Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

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: Drug Abuse Warning Network, (OMB number 0930-

0078, extension)--The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) collects data

on drug-related medical emergencies and deaths as reported from about

660 hospitals and medical examiners nationwide. Used by Federal, State,

and local agencies, this on-going data system supports efforts to

identify drug abuse trends, assess health hazards associated with

substance abuse, and schedule substances under the Controlled

Substances Act. The annual burden estimate is 15,284 hours as shown

below:

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Number of IR \1\ Total

Number of responses/ Hours per Gross burden reporting adjusted

respondents respondent response hours hours burden (hrs)

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HOSPITALS

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ED Forms................................................ 520 334 0.15 26,052 12,876 13,176

ED Logs................................................. 520 48 0.02 499 247 252

Hospital Total.................................... .............. .............. .............. 26,551 13,123 13,428

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MEDICAL EXAMINERS

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ME Forms................................................ 140 107 0.25 3,745 1,953 1,792

ME Logs................................................. 140 48 0.02 134 70 64

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ME Total................................................ .............. .............. .............. 3,879 2,023 1,856

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DAWN Total.............................................. .............. .............. .............. 30,430 15,146 15,284

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\1\ There is no burden associated with reporting by Independent Reporters (IRs), so these hours are not included in Total Adjusted Burden.

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.

Dated: July 1, 1999.

Richard Kopanda,

Executive Officer, SAMHSA.

[FR Doc. 99-17275 Filed 7-7-99; 8:45 am]

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