[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 59 (Wednesday, March 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16026-16027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6084]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Funding Opportunity

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to award a Single Source Grant to the American 
Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

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SUMMARY: This notice is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) intends to award 
approximately $500,000 (total costs) per year for up to three years to 
the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). This is not a formal 
request for applications. Assistance will be provided only to the 
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) based on the receipt of a 
satisfactory application that is approved by an independent review 
group.
    Funding Opportunity Title: TI-08-014.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.243.
    Authority: Section 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as 
amended.
    Justification: Only the American Society of Addiction Medicine 
(ASAM) is eligible to apply. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA) is seeking to award a single source 
grant to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) 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.
    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.

[[Page 16027]]

    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shelly Hara, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 8-
1081, Rockville, MD 20857; telephone: (240) 276-2321; E-mail: 
[email protected].

Toian Vaughn,
SAMHSA Committee Management Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-6084 Filed 3-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P