DHSS Press Release

FEDERAL RESEARCHERS CONDUCTING DOOR-TO-DOOR SURVEY IN DELAWARE ON DRUG USE, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

NEW CASTLE (Aug. 23, 2017) - RTI International interviewers are going door-to-door in Delaware conducting a study called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health on behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The annual study is a scientific, national survey that provides up-to-date state and national information on alcohol, tobacco or drug use, mental health and other health-related issues. Delawareans who are asked to do in-person surveys should have received a letter ahead of time from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Interviewers who come to the door will have a photo ID that identifies them as working for RTI International and on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The interviewer will start with a few general questions, and then may ask for one or two members of your household to complete an hour-long interview. The extended interviews do not need to be conducted in the home. The interviewer might suggest a nearby library or another public place.

"If you are contacted by letter or in person by someone conducting this survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to participate," Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker said. "This scientific survey will offer us critical insights about drug use and mental health issues in Delaware and nationwide."

Participants do not need to know anything about alcohol, tobacco or drug use to answer the survey questions, and interviews from people who do not use these substances are just as important to the study as interviews from people who do use these substances. The names and addresses of participants will not be connected to their answers, and all answers are kept confidential. People who complete the hour-long interview will receive $30 in cash.

RTI International, a nonprofit contract research organization from North Carolina, is conducting the survey as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The names of the field interviewers in Delaware are:

Cynthia Jakacki-Null
Linda McGoy
Claudia Dandridge
Nancy Lopez
Evelyn Crespo Morales
Jan Schafer
Luis Buitrago
Teresa Gray
Jennifer Ames
Karen Cunningham
Kathleen Dondarski

Information about the National Survey on Drug Use and Health is available on the study website. Or you can contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-848-4079.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

Delaware's Government

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