Technical Assistance Update
September 20, 2011
 

Featured Resource
Grants & Funding Opportunities
National Council Resources & Events
HIT Update
Integration Information
Other Resources & Events

FEATURED RESOURCE

Build Your Management Skills – Register now for the National Council’s Middle Management Academy

Is a rising star at your organization still learning the ropes as a supervisor? Know a seasoned manager whose skills need polishing? Want to put your brightest and best on the leadership fast track?

Invest in them — invest in your organization’s future. The National Council’s Middle Management Academy, October 17-20 in Washington, D.C. is the ideal forum for building management skills. This unique opportunity is a 4-day event that teaches state of the science management and leadership skills in a supportive environment. Participants learn to read and apply financial and analytical information; manage projects, implement planned change and redesign workflow processes; lead meetings; coach and mentor based upon outcomes; and apply personal leadership styles to optimize success. 

Tuition includes training, materials, and breakfast and lunch. Participants are responsible for travel and lodging costs. Registration is limited so apply now!

 
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Community-based Care Transitions Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is accepting applications for participation in the Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP). The CCTP provides funding to test models for improving care transitions for high risk Medicare beneficiaries. Eligible applicants include community-based organizations that provide care transition services through arrangements with hospitals.  CBOs will be paid on a per eligible discharge basis for Medicare beneficiaries. In order to be considered for the next review period, applications must be submitted by October 14. Read more.

HUD Releases COC NOFA
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs has published the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Programs. Programs included in the CoC NOFA are: the Supportive Housing Program, Shelter Plus Care, and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for Single Room Occupancy Program. Deadline to apply is October 28. To access the CoC application, click here.

Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program
Approximately $1,150,000 is available for up to 15 grantees for the HRSA Rural Health Development Planning Grants. The grants promote, through planning and implementation, the development of integrated healthcare networks that have combined the functions of the entities participating in the networks in order to: achieve efficiencies; expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations that represent a network of three or more health care providers that need assistance to plan, organize and develop a health care network. Deadline to apply is October 31. Read more.
 
Integration of Drug Abuse Prevention in Primary Care
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is requesting applications for an implementation research project to identify effective strategies and service delivery models for integrating existing evidence-based approaches to drug abuse prevention and treatment into primary care settings. Selected applicants will be awarded up to $500,000. Eligible applicants include government agencies, for profit and not-for-profit organizations. Deadline to apply is October 31. Read more.

HHS Funding for SBIRT
HHS has announced the availability of up to $137 million, partly supported by the Affordable Care Act, to states to strengthen the public health infrastructure and provide jobs in core areas of public health. The funding includes up to $75 million to fund nine Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment programs over the next five years. These programs will allow communities throughout the nation to provide more comprehensive substance abuse screening, secondary prevention, early intervention and referrals to treatment for people at higher risk for substance abuse. For a full list of grantees, click here. 
  
 
Federal Funds Available for Medicaid In-Patient Psychiatric Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a new Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration project designed to provide more flexibility and resources to States for Medicaid beneficiaries. The 3-year program has $75 million available to provide federal matching funds to States for Medicaid payments to psychiatric emergencies in private inpatient psychiatric facilities with 17 or more beds.  Applications must be submitted by State Medicaid Program Directors, so find out if your State’s Medicaid Director is interested in applying. Find more information on the demonstration here. 
 

 
NATIONAL COUNCIL RESOURCES & EVENTS

National Council Awards Mental Health First Aid USA Challenge Grants
The National Council is awarding community dissemination grants to 18 organizations to support Mental Health First Aid programs nationwide. Mental Health First Aid teaches people how to help someone with the signs and symptoms of mental illness or in a mental health crisis. To date, nearly 30,000 people have been trained through a network of 1,300 certified instructors across the country. The grants will support more than 1,200 individuals in 15 states to become certified in Mental Health First Aid. Learn more about the program.

