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SAMHSA Grant Annoucement RFA

Application Information
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)

Request for Applications (RFA)

Cooperative Agreement for a Physician Clinical Support System for the Appropriate Use of Methadone
in the Treatment of Pain and Opioid Addiction
(Short Title: PCSS- M)

(Initial Announcement)

 

Request for Applications (RFA) No. TI-08-014
Posting on Grants.gov: March 14, 2008
Receipt date: May 1, 2008
Announcement Type: Initial

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No
.: 93.243

Key Dates:

Application Deadline

May 1, 2008

Intergovernmental Review
(E.O. 12372)

Letters from State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) are due no later than 60 days after the application deadline.

Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS)/Single State Agency Coordination

Applicants must send the PHSIS to appropriate State and local health agencies by application deadline. Comments from Single State Agency are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is announcing the availability of FY 2008 funds for a single source award to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) for the Physician Clinical Support System for the Appropriate Use of Methadone in the Treatment of Pain and Opioid Addiction (PCSS-M) Cooperative Agreement.  The purpose of this project is to establish a national mentoring network offering support (clinical updates, evidence-based outcomes and training) free of charge to physicians and other medical professionals in the appropriate use of methadone for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid addiction.  SAMHSA is responsible for certifying over 1,000 Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) that use methadone and buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid addiction.  This initiative will help address the nation’s rise in methadone-associated deaths that has been spurred by misuse/abuse and fatal drug interactions involving methadone.

The mission of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) is to educate physicians/other medical professionals and promote the appropriate role of the physician and other medical professionals in the care of patients with addiction.  ASAM has developed and disseminated course materials addressing pain and addiction and presently provides training on the use of methadone in SAMHSA certified OTPs throughout the country. Thus, ASAM continues to provide critical support that is vital to the safety of patients receiving methadone-based therapies involving addiction and chronic pain.

SAMHSA presently collaborates with the CDC, DEA, NIDA, and FDA, as well as with State agencies most directly affected by rising methadone mortalities. The collaborative trainings of these agencies, coupled with an increase in requests for consultation and assistance from State authorities and practitioners in the field, has created a need for SAMHSA to evaluate and address the causes of the increase in fatalities and non-medical use of methadone.  While the data strongly suggest that most of the increase in methadone-associated deaths is related to the rapid increase in the prescription of methadone for treatment of chronic pain, there is a widespread public perception that diversion of methadone from OTPs and OTP clients, and inappropriate client care in some OTPs, are major reasons for the rise of methadone related mortality. This perception not only damages attitudes toward methadone maintenance treatment, which has been demonstrated scientifically in numerous studies to be the most effective treatment for opioid addiction, but also undermines public support for treatment generally.  Therefore, SAMHSA has a strong interest and responsibility to help ensure that methadone, whether prescribed for pain management or dispensed for the treatment of opioid dependence, is being used appropriately by physicians who have been trained in the latest evidence-based practices.

The target population for this initiative includes physicians and other health professionals working in SAMHSA certified OTPs and physicians prescribing methadone for pain.  The training and clinical support provided under this initiative will address the specific complexities that are inherent to the medication itself and how those characteristics affect appropriate care of individuals being treated for pain and opioid dependence.

SAMHSA has convened two expert panels in response to the increase in methadone-associated deaths (the reports are available at www.dpt.samhsa.gov.  Panel results show that medical education is critical and warranted to reduce methadone-associated deaths.  Also, addictions and pain medicine specialists will be encouraged to participate in the project to serve as mentors for physicians and other medical professionals desiring to treat patients for opioid dependency and chronic pain with methadone products.

The PCSS-M program is authorized under Section 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area 26 (Substance Abuse).

Eligibility

Only an application from ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine ) will be considered for funding under this announcement. 

There is a public health crisis involving the misuse, non medical use and fatalities associated with the increased availability of methadone for the treatment of pain and opioid addiction.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), methadone poisoning deaths nationwide increased 390% from 786 deaths in 1999 to 3,849 deaths in 2004, and on going data indicate that the number of deaths in many states continued to increase in 2005 and 2006.  Thus, prompt and direct implementation of this cooperative agreement is necessary to help ensure public health and safety.

To address this healthcare crisis in a timely manner, eligibility for the cooperative agreement is limited to ASAM to establish a national mentoring network and to carry out the dissemination of information and education as it relates to methadone use in the treatment of opioid addiction and chronic pain. ASAM presently provides a parallel service under a SAMHSA cooperative agreement to operate a Physician Clinical Support System (PCSS) to assist physicians with issues related to office-based treatment of opioid dependence with buprenorphine.  As a result, ASAM is in the unique position to have the infrastructure and capacity in place to expeditiously meet the specific and unique needs outlined in this announcement.  In addition, ASAM has demonstrated in the past (through the PCSS project) the capability to implement and achieve the goals of this program.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Cooperative Agreement
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $500,000
Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $500,000
Length of Project Period: Up to 3 years

A total of $500,000 may be awarded each year for up to three years for this project.  This amount includes direct and indirect costs.  Your proposed budget cannot exceed $500,000 in any year of the proposed project.  Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, your progress in meeting project goals and objectives, and timely submission of required data and reports. 

Contact Information

For questions on program issues, contact:

Anthony Campbell
Project Officer
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 2 -1067
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-2702
anthony.campbell@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions on grants management issues, contact:

Kathleen Sample
Office of Program Services, Division of Grants Management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 7-1089
Rockville, MD 20857
(240) 276-1407
kathleen.sample@samhsa.hhs.gov

Documents needed to complete a grant application:

Applications that are not submitted on the required application form will be screened out and will not be reviewed.

Download the complete Announcement No. TI-08-014

MS Word Format Download RFA in MS Word format
PDF Format Download RFA in Adobe PDF format

You must respond to the requirements in the RFA in preparing your application.

PHS 5161-1 (revised July 2000): Includes the face page, budget forms and checklist. Applications that are not submitted on the required application form will be screened out and will not be reviewed.

Additional Materials

For further information on the forms and the application process, see Useful Information for Applicants

Additional materials available on this website include:



Last Update: 12/12/2008