Sample Letter to Governors

Attachment 4

The Honorable Jan Brewer

Governor of Arizona

State Capitol, 1700 West Washington

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Dear Governor Brewer:

As Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), I would like to thank the State of Arizona for participating in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 surveys of state-supported underage drinking enforcement and prevention programs. These surveys were conducted in accordance with the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act [Pub. L. No. 109-422, § 2, 120 Stat. 2890 (2006)], which calls on the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to produce an Annual Report on state-level underage drinking prevention activities, policies, enforcement efforts, and expenditures.

The surveys, completed by all 50 states and the District of Columbia, were developed in coordination with the ICCPUD’s federal agency partners and other interested parties. The data collected in these surveys are used to produce an Annual Report on each state’s underage drinking prevention efforts, the first comprehensive document of its kind. The 2013 Report, including your state’s contribution to the survey, was delivered to Congress in December and is available publicly at https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/resources/reporttocongress/RTC2013.aspx.

As called for in the STOP Act, SAMHSA is requesting that states complete another survey in early 2014 for the 2015 Annual Report. Last year, the individual identified as responsible for coordinating the State of Arizona’s response to the STOP Act survey was:

Lisa Shumaker, MA

Office Chief, Prevention Services

Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services

SAMHSA will send the 2014 survey to this individual unless you designate another state contact. If you wish to select someone else, please contact Dr. Jorielle Brown at [email protected] no later than four weeks from the date of this letter. A sample copy of the 2014 survey is enclosed for your review. The survey will be made available to the individual you identify via e-mail and can be returned as an electronic file.

Page 2 – The Honorable Jan Brewer

In closing, thank you again for Arizona’s help with this critical initiative. Together we can prevent and reduce underage drinking and improve the health of our nation's youth.

Sincerely,

Pamela S. Hyde, J.D.

Administrator

Enclosure