OpportunityTitle: Cooperative Agreements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Follow Up
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants are members of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center network who provide 24 hour coverage and meet the additional eligibility requirements described in Section III-3.2.    Eligibility is limited to members of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center network who provide 24 hour coverage and meet the additional eligibility requirements because these are the only crisis centers with the capability to obtain consent and provide follow up to National Suicide Prevention lifeline callers.  These crisis centers are more likely to have the necessary infrastructure in place to provide services to these high risk, high priority or underserved populations, and to assure that relationships with State/local mental health systems are in place to assure that caller follow up and access to care can take place as required by the cooperative agreement.    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis centers who are currently receiving funding through the FY2008 Cooperative Agreements for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Follow Up are not eligible to apply because grantees may not have more than one SAMHSA grant of this type at the same time.
Description: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 Cooperative Agreements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Follow Up grants. The purpose of this program is to promote systematic follow up of suicidal persons who call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program, or who are being followed by National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Centers. Every month, over 50,000 calls are answered through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While not every caller is at acute risk for suicide at the time of the call, past SAMHSA funded hotline evaluations have shown that large numbers of callers have significant histories of suicidal ideation and attempts. For those at imminent risk for suicide, emergency intervention is frequently initiated and may result in an Emergency Room evaluation and/or psychiatric hospitalization. For those not at imminent risk, crisis centers will typically provide referrals to mental health and other services, and will also advise the caller that they may call back if they are in crisis or have additional needs. The SAMHSA Hotline evaluations found that callers experienced a reduction in hopelessness and suicidal intent, but also showed that 43% of suicidal callers experienced some recurrence of suicidal ideation within the next several weeks, underscoring the importance of receiving follow up behavioral healthcare or other appropriate services or interventions. However, the evaluations found that only a minority of suicidal callers had set up an appointment. Upon follow up, only 22.5% of the suicidal callers had been seen by the behavioral healthcare system to which they had been referred and an additional 12.6% had an appointment scheduled but had not yet been seen. Additionally, recent research findings from the Veterans Administration and surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control have demonstrated that the period after emergency interventions is one of heightened risk for suicide, with significant numbers of deaths occurring following discharge from either an Emergency Department or Inpatient hospitalization. Clearly, there is a critical need to promote systematic follow up of callers at risk for suicide including those who have received emergency interventions. By providing these grants, SAMHSA hopes to assist crisis centers in maintaining the safety of callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and to increase the likelihood of their receiving needed services. SAMHSA has demonstrated that - prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the Nation&#146;s health. To continue to improve the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services, SAMHSA has identified ten Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency&#146;s work on people and emerging opportunities. More information is available at the SAMHSA website: http://www.samhsa.gov/About/strategy.aspx. Applications responsive to this Request for Application must implement evidence-based or best practices that will create or expand capacity to address the Strategic Initiative below: Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Create prevention prepared communities where individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and communities take action to prevent and reduce mental illness and substance abuse, and their consequences such as suicidal behavior, across the lifespan. The Cooperative Agreements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Follow Up is one of SAMHSA&#146;s services grant programs. SAMHSA&#146;s services grants are designed to address gaps in mental health prevention and treatment services and/or to increase the ability of States, units of local government, American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes and tribal organizations, and community- and faith-based organizations to help specific populations or geographic areas with serious, emerging mental health and substance abuse problems. SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the 4th month of the project at the latest. The Cooperative Agreements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Follow Up are authorized under Section 520A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area(s) 18 (Mental Health and Mental Disorders).
GrantorContactEmailDescription: gwendolyn.simpson@samhsa.hhs.gov
GrantorContactText: Gwendolyn Simpson &lt;br/&gt;Office of Program Services, Division of Grants Management      &lt;br/&gt;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration &lt;br/&gt;1 Choke Cherry Road &lt;br/&gt;Room 7-1085 &lt;br/&gt;Rockville, Maryland 20857 &lt;br/&gt;(240) 276-1408 &lt;br/&gt;