Subscribe Now: National Council’s Compliance Watch Web Newsletter
Compliance Watch is an insightful online newsletter that helps you stay on top of current regulatory changes and best practices in corporate compliance. Published by the National Council, Compliance Watch features articles by experts sharing their successes in reducing audit and investigatory risk while maintaining high clinical standards. To start or renew your Compliance Watch subscription for 2011, subscribe online or call 202.684.3740 and request an invoice for payment.
(National Council Members $249; Nonmembers: $349).  
 

 
HEALTH IT UPDATE

ONC’S HealthIT.gov
The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has launched a new website focused on patients and families.  The website, HealthIT.gov, provides information on the basics and benefits of HIT, E-Health, protecting a patient’s privacy and security and more. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) ONC provides a number of programs and resources dedicated to the widespread adoption of health information technology.

Upcoming Webinar: Behavioral Health EPs and EHR Incentives
On September 27th, Qualifacts will host a webinar on behavioral health agencies across the country that are receiving incentive funds for their Eligible Professionals. The webinar will offer a firsthand account from two agencies that have EPs who have received incentives from the Medicaid HER program. Register here.   
  
 

INTEGRATION INFORMATION

Preventing Chronic Disease: The New Public Health
The Alliance for Health Reform has released a new issue brief on the importance of chronic disease prevention in light of limited public health dollars. The issue brief describes how programs around the country are working to reduce chronic disease by helping people quit tobacco use, fight obesity, and promote a healthy lifestyle. Download the report here.

Guide to Starting an FQHC
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is pleased to offer a revamped version of “So You Want to Start a Health Center? A Practical Guide for Starting a Federally Qualified Health Center.” This guide is intended to provide step-by-step directions for planning and implementing a new health center, including: instructions on applying for federal designations and funding; an introduction to the key aspects of health centers and federal programs and designations associated with them; and links to critical resources. Access the guide here.

 
Want more integration information? Subscribe to the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions newsletter, “e-Solutions”. 
 

 
OTHER RESOURCES AND EVENTS

National Council Members Receive Community Health Center Awards
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $10 million to 129 organizations across the country to become community health centers. Of the 129 awarded, 18 are National Council members providing mental health and substance use services. Available through the Affordable Care Act, the awarded funds will help community-based organizations provide a more comprehensive range of services to the larger community. Read more. 

Submission Period Open for National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is a voluntary rating system designed to provide the public with reliable information about interventions that promote mental health or prevent or treat mental disorders, substance abuse, substance use disorders, and/or co-occurring disorders. The submission period for FY 2012 is now open for developers of interventions to submit an application for a potential review. Applications can be submitted from November 1, 2011, to February 1, 2012. Click here to review submission requirements and process.

Wellness Week – Share What You’re Doing
This week is SAMHSA’s National Wellness Week, designed to inspire people to improve their physical health through wellness-based lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity, smoking cessation, nutritious food choices, safe medication use and safe sexual behaviors. National Wellness Week will spotlight local and national wellness activities coordinated by consumer partner organizations nationwide. This is your chance to share with SAMHSA what you have planned. Click here. 
 
Call for Applications – Health Policy Fellows
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is requesting applications for the 2012-13 Health Policy Fellows Program. The year-long program provides an opportunity for midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists to participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, healthcare, and health policy. Applications must be submitted by November 9. Read more and download the application.

Enroll America – Website Live
“Enroll America” was launched this month by an unprecedented collaboration of key, diverse national groups representing virtually all stakeholders in America’s health care system. The organization will be dedicated to securing health coverage enrollment for tens of millions of uninsured people by creating a seamless consumer-friendly enrollment process for all constituents to navigate. Visit the website here. 
Register now for Enroll America’s upcoming webinar – “Choices for States in the Newest Federal Eligibility and Enrollment Regulations,” taking place on September 28th. The webinar will cover the federal regulations released in August that address Medicaid, CHIP, and exchange eligibility and enrollment. Register here. 

New Janssen Website – ChoicesinRecovery.com
In recognition of National Recovery Month, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has developed a unique online resource dedicated to empowering people living with schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, or schizoaffective disorder and those who care about them. On ChoicesInRecovery.com, visitors can access tools needed to create an effective mental health recovery plan and learn how to become more engaged with their recovery team. Visit the website here.