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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) has funded State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) in every state, jurisdiction and several tribes since 2005. These workgroups, hosted by the substance abuse single state agencies (SSAs), are collaborative networks of substance abuse data/epidemiology experts, behavioral health professionals and key stakeholders. Developed under SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), these workgroups are predominantly responsible for bringing substance abuse data and epidemiology to prevention planning.
METHODS:
SEOWs are charged with four core substance abuse prevention tasks: analyze substance abuse data, create epidemiological profiles/products, train communities in understanding and using data, and build state and community level data monitoring systems. The majority of SEOWs have hired substance abuse epidemiologists who work with core membership agencies to perform these tasks. SEOWs house all key substance abuse datasets and disseminate analytical findings through user-friendly products, web-based data systems and community workshops. CSAP provides data, training, and technical assistance support to these workgroups through a number of collaborating contracts.
RESULTS:
As a result of the SEOW project, all states, jurisdictions, and number of tribes have access to key substance abuse data sources, indicators, and the latest estimates. Each SEOW has developed products that correspond to target audience needs, ranging from detailed substance abuse epidemiological profiles for analysts/researchers to fact sheets highlighting emerging problems for decision makers. A majority of SEOWs now have web-based data dissemination and monitoring systems and continue to conduct trainings, workshops and webinars to assist communities in understanding and using data. SEOWs participate in national webinars, meetings, and workshops where they get an opportunity to share their products, experiences and challenges and learn from other each other. CSAP continues to integrate SEOW data-systems and products to create a nationwide, comprehensive monitoring and surveillance system –an overall goal of SAMHSA.
CONCLUSIONS:
Over the past seven years, CSAP has increased the nation’s substance abuse epidemiological capacity by investing in SEOWs which continue to increase state and community capacity by updating data and products every year. Moving forward, SEOWs are broadening their scope by assessing the correlation/co-occurrence among substance abuse and mental disorders and expanding workgroup membership accordingly.