Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This is a notice of intent to award supplemental funding to the SPRC recipient funded in FY 2020 under Funding Opportunity Announcement SM-20-011. This is to inform the public that the SAMHSA is supporting an administrative supplement up to $5.429 million, which is consistent with the initial award for one-year to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. This recipient was funded in FY 2020 with a project end date of November 30, 2025. This supplement will provide support to the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention to conduct an evaluation project for populations at higher risk of suicide in support of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 988 efforts. Additionally, SPRC will provide training and technical assistance to increase the capacity of existing 988 call centers to help Tribal callers and to build the capacity of Tribal crisis hotline services to qualify to join the 988 network. This is not a formal request for application. Assistance will only be provided to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) recipient, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, based on the receipt of a satisfactory application and associated budget that is approved by a review group.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a document in the Federal Register on November 22, 2022, concerning request for comments on Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records. The document only listed the Department of Health and Human Services in the headings and contained an incorrect Document Identifier and contact for further information or submission of public comments. This document corrects those errors. Comments on the information collect request must be received on or before January 23, 2023.

This notice is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting an administrative supplement, which is consistent with the scope of the initial FY 2018 award, of up to $375,000 for nine months to the only funded AI/AN ATTC recipient. This recipient was funded in FY 2018 under the AI/AN ATTC Cooperative Agreement NOFO TI-18-001 and has a project end date of December 29, 2022. The supplemental funds will be used to provide a 9-month extension to continue the program services for the AI/AN ATTC from December 30, 2022, to September 29, 2023.

This notice is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) intends to award $62,000,000 (total costs) for up to one year to Vibrant Emotional Health for the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Expansion for Behavioral Health Crisis Response (Lifeline Expansion). These funds will allow Vibrant Emotional Health to ensure effective and continuous operations of the national Lifeline backup, chat/text, Spanish and LGBTQI+ youth crisis center networks, administrative and leadership support to ensure training, evaluation, personnel, and committee oversight and implementation, and continued development of the Lifeline unified platform and information technology integration for local and national crisis centers.

This notice is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) intends to award $47 million (total costs) for up to one year to Vibrant Emotional Health for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Access Improvement Project. Funding for this program is from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, [Pub. L. 117-159, Division B, Title II]. Under this cooperative agreement, Vibrant Emotional Health will expand access to the local and national Lifeline backup centers, language services, system evaluation and data reporting, and access to specialized care for populations to be known at higher risk for suicide by: (1) expanding options for connection and support for individuals at higher risk of suicide, which includes but is not limited to LGBTQI+, American Indian/Alaska Native, rural individuals, individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, Black/African-American youth and older men; (2) expanding current language access services to include Spanish chat and text, and videophone for those deaf and hard of hearing; and (3) improve access and capacity utilization of the nationwide backup system while maximizing state and territory response. Funding Opportunity Title: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Access Improvement Project. Assistance Listing Number: 93.243. Authority: Section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. Justification: Eligibility for this award is limited to the Mental Health Association of New York City, Inc. (DBA Vibrant Emotional Health). Vibrant Emotional Health is the current Lifeline system administrator and this award expand options for connection and support for individuals at higher risk of suicide, expand current language access services to include Spanish chat and text services, work to activate videophone for those deaf and hard of hearing, and improve access and capacity utilization of the nationwide backup system while maximizing state and territory response. Since 2005, Vibrant Emotional Health has provided oversight and management of the NSPL and its local call centers, backup centers, Spanish network, and chat/text functions with a network of over 200 centers in all fifty states. In FY 2021, SAMHSA issued a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity for the NSPL, which was awarded to Vibrant Emotional Health for a 5-year project period (September 30, 2021, to September 29, 2026). Vibrant Emotional Health has the infrastructure, experience, and national reach to work with the backup centers, language services, and chat/text organizations to address the increased contact volumes expected in 2023. With the transition to 988 accomplished, greater services, such as expanding access to the local and national Lifeline backup centers, language services, system evaluation and data reporting, and access to specialized care for populations to be known at higher risk for suicide, are required for the 988 projected contacts in 2023 and beyond. It would not be possible for any other organization to establish the relationships or technical systems with crisis centers that Vibrant Emotional Health has built over the last 15 years to accomplish the goals by December 2023. Any significant modification to the current 988 network, technology platform and/or administration would significantly delay operational outcomes and run the risk of significant numbers of unanswered calls, chats, and texts of individuals in crisis. Since the transition to 988, the Lifeline, under Vibrant's network administration and HHS funding, has seen call answer rates significantly improve and far greater numbers of individuals served in crisis. The impact of having administration disruption and splitting of network oversight significantly increases public safety risk now more than ever as 988 is quickly becoming transitioned to a greater utilized public service and an entry way into more centralized behavioral health crisis care. Oversight of the expanded back up, language services, and chat/text centers would be fragmented and run the risk of both inefficiencies and adverse outcomes, as well as coordination, quality monitoring, and rapid response could be compromised. Vibrant has extensive engagement, including direct contractual obligations, with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) that helps ensure call connectivity between Vibrant and VCL, backup services, and engagement across the Lifeline local crisis centers on Veteran identification, care, and linkage to VA. and is uniquely qualified to carry-out the requirements of this funding opportunity.

