Letters

Attachment A.6— 2020 N-MHSS Advance Letter

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

March 2020
Dear Facility Director:
In early May, you will receive a packet from Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ, for the 2020
National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). This annual survey, sponsored by the Federal
government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by
Mathematica Policy Research, collects data from all known mental health treatment facilities in the United
States and its jurisdictions.
If you completed the 2019 N-MHSS, many questions will be prefilled. To save you time, for the 2020
N-MHSS, the following features are available:
•
•
•

You will have the ability to go back and change answers, if necessary.
Multiple questions are grouped together on the same web page.
If you are responsible for completing the N-MHSS for more than one location, you can now complete
multiple web surveys in a single session.

The packet to arrive in early May will include instructions for completing the questionnaire online, through
a secure password-protected website. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services,
has had an address change, or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at
1-866-778-9752 or send an email to [email protected].
We look forward to your participation in the 2020 N-MHSS!

Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
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 envelope. On the web, you will be
able to complete the survey for multiple locations at the same time.

Attachment A.7— 2020 N-MHSS Cover Letter (First Mailing)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

April 30, 2020
Dear Facility Director:
I am writing to request your participation in the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS). This annual survey, sponsored by the Federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, collects data from all
known mental health treatment facilities in the United States and its jurisdictions.
If you completed the 2019 N-MHSS, many questions will be prefilled. To save you time, for the 2020
N-MHSS, the following features are available:
•
•
•

You will have the ability to go back and change answers, if necessary.
Multiple questions are grouped together on the same web page.
If you are responsible for completing the N-MHSS for more than one location, you can now complete
multiple web surveys in a single session.
Why should I do the N-MHSS today?

•
•

You will be done for the year and won’t be contacted again about completing the N-MHSS until next
year’s survey.
Secure login information is readily accessible on the enclosed green flyer.

The survey should be completed by you or another person knowledgeable about this facility's daily
operations. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services, has had an address change,
or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752 or send an
email to [email protected].
We look forward to your participation in the 2020 N-MHSS!

Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
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 printed on the enclosed green flyer. On the web, you
will be able to complete the survey for multiple locations at the same time.

Attachment A.11— 2020 N-MHSS State Endorsement Letter

[DATE]
Dear Mental Health Treatment Facility Director,
I am writing to request your participation in the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS). This annual survey, sponsored by the Federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, collects data
from all known mental health treatment facilities in the United States and its jurisdictions.
This survey is a legitimate survey and we endorse it. By completing the N-MHSS, our state will be
properly represented in analyses and reports describing mental health treatment in the United States. In
addition, facility data feeds into SAMHSA’s Treatment Locator, which helps people in our state to seek
mental health treatment in their communities.
To complete, please follow the instructions found on the green flyer enclosed in this packet. We urge
you to complete this survey promptly. You will find many features to help make completion easier.
The survey should be completed by you or another person knowledgeable about your facility's daily
operations. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services, has had an address
change, or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at
1-866-778-9752 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
If you have questions about the survey that should be answered by our office, please contact:
[Name of State contact]
[Phone Number of State contact]
[E-mail Address of State contact]
Thank you very much for your participation in this important effort.
Sincerely,
[State Representative Signature]

Attachment A.12— 2020 N-MHSS First Thank You/Reminder Letter

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

May XX, 2020
[Facility Director] [or Current Facility Director]
[Facility Name 1]
[Facility Name 2]
[Attn Name]
[Address1] [Address2]
[City], [State] [Postal Code]
Subject:

Facility located at –
[Address1][Address2]
[City], [State] [Postal Code]

Dear Facility Director:
About three weeks ago, we sent you a packet for the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS) sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). If
you have already completed the questionnaire on the web, we thank you for your participation. If you have
not yet completed your questionnaire, please do so at your earliest convenience.
If you completed the 2019 N-MHSS, many questions will be prefilled. To save you time, for the
2020 N-MHSS, the following features are available:
•
•
•

You will have the ability to go back and change answers, if necessary.
Multiple questions are grouped together on the same web page.
If you are responsible for completing the N-MHSS for more than one location, you can now complete
multiple web surveys in a single session.
To complete the 2019 N-MHSS on the web, log onto: https://survey.nmhss.org

The unique USER ID and PASSWORD assigned to this facility, at the location shown above, are:
USER ID:

[Web User Name]

PASSWORD:

[Web Password]

The survey should be completed by you or another person knowledgeable about this facility's daily
operations. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services, has had an address
change, or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752
or send an e-mail to [email protected].
We look forward to your participation in the 2020 N-MHSS!

