals, families, schools, faith-based organizations, workplaces, and communities take action to promote emotional health and reduce the likelihood of mental illness, substance abuse including tobacco, and suicide. This initiative will include a focus on the Nation's youth, Tribal communities, and military families.
    Lead: Fran Harding, Director, Center for Mental Health Services
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention/

  • Trauma and Justice

    Reduce the pervasive, harmful, and costly health impact of violence and trauma by integrating trauma-informed approaches throughout health and behavioral health care systems and by diverting people with substance use and mental disorders from criminal and juvenile justice systems into trauma-informed treatment and recovery.
    Lead: Larke Huang, Senior Advisor to the Administrator
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/traumaJustice/

  • Military Families-Active, Guard, Reserve, and Veteran

    Support America's service men and women – Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Veterans – together with their families and communities by leading efforts to ensure needed behavioral health services are accessible and outcomes are successful.
    Lead: Kathryn Power, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/militaryFamilies

  • Health Reform

    Broaden health coverage to increase access to appropriate high quality care, and to reduce disparities that currently exist between the availability of services for substance abuse, mental disorders, and other medical conditions.
    Lead: John O'Brien, Senior Advisor for Health Finance
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/healthReform

  • Housing and Homelessness

    Provide housing and reduce barriers to accessing effective programs that sustain recovery for individuals with mental and substance use disorders who are homeless.
    Lead: Kathryn Power, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/housingHomeless

  • Health Information Technology for Behavioral Health Providers

    Ensure the behavioral health provider network, including prevention specialists and consumer providers, fully participates with the general health care delivery system in the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT).
    Lead: Westley Clark, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/healthIT

  • Data, Outcomes, and Quality-Demonstrating Results

    Realize an integrated data strategy that informs policy, measures program impact, and results in improved quality of services and outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
    Lead: RADM Pete Delany, Director, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality
    Initiatives Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/dataOutcomes

  • Public Awareness and Support

    Increase understanding of mental and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services and activities to achieve the full potential of prevention and assist people in accessing/getting help for these conditions with the same urgency as any other health condition.
    Lead: Mark Weber, Director, Office of Communications
    Initiative Page: http://www.samhsa.gov/publicAwareness
Last updated: 10/04/2010
Scribbled by Steven At some point on... Tuesday, October 05, 2010

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