[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7798-7800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3815]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 Funding Opportunities

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

ACTION: Notice of funding availability for CSAT Practice Improvement 
Collaborative Cooperative Agreements: Strengthening Treatment Access 
and Retention (Short Title: Strengthening Access and Retention (SAR)).

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SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
(SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) announces the 
availability of FY 2003 funds for grants for the following activity. 
This notice is not a complete description of the activity; potential 
applicants must obtain a copy of the Request for Applications (RFA), 
including Part I, CSAT Practice Improvement Collaborative Cooperative 
Agreements: Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention (TI 03-006) 
(Short Title: Strengthening Access and Retention (SAR)), and Part II, 
General Policies and Procedures Applicable to all SAMHSA Applications 
for Discretionary Grants and Cooperative Agreements, before preparing 
and submitting an application.

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                                                                       Est. Funds FY    Est. No. of    Project
                Activity                    Application deadline            2003           awards       period
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CSAT Practice Improvement..............
Collaborative Cooperative..............
Agreements: Strengthening..............
Treatment Access and Retention.........  May 12, 2003..............       $2.5 million        12-14      3 years
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    The actual amount available for the award may vary depending on 
unanticipated program requirements and actual SAMHSA appropriations. 
This program is being announced prior to the annual appropriation for 
FY 2003 for SAMHSA's programs. Applications are invited based on the 
assumption that sufficient funds will be appropriated for FY 2003 to 
permit funding of State Training and Evaluation of Evidence-Based 
Practices grants. This program is being announced in order to allow 
applicants sufficient time to plan and prepare applications. 
Solicitation of applications in advance of a final appropriation will 
also enable the award of appropriated grant funds in an expeditious 
manner and thus allow prompt implementation and evaluation of promising 
practices. All applicants are reminded, however, that we cannot 
guarantee sufficient funds will be appropriated to permit SAMHSA to 
fund the grants. This program is authorized under Section 509 of the 
Public Health Service Act. SAMHSA's policies and procedures for peer 
review and Advisory Council review of grant and cooperative agreement 
applications

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were published in the Federal Register (Vol. 58, No. 126) on July 2, 
1993.
    General Instructions: Applicants must use application form PHS 
5161-1 (Rev. 7/00). The application kit contains the two-part 
application materials (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 National 
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI): (800) 789-2647 
or (800-487-4889 TDD).
    The PHS 5161-1 application form and the full text of the grant 
announcement are also available electronically via SAMHSA's World Wide 
Web Home Page: http://www.samhsa.gov (Click on ``Grant 
Opportunities'').
    When requesting an application kit, the applicant must specify the 
particular announcement number for which detailed information is 
desired. All information necessary to apply, including where to submit 
applications and application deadline instructions, are included in the 
application kit.
    Purpose: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is 
accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for cooperative 
agreements to implement effective clinical and administrative practices 
to improve client access and retention in substance abuse treatment.
    Eligibility: Public and domestic private nonprofit entities are 
eligible to apply, including units of State or local government, tribal 
governments and organizations, and community-based organizations, 
including faith-based organizations.
    Since SAMHSA/CSAT believes that only an existing, experienced, and 
appropriately credentialed provider with demonstrated capacity and 
expertise will be able to conduct the required practice improvement 
activities, the treatment providers implementing the proposed project 
must meet three criteria:
    [sbull] The provider must have been providing treatment services 
for a minimum of two years prior to the date of this application.
    [sbull] If the applicant organization is not a direct provider of 
substance abuse treatment services, the applicant must document a 
commitment from an experienced, licensed substance abuse treatment 
provider to implement the proposed project.
    [sbull] The provider must be in compliance, at the time the 
application is submitted, with all local, city, county and State 
requirements for licensing, accreditation, or certification.
    Availability of Funds: It is expected that approximately $2.5 
million will be available for twelve to fourteen awards in FY 2003. The 
average annual award will be $175,000 to $200,000 in total costs 
(direct and indirect). Applications with proposed Federal budgets that 
exceed $200,000 will be returned without review.
    Period of Support: Awards may be requested for up to 3 years.
    Criteria for Review and Funding:
    General Review Criteria: Competing applications requesting funding 
under this activity will be reviewed for technical merit in accordance 
with established PHS/SAMHSA peer review procedures. Review criteria 
that will be used by the peer review groups are specified in the 
application guidance material.
    Award 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. Availability of funds will also be an 
award criterion. Additional award criteria specific to the programmatic 
activity may be included in the application guidance materials.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.243.
    Program Contact: For questions on program issues, contact: Suzanne 
Cable, Division of Services Improvement, CSAT/SAMHSA, Rockwall II, 7th 
Floor, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-9713, [e-mail] 
[email protected]; or Frances Cotter, MA, MPH, Division of Services 
Improvement, CSAT/SAMHSA, Rockwall II, 7th Floor, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-9713, [e-mail] [email protected].
    For questions on program issues related to rural populations in 
need of medication assisted therapy for addiction to heroin or 
prescription opiates contact: Jacqueline Hendrickson, Division of 
Pharmacologic Therapies, CSAT/SAMHSA, Rockwall II, 7th Floor, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-1109, [e-mail] 
[email protected].
    For questions on grants management issues, contact: Steve Hudak, 
Division of Grants Management, OPS/SAMHSA, Rockwall II, 6th floor, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-9666, [e-mail] 
[email protected].
    Public Health System Reporting Requirements: The Public Health 
System Impact Statement (PHSIS) is intended to keep State and local 
health officials apprised of proposed health services grant and 
cooperative agreement applications submitted by community-based 
nongovernmental organizations within their jurisdictions. Community-
based nongovernmental service providers who are not transmitting their 
applications through the State must submit a PHSIS to the head(s) of 
the appropriate State and local health agencies in the area(s) to be 
affected not later than the pertinent receipt date for applications. 
This PHSIS consists of the following information:
    a. A copy of the face page of the application (Standard form 424).
    b. A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
    (1) A description of the population to be served.
    (2) A summary of the services to be provided.
    (3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate 
State or local health agencies.
    State and local governments and Indian Tribal Authority applicants 
are not subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements. 
Application guidance materials will specify if a particular FY 2003 
activity is subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements.
    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.
    Executive Order 12372: Applications submitted in response to the FY 
2003 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

[[Page 7800]]

applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected State. A 
current listing of SPOCs is included in the application guidance 
materials or on SAMHSA's website under ``Assistance with Grant 
Applications''. The SPOC should send any State review process 
recommendations directly to:
    Division 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: February 10, 2003.
Richard Kopanda,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-3815 Filed 2-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P