Sincerely,

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

Attachment A.13— 2020 N-MHSS Cover Letter (Second Mailing)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

June XX, 2020
Dear Facility Director:
At the end of April, we requested your participation and sent you the materials to complete the 2020
National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). This annual survey, sponsored by the Federal
government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by
Mathematica Policy Research, collects data from all known mental health treatment facilities in the United
States and its jurisdictions.
If you have already responded to this survey, thank you for your participation. If by chance your survey
materials have been misplaced, we are resending the information needed to complete this important survey. The
enclosed green flyer provides this facility's unique User ID and Password for accessing the questionnaire on the
web. It is important that we receive your response as soon as possible.
If you completed the 2019 N-MHSS, many questions will be pre-filled. To save you time, for the 2020
N-MHSS, the following features are available:
•
•
•

You will have the ability to go back and change answers, if necessary.
Multiple questions are grouped together on the same web page.
If you are responsible for completing the N-MHSS for more than one location, you can now complete
multiple web surveys in a single session.

The survey should be completed by you or another person knowledgeable about this facility's daily
operations. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services, has had an address change,
or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752 or send an
email to [email protected].
We look forward to your participation in the 2020 N-MHSS!

Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
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 printed on the enclosed green flyer. On the web, you
will be able to complete the survey for multiple locations at the same time.

Attachment A.14— 2020 N-MHSS Cover Letter (Third Mailing)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

[DATE]
Dear Facility Director:
We have been attempting to contact you to gain your participation to complete the 2020 National Mental
Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). This annual survey, sponsored by the Federal government’s Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research,
collects data from all known mental health treatment facilities in the United States and its jurisdictions. Data
from the N-MHSS is used to populate SAMHSA’s online Treatment Locator, which helps people seek mental
health treatment.
If you have already responded to this survey, thank you for your participation. The enclosed green flyer
provides this facility's unique User ID and Password for accessing the questionnaire on the web.
If you completed the 2019 N-MHSS, many questions will be prefilled. To save you time, for the 2020
N-MHSS, the following features are available:
•
•
•

You will have the ability to go back and change answers, if necessary.
Multiple questions are grouped together on the same web page.
If you are responsible for completing the N-MHSS for more than one location, you can now complete
multiple web surveys in a single session.

The survey should be completed by you or another person knowledgeable about this facility's daily
operations. If your facility no longer provides mental health treatment services, has had an address change,
or if you have any questions about the survey, please call the N-MHSS helpline at 1-866-778-9752 or send an
email to [email protected].
We look forward to your participation in the 2020 N-MHSS!

Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
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 printed on the enclosed green flyer. On the web, you
will be able to complete the survey for multiple locations at the same time.

Attachment A.15— 2020 N-MHSS Thank You Notification for Completed Surveys
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration

[DATE]

[Respondent] [or Current Facility Director]:
[Facility Name 1]
[Facility Name 2]
Attn:[Attn Name]
[Address1] [Address2]
[City], [State] [Postal Code]
Dear [Respondent] [or Current Facility Director]:
I am writing to personally thank you for your facility’s participation in the 2020 National Mental
Health Services Survey (N-MHSS).
Your participation helps assure that the results of the 2020 survey are complete and accurate. 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 United States.
We appreciate your support and commitment of time and effort involved in responding to this
important national survey.
Thank you again, and we count on your continued participation in the future.
Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality
SAMHSA

Attachment A.16— N-MHSS Between Surveys Invitation Letter

[DATE]
Dear [Facility Director] [or Current Facility Director]
Your facility has been approved by your State Mental Health Agency to be listed in the online
Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 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, friends, or family members. There is no charge for
being listed in the Locator.
To be listed in the Locator, a mental health treatment facility must respond to SAMHSA’s annual
survey of metal health treatment facilities called the National Mental Health Services Survey
(N-MHSS). The N-MHSS is the most comprehensive source of data on mental health treatment
facilities in the nation, policymakers at local, State, and Federal levels use information from the
N-MHSS to determine the extent of services available and what new or expanded services may be
needed.
Although data collection for the next N-MHSS is not scheduled to begin until [MONTH] [YEAR],
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: [WEBSITE]
2. The website will ask for a USER ID and PASSWORD. The unique USER ID and
PASSWORD assigned to this facility are:
USER ID:

[Web User Name]

[USER ID]

PASSWORD:

[Web Password] [PASSWORD]

If you have any questions please call SAMHSA’s contractor, Mathematica Policy Research, at
1-888-633-8347, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET. This is a toll-free call.
Sincerely,

Herman A. Alvarado
Data Collection Manager
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality SAMHSA