National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers (Consumer and Consumer Supporter TA Centers) grants. The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to facilitate the restructuring of the mental health system by promoting consumer directed approaches for adults with serious mental illnesses. Such programs maximize consumer self-determination and recovery and assist people with serious mental illness by decreasing their dependence on expensive social services and avoiding psychiatric hospitalization. The entities responsible for providing technical assistance for this program may be either consumer or consumer supporter organizations. (See Appendix H of this RFA for definition) The primary recipients of the Consumer and Consumer Supporter TA Centers’ technical assistance activities will be consumers and consumer organizations. Additionally, Consumer and Consumer Supporter TA Centers will provide technical assistance to consumers in States where consumer organizations and leadership are underdeveloped. They will also provide technical assistance to State mental health systems serving adults with serious mental illnesses, to consumer supporter organizations, service providers, and the general public. Technical assistance activities will not be limited to specific subpopulations of adults with serious mental illnesses.National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers 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.National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers grants are authorized under 520 A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area 18 (Mental Health and Mental Disorders).