[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3533-3535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1506]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Funding Opportunities

AGENCY: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
(SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), announces the 
availability of FY 1999 funds for grants for the following activity. 
This activity is discussed in more detail under Section 3 of this 
notice. This notice is not a complete description of the activity; 
potential applicants must obtain a copy of the Guidance for Applicants 
(GFA) before preparing an application.

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                                                                              Estimated
             Activity                 Application      Estimated funds        number of        Project period
                                       deadline           available            awards
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Child Mental Health Initiative....         4/21/99  $20-25 Million.......           20-25  Up to 5 yrs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Note: SAMHSA will publish additional notices of available 
funding opportunities for FY 1999 in subsequent issues of the 
Federal Register.

    The actual amount available for awards and their allocation may 
vary, depending on unanticipated program requirements and the number 
and quality of applications received. FY 1999 funds for the activity 
discussed in this announcement were appropriated by the Congress under 
Public Law No. 105-277. SAMHSA's policies and procedures for peer 
review and Advisory Council review of grant and cooperative agreement 
applications were published in the Federal Register (Vol. 58, No. 126) 
on July 2, 1993.
    The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the 
health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 
2000, a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. The 
SAMHSA Centers' substance abuse and mental health services activities 
address issues related to Healthy People 2000 objectives of Mental 
Health and Mental Disorders; Alcohol and Other Drugs; Clinical 
Preventive Services; HIV Infection; and Surveillance and Data Systems. 
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full 
Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-
001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government 
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (Telephone: 202-512-1800).
    General Instructions: Applicants must use application form PHS 
5161-1 (Rev. 5/96; OMB No. 0937-0189). The application kit contains the 
GFA (complete programmatic guidance and instructions for preparing and 
submitting applications), the PHS 5161-1 which includes Standard Form 
424 (Face Page), and other documentation and forms. Application kits 
may be obtained from the organization specified for the activity 
covered by this notice (see Section 3).
    When requesting an application kit, the applicant must specify the 
particular activity for which detailed information is desired. This is 
to ensure receipt of all necessary forms and information, including any 
specific program review and award criteria.
    The PHS 5161-1 application form and the full text of the activity 
(i.e., the GFA) described in Section 3 are available electronically via 
SAMHSA's World Wide Web Home Page (address: http://www.samhsa.gov).
    Application Submission: Applications must be submitted to: SAMHSA 
Programs, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, 
Suite 1040, 6701 Rockledge Drive MSC-7710, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-
7710.*

(* Applicants who wish to use express mail or courier service should 
change the zip code to 20817.)

    Application Deadlines: The deadline for receipt of applications is 
listed in the table above.
    Competing applications must be received by the indicated receipt 
date to be accepted for review. An application received after the 
deadline may only be accepted if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing 
date assigned by the carrier and that date is not later than one week 
prior to the deadline date. Private metered postmarks are not 
acceptable as proof of timely mailing.
    Applications received after the deadline date and those sent to an 
address other than the address specified above will be returned to the 
applicant without review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for activity-specific 
technical information should be directed to the program contact person 
identified for the activity covered by this notice (see Section 3).
    Requests for information concerning business management issues 
should be directed to the grants management contact person identified 
for the activity covered by this notice (see Section 3).

Table of Contents

1. Program Background and Objectives
2. Criteria for Review and Funding
    2.1  General Review Criteria
    2.2  Funding Criteria for Scored Applications
3. Special FY 1999 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Activities
    3.1  Grants
    3.1.1.  Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for 
Children and Their Families
4. Public Health System Reporting Requirements
5. PHS Non-use of Tobacco Policy Statement
6. Executive Order 12372

1. Program Background and Objectives

    SAMHSA's mission within the Nation's health system is to improve 
the quality and availability of prevention, early intervention, 
treatment, and rehabilitation services for substance abuse and mental 
illnesses, including co-occurring disorders, in order to improve health 
and reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society.
    Reinventing government, with its emphases on redefining the role of 
Federal agencies and on improving customer service, has provided SAMHSA 
with a welcome opportunity to examine carefully its programs and 
activities. As a result of that process, SAMHSA moved assertively to 
create a renewed and strategic emphasis on using its resources to 
generate knowledge about ways to improve the prevention and treatment 
of substance abuse and mental illness and to work with State and local 
governments as well as providers, families, and

[[Page 3534]]

consumers to effectively use that knowledge in everyday practice.
    SAMHSA differs from other agencies in focusing on needed 
information at the services delivery level, and in its question-focus. 
Dissemination and application are integral, major features of the 
programs. SAMHSA believes that it is important to get the information 
into the hands of the public, providers, and systems administrators as 
effectively as possible. Technical assistance, training, preparation of 
special materials will be used, in addition to normal communications 
means.
    SAMHSA also continues to fund legislatively-mandated services 
programs for which funds are appropriated.

2. Criteria for Review and Funding

    Consistent with the statutory mandate for SAMHSA to support 
activities that will improve the provision of treatment, prevention and 
related services, including the development of national mental health 
and substance abuse goals and model programs, competing applications 
requesting funding under the specific project activity in Section 3 
will be reviewed for technical merit in accordance with established 
PHS/SAMHSA peer review procedures.

2.1  General Review Criteria

    As published in the Federal Register on July 2, 1993 (Vol. 58, No. 
126), SAMHSA's ``Peer Review and Advisory Council Review of Grant and 
Cooperative Agreement Applications and Contract Proposals,'' peer 
review groups will take into account, among other factors as may be 
specified in the application guidance materials, the following general 
criteria:
     Potential significance of the proposed project;
     Appropriateness of the applicant's proposed objectives to 
the goals of the specific program;
     Adequacy and appropriateness of the proposed approach and 
activities;
     Adequacy of available resources, such as facilities and 
equipment;
     Qualifications and experience of the applicant 
organization, the project director, and other key personnel; and
     Reasonableness of the proposed budget.

