Att E - Focus Group Scheduling Email

Attachment E – Email letter to introduce focus group

Form approved

OMB No. 0920-0879

Expiration Date: 03/31/2014

Dear NHTSA CODES Network/Linkage Partner,

In December 2012, a representative of the University of Maryland, National Study Center for Trauma and EMS in collaboration with the CDC and NHTSA reached out to your state via an online assessment to learn more about the characteristics that are needed to conduct CODES/Linkage imputation and analysis efforts within a State successfully. We have conducted initial analysis on the results of this assessment to determine the characteristics of state CODES/Linkage programs. We would now like to learn more about how these characteristics have contributed to the success of your CODES/linkage program. As a result, there is one last step that again we ask your state to support. A series of focus group sessions will be held. These sessions are being held to understand:

1. The characteristics of a successful CODES/linkage program

2. How to sustain a state data linkage program

We would like to invite your state project to provide one to three participants to take part in these focus groups to discuss your state’s experience with their CODES/linkage program. We would prefer one participant from each state but if your linkage and analysis have been performed by multiple people then we understand that you may need multiple participants in the focus group to fully represent your state. We will schedule up to eight focus groups, each with five to eight participants from different states, in order to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Each person will take part in one focus group; multiple participants from one state may or may not be in the same focus group session.

Please provide the number of participants from your state, their names, email addresses, and the aspect of the CODES/linkage program they represent to Jackie Milani at [email protected]. In addition, please have each participant indicate his/her availability using the Doodle link below:

http://doodle.com/bi2y6xdy7qhpf5ub

If you are unable to participate in a focus group session or provide the above information for any reason please let us know so that someone else from your state might be contacted. If someone else from your state should have been contacted regarding this request, please forward this information and let us know who the better contact might be. If you find that you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact either Gwen Bergen with the CDC [email protected], John Kindelberger with NHTSA CODES [email protected] or Jackie Milani with the University of Maryland Baltimore, National Study Center [email protected].

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-0879)

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