treatment strategies, including collaborative efforts with SAMHSA. These strategies should include those targeted to highrisk populations, such as drug-involved offenders, prisoners, women and crack-cocaine users. The committee urges NIDA to pay particular attention to developing treatment strategies for crack-cocaine.

6.8 The committee recommends that NIAAA, NIDA, and NIMH restore support for research demonstration projects, using a mechanism similar to the R18 that facilitates cooperation between the NIH research institute and the relevant PHS services agency or agencies.

6.9 The committee recommends that an effort be made to coordinate between institutes that have overlapping AIDS research programs (for example, HIV and CNS function at NIMH and NINDS) by collaborating in the program development, review, and funding processes.

6.10 Given the disproportionate impact of the epidemic on men, African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos, it is important to understand the sociocultural-specific factors—including gender, race/ethnicity, and class—that play a role in the behavioral aspects of AIDS. Therefore, the committee recommends that NIAAA, NIDA, and NIMH, with input from appropriate experts, develop a mechanism for collecting and reporting data on the gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (class) of study populations in projects supported by the institutes. Such data collection and reporting should be guided by clear articulation of the role of these variables in the epidemic.

With respect to AIDS prevention and intervention, research findings must be disseminated to the field as quickly and as effectively as possible. At the same time, service providers often are in a unique position to discover new, researchable questions. How the two worlds of researchers and service providers interact is of great concern to all those involved in AIDS activities and is addressed in Chapter 7. To facilitate the exchange of ideas, federal agencies charged with missions for research and services must overcome differences and develop strategies for effective coordination and communication.