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SAMHSA Awards New Grants

By Brian Campbell

SAMHSA announced 572 new grant awards this fall for Fiscal Year 2002. The awards reflect the priorities and cross-cutting principles articulated by SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W.

"Our efforts are based on an underlying precept that people of all ages, with or at risk for mental or substance abuse disorders, should have the opportunity for a fulfilling life in the community that includes a job, a home, and meaningful relationships with family and friends," he explained.

In support of this goal, SAMHSA is focusing attention on areas such as homelessness, children and adolescents, criminal justice, terrorism, and HIV/AIDS, among others. All Agency efforts emphasize collaboration across service systems and among organizations.

SAMHSA is funding two new efforts to reduce the homelessness that is often a consequence of mental illness and drug abuse. SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) awarded nearly $11 million for Development of Comprehensive Drug/Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment Systems for Persons Who Are Homeless. The purpose of these grants is to enable communities to expand and strengthen their treatment services for homeless people with substance abuse disorders, mental illness, or with co-occurring substance abuse disorders and mental illness.

"On any given night, upwards of 600,000 persons are homeless," Mr. Curie noted. "These funds will help meet needs by promoting entry to housing and helping individuals remain housed while they are receiving the treatment they need for substance abuse, mental illness, or both."

SAMHSA is funding another program on homelessness jointly with a sister agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Each agency is contributing approximately $1.4 million to the Collaboration to Link Health Care for the Homeless Programs and Community Mental Health Agencies. Grant recipients will use the money to increase the availability of both mental health and primary health care services for homeless people with serious mental illness.

The "homeless" individuals in these grants include people who are "doubled up." That is, they are at imminent risk for becoming homeless because they are sharing another person's dwelling on a temporary basis. These persons are sheltered as long as the primary occupant of a home is willing to continue the arrangement. They could be thrust out on the street at any time without notice.

"We must make substance abuse treatment programs for youth a priority," said Mr. Curie, in announcing $8 million in grants for Adolescent Residential Treatment programs. The CSAT-funded grants are designed to enhance or expand residential treatment services for youth age 21 and younger who require treatment for a drug or alcohol problem. Programs may also include a continuum of aftercare services to keep youth engaged with the substance abuse treatment system and prevent relapse into drug use.

SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is likewise addressing the needs of youth with $17 million in funding for the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children and Their Families. This program is designed to develop systems of care that deliver comprehensive, individualized mental health services in
the community for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families.

"Our efforts are based on an underlying precept that people of all ages, with or at risk for mental or substance abuse disorders, should have the opportunity for a fulfilling life in the community that includes a job, a home, and meaningful relationships with family and friends."

–Charles G. Curie, SAMHSA Administrator

CMHS also funded, for the first time, a new Partnership for Youth Transition Program. Nearly $2.3 million was awarded for 5 cooperative agreement grants to develop and implement transition programs for youth with serious emotional disturbance as they enter adulthood so that they can lead productive lives as adults.

SAMHSA aims to help both children and their parents through grants for Drug Courts for Families, Juveniles, and Adult Offenders. CSAT awarded $10.4 million to community drug treatment courts to provide substance abuse treatment for parents charged with abuse and neglect of their minor children, substance-abusing adults charged with criminal offenses, and juveniles. There are two types of awards—one for civil family courts, and a second for juvenile courts and adult drug courts.

SAMHSA is focusing attention on areas such as homelessness, children and adolescents, criminal justice, terrorism, and HIV/AIDS. All Agency efforts emphasize collaboration across service systems and among organizations.

"It's time to reunite families torn apart by drug abuse and neglect of children by ensuring that parents are given the opportunity for substance abuse treatment and recovery," said Mr. Curie. "With the strict time limits set by the Adoption and Safe Families Act, there is a dire need for civil family drug courts that can help parents keep their children."

