State Mental Health Data Infrastructure Grants for Quality Improvement

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 State Mental Health Data Infrastructure Grants for Quality Improvement. Building on the results of the CMHS Client Level Data Pilot, CMHS will work with the States through the Data Infrastructure Grants (DIGs) to enable collection and reporting of client level data for five Mental Health Block Grant National Outcome Measures (NOMS) over the next three years. These NOMS are Employment/School Attendance, Stability in Housing, Criminal Justice Involvement, Readmission to State Hospital, and Access/Capacity: Number of Persons Served with Demographic Characteristics. The additional NOMS and Uniform Reporting System (URS) Tables, which do not require direct State or client level data, will continue to be reported, and will add value in decision support at the national and State levels. The population of focus will include mental health consumers served within the purview of the State Mental Health Authorities (SMHAs), as defined in the URS Tables. The project supports the reporting requirements for the National CMHS Mental Health Block Grant Program. The purpose of the State Mental Health Data Infrastructure Grants for Quality Improvement (DIGs) is to support client level data reporting by the States by 2012 for 5 NOMS. Building upon the Federal/State partnership established through the development of the URS the Data Infrastructure Grants (DIGs), this mechanism will be used for collecting client level data for more than 6 million mental health consumers. In addition, by receiving SAMHSA/CMHS funds through the DIGs over the grant period, States will engage in T1 and T2 (to include Admission and Discharge) client level data collection and reporting. The project supports State Mental Health Authorities (SMHAS) in their continuing implementation and strengthening of the annual collection of URS data through focus on selected NOMS for client level reporting. Historically, great strides have been made in data infrastructure development in the States for reporting the URS and NOMS at the national level. Over a period of years in the DIG grant effort, the States have achieved uniform URS reporting so that by 2008, eight of the 10 NOMS were being reported by 85% of grantees (48 States). The effort has additionally strengthened State and local data infrastructure for reporting and decision support. The future of the SAMHSA/CMHS mental health data reporting program continues to evolve in refining the reporting of NOMS, using the framework of the CMHS Client Level Pilot in which 9 States piloted the feasibility of implementing client level NOMS reporting in the States through FY 2009. In the new grant cycle, the effort will be made to strengthen quality of reporting and performance accountability for selected NOMS, including developing capability to report assessment of service provision and improvement of individual clients from Time 1 to Time 2 (including admission and discharge). State Mental Health Data Infrastructure Grants for Quality Improvement is one of SAMHSA’s infrastructure grant programs. SAMHSA’s Infrastructure Grants support an array of activities to help the grantee build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health services. SAMHSA recognizes that each applicant will start from a unique point in developing infrastructure and will serve populations/communities with specific needs. Awardees may pursue diverse strategies and methods to achieve their infrastructure development and capacity expansion goals. Successful applicants will provide a coherent and detailed conceptual “roadmap” of the process by which they have assessed or intend to assess service system needs and plan/implement infrastructure development strategies that meet those needs. The plan put forward in the grant application must show the linkages among needs, the proposed infrastructure development strategy, and increased system capacity that will enhance and sustain effective programs and services. As of February 2009, approximately 1.89 million men and women have been deployed to serve in support of overseas contingency operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, SAMHSA strongly encourages all applicants to consider the unique needs of returning veterans and their families in developing their proposed project. State Mental Health Data Infrastructure Grants for Quality Improvement are authorized under 1971 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area 18 (Mental Health and Mental Disorders).

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