This notice is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting administrative supplements to the 54 grant recipients funded under the FY 2022 Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Build Local 988 Capacity (988 State and Territory Grants) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) SM-22-015, which have a project end date of April 2024. This supplemental funding is within scope and is expected to increase and/or expand original workforce capacity, ease of access to services, contact demand, including coverage area, through phone, chat, and text, and contact answer rates for 988 crisis care. The 988 State and Territory Cooperative Agreement grant recipients are eligible to apply for awards from $458,333 to $2,000,000 for a total funding of $50,000,000 from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The supplements will support 988 response and workforce expansion by improving 988 collaborations, infrastructure, hiring and retention, communications and marketing, and evaluation activities. These awards will help improve 988 and 911 coordination, especially in cases of emergency intervention due to suicidal behavior, improve state/ territory infrastructure to answer 988 Lifeline chat and text request initiated within their state or territory, align communications and marketing of the 988 Lifeline in conjunction with SAMHSA and HHS's 988 communications and marketing strategy, help streamline access to mobile crisis and crisis response teams for all 988 crisis centers, assist the development and expansion of human resource systems to increase the pace of 988 recruitment and hiring, conduct root cause analyses on identified critical incidents contacting through the 988 system, support continuity of care throughout the larger crisis response system and improve follow up and referral outcomes to decrease suicide and ensure individuals are connected to post-contact care. This is not a formal request for application. Assistance will only be provided to the 54 recipients funded in FY 2022 under the 988 State and Territory Cooperative Agreement NOFO SM-22-015 based on the receipt of a satisfactory application and associated budget that is approved by a review group. Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2022 Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Build Local 988 Capacity NOFO SM 22-015. Assistance Listing Number: 93.243. Authority: Section 520E-3 of the Public Health Services (PHS) Act [290bb-36c], as amended. Justification: SAMHSA is limiting eligibility for this supplemental funding to the 988 State and Territory grant recipients, which were funded in FY 2022 under the Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Build Local 988 Capacity, SM-22-015. These recipients provide leadership and oversee the current 988 and state- and territory-wide local crisis service systems. In addition, the recipients have the required active relationships with and can quickly provide fiscal resources directly to local and statewide Lifeline crisis centers for 988 response; thereby reducing burden on the nationwide network of Lifeline crisis centers, ensuring all those needing 988 services have awareness and access to localized care. Due to the requirements of the FY 2022 Cooperative Agreements for States and Territories to Build Local 988 Capacity, recipients are the only entities that can utilize these funds to successfully complete the required activities to improve 988 Lifeline crisis center workforce response and meet defined state and territory key performance indicators. Contact: James Wright, LPC, Chief of Crisis Center Operations, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, telephone 240-276-1615; email: james.wright@samhsa.hhs.gov.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notifies federal agencies of the laboratories and Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) currently certified to meet the standards of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Urine or Oral Fluid (Mandatory Guidelines).