SAMHSA also awarded $3.9 million for the CMHS Targeted Capacity Expansion Grants for Jail Diversion Programs. This program is intended to help 10 communities build capacity to divert persons with mental illness from the criminal justice system to community-based mental health and supportive services such as health care, housing, and job placement. Within this program, a separate grant was awarded for a national Technical Assistance and Policy Analysis Center. This Center will provide information and assistance to the 10 grantees and other communities implementing the jail diversion, and will establish a national database on diversion program evaluations.

SAMHSA awarded $33.9 million for Substance Abuse Treatment in HIV/AIDS Minority Communities. This program is intended to provide substance abuse treatment, along with HIV/AIDS services, in African American, Latino/Hispanic, and other racial/ethnic communities that have been affected by the twin epidemics of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. The awards implement a congressional directive to enhance the quality of services and expand capacity for substance abuse treatment programs in high-risk communities of color that are affected by both high rates of HIV/AIDS and serious substance abuse problems.

"These awards will help communities with both large numbers of people infected by HIV and large numbers addicted to alcohol and drugs," Mr. Curie said. "By targeting our efforts in these communities, we are helping to develop local capacity to deal with these problems and stop the spread of HIV."

SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), likewise responding to the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses, awarded more than $22 million in grants to support effective substance abuse prevention services that are integrated with HIV prevention services directed at youth and other at-risk populations in minority communities. Approximately $5.8 million of this was awarded through the Targeted Capacity Expansion Initiatives for Substance Abuse Prevention and HIV Prevention in Minority Communities for planning grants to support the creation of a service delivery infrastructure in communities. The other $16.2 million was awarded through the same initiative for service grants to provide prevention services in 48 communities.

Responding to the reality of terrorism, SAMHSA awarded $2.4 million in grants to provide mental health services to public safety workers who responded to the 2001 terrorist attacks. The Public Safety Workers Mental Health Program will provide needed mental health services to firefighters, search and rescue personnel, emergency medical personnel, law enforcement officers and personnel, public health workers, emergency services personnel, construction workers, and transportation workers who were directly involved in recovery work and the search for remains of victims following the September 11 attacks.

"Trained to cope with fear and stress, and to act effectively in emergencies, rescue workers are more familiar with danger and loss of life than many," Mr. Curie said. "Our experience with the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing warns they are also among the most vulnerable to long-term emotional and substance abuse problems. These grants will sustain our initial efforts to support the front line at home."

As part of a strategy to encourage greater collaboration, CSAP recently awarded $7.6 million to governors in three states to help them consolidate all of their resources—both programmatic and financial—to create a comprehensive, statewide strategy for reducing youth substance abuse. The State Incentive Cooperative Agreements for Community-Based Action (known informally as State Incentive Grants) were awarded to Nevada, Ohio, and Michigan.

"Our effort rests on the firm belief that by working in partnership with the states and focusing our Nation's attention, energy, and resources at the local level, real progress can be made"

–Charles G. Curie, SAMHSA Administrator

"We are committed to waging an all out effort to reduce illegal drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among young people in America," said Mr. Curie. "Our effort rests on the firm belief that by working in partnership with the states and focusing our Nation's attention, energy, and resources at the local level, real progress can be made."

A full 85 percent of funds awarded through the State Incentive Grants are directed to support the work of community-based programs. With this announcement, a total of 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have joined the program. In total, over 2,700 communities across the country now are implementing science-based prevention models reaching more than 1 million young people. Funds also will help the states use measures, including state-level data from SAMHSA's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, to establish benchmarks and to report progress in reducing substance use.

Other SAMHSA grants awarded include the following from SAMHSA's three Centers.

Center for Mental Health Services

Youth Violence Prevention. $4.5 million. 28 grant awards for use in communities and schools to develop and enhance youth violence prevention activities and mental health.

Violence Prevention Coordinating Center. $2.5 million. A continuation of a cooperative agreement to provide technical assistance to the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grantees.

