The Issue
An essential first step for NAADAC to tackle prior to its re-evaluation before Congress is that of its desire to keep SAMHSA's Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT) to be kept separate and "non-blended" from the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant.
Unlike the Mental Health community, where the majority of the funds are derived from Medicare and/or Medicaid, the lion's share of Addictions Treatment Funding comes from the SAPT Block Grant.
It has become increasingly apparent that keeping the funds separate is the best method of ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the funding.
NAADAC's Perspective on Reauthorization
NAADAC asserts that the development of Performance Partnership Grants (PPGs), an initiative that would provide states increased flexibility with their funds in return for improved accountability based on performance. Though NAADAC embraces this initiative, it fears that it will cost recipients a significant amount of money on state and local levels.
Therefore, significant resources should be appropriated for strengthening the infrastructure and staff needs for reporting the results needed for evaluation. If additional funding for these needs is not met, grantees will be forced to shift funding from these from serving consumers into a transfer for the administrative costs needed to carry out the accountability measurements.There is no question that recipients of federal dollars should be held accountable for their funding; however, federal authorities need to keep in mind the challenge in reconciling accountability with documented data that outlines success rates.