Description
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2012 Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) grants. The purpose of this program is to establish projects for the provision of coordinated and integrated services through the co-location of primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and behavioral health settings. The goal is to improve the physical health status of adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) who have or are at risk for co-occurring primary care conditions and chronic diseases, with the objective of supporting the triple aim of improving the health of those with SMI; enhancing the consumers experience of care (including quality, access, and reliability); and reducing/controlling the per capita cost of care. SAMHSA launched the PBHCI program in FY 2009 with the knowledge that adults with SMI experience heightened morbidity and mortality, in large part due to elevated incidence and prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, all of which are risk factors for coronary heart disease. This increased morbidity and mortality can be attributed to a number of issues, including inadequate physical activity and poor nutrition; smoking; side effects from atypical antipsychotic medications; and lack of access to health care services. Many of these health conditions are preventable through routine health promotion activities, primary care screening, monitoring, treatment and care management /coordination strategies and/or other outreach programs at home or community sites. Much of the national effort towards achieving the triple aim of improved health, enhanced care, and reduced costs are associated with developing person-centered systems of care. The PBHCI grant program supports the goals of the Million Hearts Initiative in that people with behavioral health disorders are disproportionally impacted by many chronic primary care health conditions, including heart disease and hypertension. The Million Hearts initiative supports cardiovascular disease prevention activities across the public and private sectors in an unprecedented effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over five years and demonstrate to the American people that improving the health system can save lives. Million Hearts will scale-up proven clinical and community strategies to prevent heart disease and stroke across the nation by empowering people to make healthy choices such as preventing tobacco use and reducing sodium and trans fat consumption and by improving care for people who do need treatment by encouraging a targeted focus on the "ABCS" - aspirin for people at risk, blood pressure control, cholesterol management and smoking cessation. Million Hearts brings together existing efforts and new programs to improve health across communities and help Americans live longer, healthier, more productive lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are the co-leaders of Million Hearts⢠within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working alongside other federal agencies including the Administration on Aging, National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Office of the National Coordinator, and the Veterans Administration. Key private-sector partners include the American Heart Association, and YMCA, among many others. In FY 2012, SAMHSA aims to build on the PBHCI program by providing funding for enhanced integration and coordination of services and supports for persons with serious mental illness. Grantees will be expected to achieve this by serving as the consumers health home, whereby grantees will facilitate access to an inter-disciplinary array of medical care, behavioral health care, and community-based social services and supports for those with chronic conditions. Grantees will be asked to incorporate an explicit emphasis on "whole-person" care attending not just to an individuals mental health needs, but also providing primary care services (including eye, ear, and dental care when appropriate), linkages to health and wellness supports, long-term community care supports to include housing and vocational supports, peer supports, and social and family services. SAMHSA has demonstrated that behavioral health is essential to health, 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 provides a cost savings. SAMHSA has identified eight Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agencys work on people and emerging opportunities. More information is available at the SAMHSA website: http://www.samhsa.gov/About/strategy.aspx. The PBHCI grant program will address the following SAMHSA Strategic Initiatives: Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness; Recovery Support; Health Reform; and Health Information Technology. PBHCI is one of SAMHSAs services grant programs. SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services and supports as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the 4th month of the project at the latest. PBHCI grants are authorized under 520K of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People Mental Health and Mental Disorders Topic Area HP 2020-MHMD and/or Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA. This cooperative agreement is financed in part by 2012 Prevention and Public Health Funds (PPHF-2012).