Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The Challenge
A-G’s staff worked closely with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to build teamwork, resolve organizational challenges, and build greater capacities for internal operations effectiveness, all of which are needed to achieve the agency’s growing program responsibilities and strategic initiatives. Executives and staff alike at SAMHSA have been deeply engaged in navigating significant programmatic changes in response to enactment of the Affordable Care Act and growing public awareness and support of behavioral health as a central issue in our society.
Services
A-G worked collaboratively with the ELT to design and facilitate a SAMHSA-wide change management strategy to envision the future of SAMHSA. This approach engaged the organizational workforce in developing and refining internal operating strategies and action plans to move the organization toward that vision. This process included gaining input from internal staff, as well as external stakeholders.
A-G’s staff developed white papers and talking points for the Administrator and devised an internal communications strategy that allowed staff to voice their concerns and frustrations. As a result, A-G was able to develop solutions to organizational problems and provide consultation, analysis, program development, and coaching to the PeopleFirst Workgroup and various SAMHSA managers.
Impact
Due to the excellence in A-G’s work, we were asked to help refine several of SAMHSA’s agency-wide Policies & Procedures and won a large contract with the Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). With A-G’s guidance and technical assistance, CSAT was able to increase awareness of and build a larger body of knowledge about behavioral health; the role of behavioral health in achieving overall health; and the pathways to sustain healthy communities and healthy people. With the help of national subject matter experts provided by A-G, CSAT was able to educate some of the nation’s most at-risk audiences about substance abuse.
