SAMHSA's and NIDA's Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology: Examining the Partnership of Mutual Self-Interests

SAMHSA is the major federal agency directed at the implementation nation-wide of prevention programs for substance abuse and mental and behavioral disorders at the state,  tribal and community levels. The broad aim of NIDA’s Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology  (Ce-PIM) is to develop scientifically precise and useful methods to aid SAMHSA and other such implementation service agencies to carry out successful implementation of evidence-based programs. This last year has been a time of intense design and planning of this partnership based on these closely related yet complementary roles. The partnership provides Ce-PIM the opportunity to develop and test methods within the structure and functions of SAMHSA thus assuring utility and fit of methods. The first area selected by SAMHSA and Ce-PIM is to develop a way to precisely measure public or community coalition support, with a particular focus on sustaining the programs after Federal funding has ended. Such a method would allow SAMHSA staff to monitor and facilitate communities in building and maintaining support for prevention programs, thereby increasing the likelihood that the program will produce beneficial outcomes in a population and be sustained over time. This presentation will describe the process, functions and structure of the partnership as it supports this first effort.