On April 6th, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Community Mental Health Centers grant program. This program enables Community Mental Health Centers to support and restore the delivery of clinical services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and effectively address the needs of individuals with serious emotional disturbance (SED), serious mental illness (SMI), and individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders (COD).
SAMHSA will award $825 million in total funding to eligible Community Mental Health Centers that will address the unmet needs of individuals with behavioral health conditions, including, but not limited to:
- Timely access to and availability of early intervention and treatment for the mental health impact of the pandemic and worsening of pre-existing mental health conditions;
- Availability of in-person socially distanced or virtual intensive treatment programs;
- Availability and access to timely medications, such as long-acting injectables and clozapine;
- Access to private and safe spaces to conduct virtual treatment sessions; and
- Under-utilization of crisis services due to fear of the pandemic.
SPG’s summary of this FOA is available here. The full FOA is available here. Applications are due on May 21st.