Letters

Attachment A.6— 2017 N-MHSS Advance Letter
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

March 2017

Dear Director of Mental Health Program(s):
In early May, you will receive a packet from Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ
regarding the 2017 National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). This voluntary survey is
sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The 2017 N-MHSS will collect data from all specialty mental health treatment facilities in the
United States and its territories. These data include information about facility characteristics and the
types of services offered at the facility. Your participation in the N-MHSS is critical to its success,
and to ensure that mental health treatment services in your area are accurately represented.
A primary use of the information collected will be to update SAMHSA's online Behavioral
Health Treatment Services Locator which can be found at https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov.
Facilities that provide mental health treatment services and participate in the 2017 N-MHSS can
choose to be listed in the online Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator at no cost to the
facility.
The packet you will receive will include instructions for completing the survey questionnaire
on the Internet through a secure password-protected website, which is the easiest and most
convenient way for you to complete the 2017 N-MHSS.
We look forward to your participation in the 2017 N-MHSS. If you have any questions, please
call the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752.
Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA
NOTE: If your organization offers treatment services at more than one location, you may receive a duplicate letter for
another facility at another location. The N-MHSS is designed to collect information about a single facility at a single
location, that is, the facility whose name and address is indicated on the questionnaire. You will be asked to complete a
separate questionnaire for each location.

Attachment A.7— 2017 N-MHSS Cover Letter (First Mailing)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

April 28, 2017
Dear Director of Mental Health Program(s):
I am writing to request your participation in the 2017 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS). This voluntary survey is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The N-MHSS is
designed to collect data from all specialty mental health treatment facilities in the United States and its
territories. These data include current information about facility characteristics and the types of services
offered at the facility.
Your participation in the 2017 N-MHSS is critically important. Information from the
N-MHSS will provide mental health professionals, health care providers, and program decision-makers
with a current picture of what treatment services are available, and where resources could be allocated to
meet the needs of persons with mental illness. The information you provide will also help to update
SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator which is an online tool used by consumers,
their families, and mental health professionals seeking mental health treatment services in their local
community. The Locator can be found at https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov.
To complete the survey questionnaire online, simply log onto the survey website using the
unique User ID and Password provided on the bright green flyer enclosed with this letter. It is important
that you (or another person knowledgeable about the facility's daily operations) complete the
questionnaire. In an effort to reduce the amount of time needed to complete the 2017 N-MHSS
questionnaire, if you completed last year’s N-MHSS questionnaire, some of your responses may already
be pre-filled.
If you have any questions about the survey or cannot complete the questionnaire online, please call
the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752.
Thank you for participating in this important national survey.

Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA
Enclosures
NOTE: The N-MHSS questionnaire is designed to collect information about a single facility at a single
location, that is, the facility whose name and address are indicated on the questionnaire. If your
organization offers treatment services at more than one location and you receive a letter and flyer for
each location, please complete a separate questionnaire for each location.

Attachment A.11— 2017 N-MHSS State Endorsement Letter
STATE LETTERHEAD
April 2017

Dear Mental Health Treatment Facility Director,

I am writing to encourage your participation in the 2017 National Mental Health Services
Survey (N-MHSS) sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). This annual survey collects information from a specific point in time, thus providing
a snapshot of the mental health treatment services offered nationwide and within each state. As
your facility is an important part of that picture, your participation in the N-MHSS is crucial.
Because N-MHSS collects information from all known treatment providers, public and
private, it is the most comprehensive national source of data on mental health treatment facilities.
The survey information assists federal, state and local administrators when they assess mental
health treatment needs. Data from this survey is also used to update the online Behavioral Health
Treatment Facility Locator (http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov).
The easiest and fastest way for you to complete the questionnaire is on the Internet; simply
follow the instructions found on the flyer enclosed in this packet.
The 2017 N-MHSS is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ. If
you have any questions about the survey, or would like to request a paper copy of the questionnaire,
please call the N-MHSS Helpline at 1-866-778-9752. If you have questions about the survey that
should be answered by our office, please call the [State] N-MHSS contact, [Name of state contact],
at [phone number of state contact].
Thank you very much for your participation in this important effort.
Sincerely,