This notice is a notice of intent to award supplemental funding to the nine Minority Fellowship recipients funded in FY 2018 under Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) SM-18-002 and TI-18-013 and in FY 2020 under NOFO SM-20-013. This is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting one-year administrative supplements, which are consistent with the initial award, up to $209,996 each for eight Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) recipients funded under NOFO SM-18-002 and SM- 20-013, and up to $119,053 for the MFP recipient funded under NOFO TI- 18-013, for a total of $1,799,019.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notifies federal agencies of the laboratories and Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) currently certified to meet the standards of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Urine or Oral Fluid (Mandatory Guidelines).

This is a notice of intent to award supplemental funding to the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Certified Community Behavioral Health ClinicsExpansion Grant (TTA-CCBHC) recipient funded in FY 2021 under Funding Opportunity Announcement SM- 21-015. This is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting an administrative supplement, which is consistent with the initial award, of up to $150,000 for one-year to the TTA-CCBHC recipient, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing. This supplement will provide support to new Certified Community Behavioral Health (CCBHC) recipients that have opted to participate in the SAMHSA/NIH Evidence-Based Practices Implementation Science Pilot as noted in the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) in FY 2022, CCBHC-Planning, Development, and Implementation (SM-22-002) and CCBHC-Improvement and Advancement (SM- 22-012). The technical assistance will provide the following: (1) support to SAMHSA and CCBHC grant recipients to develop capacity and the ability to implement and sustain effective treatment and practices; (2) support delivery of evidence-based practices with fidelity; and (3) identification and/or development of resources that can be used by CCBHC recipients to augment the implementation of effective practices in alignment with the CCBHC certification criteria. This is not a formal request for application. Assistance will only be provided to the TTA-CCBHC recipient, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, based on the receipt of a satisfactory application and associated budget. This recipient was funded in FY 2021 under Funding Opportunity Announcement SM-21-015 with a project end date of September 29, 2026.

This is a notice of intent to award supplemental funding to the 13 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Cooperative Agreement recipients funded in FY 2018 under Funding Opportunity Announcement SM-18-015. This is to inform the public that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting one-year administrative supplements up to $304,081 per recipient. This supplement will provide continued direct technical assistance (TA) and training on the implementation and delivery of mental health services in schools and school systems, including training and TA provided to Project AWARE grantees. This will involve not only TA to the general field but provision of direct and tailored TA to grantees on school-based mental health services implementation. This is not a formal request for application. Assistance will only be provided to the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Cooperative Agreement grant recipients based on receipt of a satisfactory application and associated budget. These recipients were funded in FY 2018 under the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Cooperative Agreement Funding Opportunity Announcement SM-18-015 with a project end date of August 29, 2023.

This notice publishes a list of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved Medical Review Officers certification entities. The HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (Mandatory Guidelines), effective on October 1, 2017, addresses the role and qualifications of Medical Review Officers (MROs) and HHS approval of entities that certify MROs.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) announces a meeting of the Interdepartmental Substance Use Disorders Coordinating Committee (ISUDCC). The ISUDCC is open to the public and members of the public can attend the meeting via telephone or webcast only, and not in person. Agenda with call-in information will be posted on the SAMHSA website prior to the meeting at: https://www.samhsa.gov/about-us/advisory- councils/meetings. The meeting will include information on establishing ISUDCC working groups support for the mission and work of the Committee; federal advances to address challenges in substance use disorder (SUD); and non-federal advances to address challenges in SUD. Committee Name: Interdepartmental Substance Use Disorders Coordinating Committee (ISUDCC). Date/Time/Type: March 16, 2022, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (EDT)/Open.

Notice is hereby given of the meeting on March 29, 2022 of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services National Advisory Council (CMHS NAC). The meeting is open to the public and can be accessed remotely. Agenda with call-in information will be posted on the SAMHSA website prior to the meeting at: https://www.samhsa.gov/about-us/advisory-councils/ meetings. The meeting will include consideration of the minutes from the August 17, 2021, SAMHSA, CMHS NAC meeting; updates from the CMHS Director; updates from the Office of the Assistant Secretary, and council discussions.