Cooperative Agreement for the Physician Clinical Support System for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 for the Physician Clinical Support System for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (PCSS) cooperative agreement. The purpose of this program is to enhance and further develop the current DATA Physician Clinical Support System designed to assist physicians in treating patients dependent on heroin or prescription opioid drugs with FDA approved products containing buprenorphine. The current SAMHSA-funded PCSS is supported by over 70 mentors, 5 clinical experts and a medical director. The target population for the clinical support system includes primary care physicians, pain specialists, psychiatrists and other non-addiction medical practitioners who treat opioid dependent patients and are less familiar with opioid dependence treatment than addictions specialists. However, addictions specialists will also be encouraged to participate in the PCSS or serve as mentors for physicians desiring to treat opioid dependent patients with buprenorphine products. PCSS is one of SAMHSA’s infrastructure programs. SAMHSA’s Infrastructure Grants support an array of activities to help the grantee build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective substance abuse prevention and/or treatment and/or mental health services. Awardees may pursue diverse strategies and methods to achieve their infrastructure development and capacity expansion goals. 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. PCSS cooperative agreements are authorized under Section 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, as amended by the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469), hereafter referred to as DATA, and Healthy People 2010 focus area 26 (Substance Abuse).