Attachment A.12— 2017 N-MHSS First Thank You/Reminder Letter

P P.O. Box 2393
Princeton, NJ 08543-2393
Telephone (609) 799-3535
Fax (609) 799-0005
www.mathematica-mpr

Data Collection Manager
National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS)
Survey Operations Center, Princeton, NJ
(866) 778-9752

May ___, 2017
Subject: [Facility Name 1]
[Facility Name 2]
[Address1][Address2]
[City], [State] [Postal Code]

Dear Director of Mental Health Program(s):
A few weeks ago, we sent you a survey packet for the 2017 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS) sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). If you have already responded to this survey, thank you for your response. If you have not yet
completed your questionnaire online, please do so at your earliest convenience. Your facility’s participation
will help us collect information about facilities that provide mental health treatment services and about the
persons they serve.
N-MHSS data will be used to update SAMHSA’s online Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
found at (https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov). This Locator is a vital resource for persons in search of needed
mental health treatment services available in their local community.
The easiest way to complete the questionnaire is on the Internet. If you completed last year’s 2016
N-MHSS, you will find that some of your responses have been pre-filled in your 2017 online questionnaire.
Just log on to: https://survey.nmhss.org. The screen will ask for a USER ID and PASSWORD. The
unique USER ID and PASSWORD assigned to this facility, at the location shown above, are:
USER ID:

[MPRID]

PASSWORD:

[WEBPW]

If you have any questions regarding the survey, did not receive a survey packet in the mail, or are unable
to complete the survey’s online questionnaire, please contact the toll-free 2017 N-MHSS helpline at
1-866-778-9752. Staff will be available to assist you Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern
Time), or send an email to [email protected].
Thank you for your time and commitment to providing needed mental health treatment services to
persons in your community, and we look forward to receiving your completed online questionnaire as soon
as possible.
Sincerely,

Data Collection Manager
National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS)

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Attachment A.13— 2017 N-MHSS Cover Letter (Second Mailing)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

June XX, 2017
Dear Director of Mental Health Program(s):
In May, I sent you a letter requesting your participation in the 2017 National Mental
Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). I am writing to again request your participation in this
survey. The N-MHSS, sponsored by the Federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), collects data from all known specialty mental
health treatment facilities in the United States and its jurisdictions. These data include current
information about facility characteristics and the types of services offered at the facility.
Your participation in N-MHSS is very important. Policymakers and program planners at
local, state, and federal levels use information from the N-MHSS to determine the current
availability of treatment services and what new or expanded services may be needed. Facilities
that respond to the survey can choose to be listed in SAMHSA’s online Behavioral Health
Treatment Services Locator (https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov) at no charge to the facility.
To complete the questionnaire online, simply log on to the Internet and follow the
instructions on the bright green flyer enclosed with this packet. The flyer provides the Internet
address to access the questionnaire as well as your facility's unique User ID and Password. As a
reminder, in an effort to reduce the time needed to complete the survey, some of your responses
may already be pre-filled if you completed last year’s questionnaire.
Not a mental health treatment provider? We still need to hear from you! Please either visit our online
survey and answer a few quick questions or call our helpline at 1-866-778-9752 to update your information.
Have you already completed the 2017 N-MHSS? Thank you! However, you may be receiving this letter
because we have a duplicate record for your facility in our database. Please call our helpline so that we can
update this information in our system.

It is important that you (or another person knowledgeable about the facility's daily
operations) complete the questionnaire. If you have any questions about the survey, please call
the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752.
Thank you for participating in this important national survey.
Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA
Enclosures
NOTE: The N-MHSS questionnaire is designed to collect information about a single facility at a single location, that is,
the facility whose name and address is linked to a specific USER ID and PASSWORD. If your organization offers
treatment services at more than one location and you receive a survey request for each location, please complete a
separate questionnaire for each location.

