interview

Draft Intro letter for Key Informant Interviews

Dear [NAME],

The Region VIII U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office on Women’s Health (OWH) is conducting an assessment of the impact of energy development on the behavioral health of women in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana. The goal of this assessment is to gain a greater understanding of the behavioral health issues of women in Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail, Stark and Williams Counties as well as Fort Berthold in Western North Dakota, and Richland, Roosevelt, and Sheridan Counties as well as Fort Peck in Eastern Montana, how those needs are currently being addressed, and where there are gaps and opportunities to address these needs in the future.

Region VIII OASH/OWH has hired Health Resources in Action (HRiA) to gather and analyze data for the communities in the assessment region as well as conduct interviews with key community leaders. Additionally, focus groups and surveys will be conducted with residents to gain their perspective on these important issues as well.

As a leader in the community, your feedback is valuable, and we hope that you will be able to talk with a member of the HRiA team about the women’s behavioral health issues in our community. Someone from the HRiA team will be contacting you in the next few weeks to ask to set up an interview. The interviews are brief, lasting about 45-60 minutes either by phone or in person. All responses will remain confidential. I hope you will be able to participate.

The information you provide will be a valuable part of this assessment as we gather data to understand how we can all better meet the women’s behavioral health needs. I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Thanks so much for being a part of this important learning opportunity,

Susana Calderon, Regional Women’s Health Coordinator, Contract Officer Representative, Region VIII