2.2  Funding Criteria for Scored Applications

    Applications will be considered for funding on the basis of their 
overall technical merit as determined through the peer review group and 
the appropriate National Advisory Council review process.
    Other funding criteria will include:
     Availability of funds.
    Additional funding criteria specific to the programmatic activity 
may be included in the application guidance materials.

3. Special FY 1999 SAMHSA Activities

3.1  Grants

3.1.1. Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and 
Their Families (Child Mental Health Initiative)

     Application Deadline: April 21, 1999
     Purpose: Under Sec. 561(a) of the Public Health Service 
Act grants will be awarded to implement, in one or more communities, a 
broad array of community-based and family-focused services for children 
with serious emotional disturbance and their families, including 
individualized case planning and coordination, and to enable 
communities to integrate child-and family-serving agencies, including 
health, mental health, substance abuse treatment, child welfare, 
education, and juvenile justice into a local comprehensive system of 
care. The statute further requires that an evaluation of the system(s) 
of care implemented under the Program be conducted and that it include, 
among other things, longitudinal studies of the outcomes of services 
provided by such systems. (Sec. 565(c)(1) of the PHS Act).
    The primary goal of the program is to successfully implement 
systems of care at the grant sites. A second goal after implementing 
systems of care, is evaluation of the outcomes of services delivered 
under the system. This will be accomplished through a national multi-
site evaluation conducted under a separate contract and grantees will 
be required to cooperate with the multi-site evaluation contractor. The 
final goal of the Program is to use the results of both the system 
development efforts of each service site and the results of the 
descriptive, process and outcome evaluation to shape future program 
direction with proven exemplary practices that work best for children 
and their families.
     Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited by statute to 
``public entities.'' A public entity is defined for this purpose (in 
Section 561(a)(2) of the PHS Act) as any State, any political 
subdivision of a State, and Indian tribe or tribal organization (as 
defined in Section 4(b) and Section 4(c) of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act). The applicant entity must 
be qualified to deliver services under the State Medicaid Plan and have 
an agreement to do so, either directly or through a service provider 
organization. In order for an entity to be eligible, a plan must be in 
place for the development of a system of care for community-based 
services for children with a serious emotional disturbance approved by 
the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services per 
Sec. 564(b) of the PHS Act. For the purposes of this program, an 
approved State Mental Health Plan for Children and Adolescents with 
Serious Emotional Disturbance, submitted under Public Law 102-321, will 
be accepted as such a plan. This does not apply to Indian tribe or 
tribal organization applicants.
     Amount: Approximately $20-25 million will be available to 
support twenty (20) to twenty-five (25) awards under this GFA in FY 
1999. Actual funding will depend upon the availability of funds at the 
time of award. These grants are for a period of 5 years; it is 
anticipated that an average of approximately $1 million will be 
available to each grantee in year one; $1.25 million in year two; $2 
million in year three, $1.5 million in year four, and $1.5 million in 
five. An applicant must arrange and demonstrate the availability of 
matching non-Federal funds in statutorily mandated ratios. [NOTE: 
Applicants must see full GFA for the specific ratios].
     Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.104.
     Program Contact: For programmatic or technical assistance, 
contact: Gar De Carolis, Chief, Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch, 
Division of Knowledge Development and Systems Change, Center for Mental 
Health Services/SAMHSA, Room 18-49, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-1333/FAX (301) 443-3693, Internet: 
[email protected].
    For grants management issues, contact: Steve Hudak, Grants 
Management Officer, Office of Program Services/SAMHSA, Room 15C-05, 
Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-
4456/FAX (301) 594-2336, Internet: [email protected].
     For application kits, contact: IQ Solutions, Inc., 11300 
Rockville Pike Suite 801, Rockville, MD 20852 Voice: (301) 984-1471, 
FAX: (301) 984-1333, E-mail: [email protected].
     CMHS intends to sponsor four technical assistance 
workshops for potential applicants. For more information, potential 
applicants may contact: Ken Currier, Director, Technical Assistance 
Operations, National

[[Page 3535]]

Resource Network for Child and Family Mental Health Services, 
Washington Business Group on Health, 777 North Capitol Street, N.E., 
Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20002, (202) 408-9320/FAX (202) 408-9332, 
Internet: [email protected].

4. Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements.

5. PHS Non-use of Tobacco Policy Statement

    The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to 
provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco 
products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 
1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any 
portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, 
day care, health care, or early childhood development services are 
provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to 
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American 
people.

6. Executive Order 12372

    Applications submitted in response to the FY 1999 activity listed 
above are subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of 
Executive Order 12372, as implemented through DHHS regulations at 45 
CFR Part 100. E.O. 12372 sets up a system for State and local 
government review of applications for Federal financial assistance. 
Applicants (other than Federally recognized Indian tribal governments) 
should contact the State's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as 
possible to alert them to the prospective application(s) and to receive 
any necessary instructions on the State's review process. For proposed 
projects serving more than one State, the applicant is advised to 
contact the SPOC of each affected State. A current listing of SPOCs is 
included in the application guidance materials. The SPOC should send 
any State review process recommendations directly to: Office of 
Extramural Activities, Policy and Review, Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 17-89, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.
    The due date for State review process recommendations is no later 
than 60 days after the specified deadline date for the receipt of 
applications. SAMHSA does not guarantee to accommodate or explain SPOC 
comments that are received after the 60-day cut-off.

    Dated: January 14, 1999.
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 99-1506 Filed 1-21-99; 8:45 am]
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