Attachment A.14— 2017 N-MHSS Second Thank You/Reminder Letter
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

October XX, 2017
Subject: [FacName1] [FacName2]
[LocAddress1] [LocAddress2]
[LocCity], [LocState] [LocZip5]-[LocZip4]
Reference number [MPRID]
Dear Director of Mental Health Program(s):
In late August, we sent you a survey packet for the 2017 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS) sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). I am contacting you today to urgently request your facility’s participation in the
N-MHSS. If you have already completed the survey questionnaire online or by mail, thank you for
your response. If you have not yet completed your questionnaire, please do so at your earliest
convenience.
N-MHSS data will be used to update SAMHSA’s online Behavioral Health Treatment Services
Locator at (http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov). This Locator is a vital resource to help people find
needed mental health treatment services available in their local community. Results of the
N-MHSS will also provide critical information about the number and types of public and private
mental health treatment facilities in the nation and where additional services may be needed.
Your facility is an important part of this effort, and your participation in the N-MHSS is crucial
to its success. The easiest way to complete the questionnaire is to log on to the survey website and
follow the instructions on the flyer enclosed with this letter. Or, if it is more convenient,
interviewers are standing by to complete the survey with you over the telephone. Please call
1-800-303-6222 and mention your reference number: [MPRID].
If you have any questions regarding the survey or how to complete the questionnaire online, please
contact the toll-free N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752 and mention the reference number listed
above. Staff will be available to assist you Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Thank you for participating in this important national survey. We look forward to receiving your
response.
Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA
Enclosure
NOTE: If your organization offers treatment services at more than one location, you may receive a duplicate letter for
another facility at another location. The N-MHSS is designed to collect information about a single facility at a single
location, that is, the facility whose name and address is indicated on the questionnaire. You will be asked to complete a
separate questionnaire for each location.

Attachment A.15— 2017 N-MHSS Thank You Notification for Completed Surveys
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

[DATE]
[Thank-you Recipient]
[Facility Name 1]
[Facility Name 2]
[Location Street Address]
[Location City], [Location State] [Location Zip]

Dear [Thank-you Recipient]:
On behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), I want
to thank you for your facility’s participation in the 2017 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS).
Your participation has helped to assure that the results of this year’s survey will be complete and
accurately reflect the current state of our mental health treatment service delivery system. The
information you provided will help SAMHSA, other Federal, state and local agencies, and
behavioral health care professionals assess the current availability of mental health treatment and
services, as well as identify unmet mental health client needs in the nation.
We are especially appreciative of your support and the commitment of time and effort involved in
responding to this important national survey.
Thank you again, and I hope we can count on your continued participation in the future.
Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA

Attachment A.16— 2017 N-MHSS Between Survey Advance Letter
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

[Fill Month] 2018

Dear «Director_FN» «Director_MI» «Director_LN», or Current Facility Director:
Your facility has been approved to be listed in the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The
newly updated Locator is an online directory that contains listings for both substance abuse
treatment facilities and mental health treatment facilities, and can be found at
https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov. SAMHSA maintains the Locator as a public service for persons
seeking treatment for themselves or family members. There is no charge for being listed on the
Locator.
To be listed in the Locator, a mental health treatment facility must respond to SAMHSA’s annual
survey of mental health treatment facilities called the National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS).
Although data collection for the next N-MHSS is not scheduled to begin until March 2018, facilities
that are approved in the interim can be quickly added to the Locator by answering a brief set of
questions about the types of treatment and services they offer.
To answer this brief set of questions please follow the steps listed below:
1. Log onto: https://minisurvey.nmhss.org/
2. The utility will ask for a USER ID and PASSWORD. The unique USER ID and
PASSWORD assigned to this facility are:
USER ID:

[USER ID]

PASSWORD: [PASSWORD]

If you have any questions please call SAMHSA’s contractor, Mathematica Policy Research, at
1-866-778-9752, Monday through Friday between 8 am and 8 pm (ET). This is a toll-free call.

Sincerely,

J. Neil Russell, Ph.D.
Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality, SAMHSA