Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Prevention Program Outcomes Monitoring System (PPOMS)—New—Section 516 of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 290bb-22] directs SAMHSA's CSAP to “address priority substance abuse prevention needs of regional and national significance through the provision of knowledge development and application projects for prevention and the conduct or support of evaluations of such projects.”

Since 1999, CSAP has used the National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs (REPP, OMB No. 0920-0210) to review and rate substance abuse prevention programs utilized nationwide. Through NREPP, CSAP has expanded its information collection to include programs conducted by entities external to CSAP, including state and local governments, nonprofit entities, and the private sector. Programs that are well implemented, rigorously evaluated, produce consistent positive results, and are able to assist in the dissemination effort are selected as model programs. Model programs are then promoted to substance abuse professionals and practitioners nationwide through various channels, including CSAP's State Initiative Grant recipients.

Involving the completion of matrices and a survey, PPOMS will quantify the extent of the field application of NREPP identified science-based prevention programs. PPOMS will also examine such parameters as program fidelity and adaptation, for science-based prevention programs identified through NREPP, as well as documented outcomes of program effectiveness.

PPOMS utilizes a data collection system that will consider several parameters related to CSAP science-based program replication. The PPOMS matrix and survey will: gauge practitioner access to CSAP science-based materials and programs, estimate the proportion of practitioners replicating these programs, quantify and explain barriers to replication and facilitating structures and mechanisms that aid in program replication, document the degree of fidelity and adaptations of program replications, and measure program replication outcomes. Knowledge of these factors will allow CSAP to better direct its dissemination of NREPP identified programs, provide access to training and technical assistance for practitioners, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the decision making processes involved in choosing NREPP identified programs for replication.

Substance abuse practitioners will be identified to participate in PPOMS by state government officials involved in administering, funding, and monitoring prevention programs nationwide. Aside from State Incentive Grant coordinators and regional representatives for programs such as: the Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, various state and regional offices, and member organizations such as the National Prevention Network and the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors, will refer prevention program practitioners and professionals to participate in PPOMS.

Data derived from the Prevention Program Outcomes Monitoring Systems (PPOMS) will be used by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) to determine the extent, magnitude, and effectiveness of CSAP's science-based program replications. The Prevention Programs Outcomes Monitoring System will determine the efficacy of NREPP in identifying, promoting, and disseminating the best science-based substance abuse prevention programs to the field and subsequently, to the American public. The final report of PPOMS findings will contain appropriate information for use by governmental agencies, private organizations, and nonprofit entities.

Annual burden estimates for PPOMS are shown in the following table.

Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.