Older Adults' Mental Health Services. $3.6 million. 9 grant awards to support programs and services to meet the mental health needs of older adults. Services will be adapted to different cultures and ethnic communities.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center. $2.5 million. 1 grant award to establish a national suicide prevention resource center. The center will assist survivors, clinicians, advocates, scientists, and Federal, state, local, and tribal organizations with suicide prevention program planning, identification, and implementation of best practices. (See the National Strategy Seeks To Prevent Suicide article in this edition.)

Mental Health Workforce Training. $1.5 million. 4 grant awards to develop, implement, and evaluate training programs that will increase mental health workers' ability to provide culturally appropriate services to racial and ethnic minorities.

Violence and Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Resource Center. $3.9 million. 1 grant award to develop and operate a technical assistance center for the prevention of violence and behavioral health problems.

State Mental Health Data Infrastructure. $400,000. 5 grant awards to develop and sustain state and community data infrastructure to support community-based systems of care for children and adults with mental illness or at risk of developing mental illness.

Targeted Capacity Expansion: National Technical Assistance Center for the Mental Health Services Needs of Older Adults. $900,000. 1 grant award to identify, synthesize, and disseminate the knowledge base for mental health outreach, prevention, early intervention, assessment, and treatment services for older adults.

Community Action Grants Program. $6.6 million. 47 grant awards to support the adoption and implementation of exemplary practices related to the delivery and organization of services for children with serious emotional disturbances or adults with serious mental illness. The target population may also have co-occurring disorders, such as substance abuse or other mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Prevention of Club Drugs and Inhalent Abuse. $8.8 million. 27 grant awards to support infrastructure development and interventions to prevent the use of Ecstasy and other club drugs, methamphetamine, and inhalants. 13 of the 27 grant awards will develop prevention infrastructure; 14 of the 27 grant awards will focus on prevention interventions.

National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute. $2 million. 1 grant award to develop and implement a National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute.

The Targeted Capacity Expansion program is designed to address gaps in treatment capacity by responding to unmet, specific, local needs for alcohol and drug treatment services.

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Integrate Substance Abuse Treatment into Public Health for American Indian and Alaska Native Populations. $1.75 million. 7 grant awards, part of the Targeted Capacity Expansion Initiative, to integrate substance abuse treatment with mental health, primary care, and other public health services, as well as expand access for appropriate care in rural and remote areas to American Indian, Alaska Native, and rural communities.

Targeted Capacity Expansion. $12.3 million. 26 grant awards to expand or enhance substance abuse treatment capacity in local communities. This program is designed to address gaps in treatment capacity by responding to unmet, specific, local needs for alcohol and drug treatment services.

State Data Infrastructure. $3.4 million. 35 grant awards to help Single State Authorities report performance measures for planned Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Performance Partnerships.

Rehabilitation and Restitution Cooperative Agreement Program. $2 million. 2 cooperative agreement grant awards to study the effectiveness of a sophisticated, multi-system program for certain non-violent, substance-abusing ex-felons to improve treatment retention and outcome; reduce the stigma of past substance abuse and non-violent, criminal activity; reduce criminal activity; and assist program clients in becoming more fully functioning citizens.

Grants for Accreditation of Opioid Treatment Programs. $1.6 million. 4 grant awards to reduce the costs of basic accreditation education and accreditation surveys (site visits) for Opioid Treatment Programs participating in the accreditation process.

Cooperative Agreements for Addiction Technology Transfer Centers. $5 million. 8 cooperative agreement grant awards to Centers to develop research-based and culturally appropriate substance abuse treatment and recovery curricula, and to provide academic and continuing education, professional development, and practicum training to students and practitioners in the substance abuse treatment and related fields.

Community Action Grants for Service Systems Change. $700,000. 5 grant awards to support the adoption of specific exemplary practices related to the delivery or organization of services or supports into systems of care for adolescents and adults seeking treatment for alcohol and/or other drug use problems. The program seeks to encourage the adaptation of service models to meet local needs.

For information on current SAMHSA funding opportunities, visit SAMHSA's Web site, www.samhsa.gov, click on Grants.

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