PPHF- Cooperative Agreements to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (Short Title: National Strategy Grants)

The purpose of this program is to support states in implementing the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) goals and objectives focused on preventing suicide and suicide attempts among working-age adults 25-64 years old in order to reduce the overall suicide rate and number of suicides in the U.S. nationally.

Eligibility is limited to the Mental Health Authority in states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The purpose of this program is to support states in implementing the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) goals and objectives focused on preventing suicide and suicide attempts among working-age adults 25-64 years old in order to reduce the overall suicide rate and number of suicides in the U.S. nationally. The Mental Health Authority within states and territories are uniquely positioned and have the necessary statewide infrastructure in place to promote suicide prevention as a core component of health care services and to coordinate the required activities, including convening all other relevant state agencies to advise and/or participate in the initiative.

Consumers that are working-age adults between 25-64 years old.

Official documentation that all participating mental health/substance abuse treatment provider organizations: 1) comply with all applicable local (city, county) and state requirements for licensing, accreditation, and certification; OR 2) official documentation from the appropriate agency of the applicable state, county, or other governmental unit that licensing, accreditation, and certification requirements do not exist.

• Develop and implement a plan for rapid follow-up of adults who have attempted suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis after discharge from emergency departments and inpatient units. This should include care transition and care coordination services. • Establish follow-up and care transition protocols to help ensure patient safety, especially among high risk adults in health or behavioral health care settings who have attempted suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis, including those with serious mental illnesses. The plan should establish follow-up and care transition protocols to help ensure patient safety, especially among high risk adults including those with serious mental illness. The plan should include how you will work with medical professionals including, but not limited to, primary care and emergency department personnel and ensure the transfer of relevant demographic and treatment information between the medical provider and the behavioral health entity. • Provide, or assure provision of, suicide prevention training to community and clinical service providers and systems serving adults at risk. • Incorporate efforts to reduce access to lethal means among individuals with identified suicide risk. This effort will be done within all appropriate federal, state, and local laws. • Work across state departments and systems in order to implement comprehensive suicide prevention. Relevant state agencies should include, but are not limited to, agencies responsible for Medicaid; health, mental health, and substance abuse; justice; corrections; labor; veterans affairs; and the National Guard. • Collaborate with mental health and substance abuse service settings, primary care and specialty behavioral health settings, integrated primary/behavioral health care delivery settings, emergency departments, and Lifeline crisis centers. In addition to the health care sector, include other relevant sectors such as workplace or justice settings. Develop a plan to ensure coordination across sectors. • Incorporate the input of suicide attempt and suicide loss survivors, including family members and friends. • Demonstrate the impact of grant activities on adult suicide deaths and attempts within key sectors, including health and behavioral health, by utilizing timely surveillance data at the beginning, during, and at the end of their grant. Modify your efforts as needed during the grant cycle based on this surveillance data. Grantees must screen and assess clients for the presence of co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and use the information obtained from the screening and assessment to develop appropriate treatment approaches for the persons identified as having such co-occurring disorders, including identifying, assessing, and treating their suicide risk. Develop partnerships in order to implement collaboration activities described above in section 2.1, Required Activities. Adopting and/or enhancing your computer system, management information system (MIS), electronic health records (EHRs), etc., to document and manage client needs, care process, integration with related support services, and outcomes. Training/workforce development to help your staff or other providers in the community identify mental health or substance abuse issues or provide effective services consistent with the purpose of the grant program. Please note that grantees will be asked to demonstrate the impact of grant activities by measuring the competence/confidence of health and behavioral health clinical staff at the beginning, during, and end of their grant. Impact of grant activities on skills in the following areas must be measured: assessment of suicide risk and protective factors, formulation of a risk summary to inform the choice of intervention, use of best-practice interventions to ensure safety including lethal means safety, treatment of suicide risk, and follow-up to ensure continuity of care. Develop a plan for assuring that suicide prevention activities supported by this grant program will be sustained post-grant cycle.

To be determined by agency or office administering the funds.

Applicants must download the SF-424 application forms through http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/apply.aspx.

SAMHSA applications are peer-reviewed according to the evaluation criteria listed above. Decisions to fund a grant are based on: the strengths and weaknesses of the application as identified by peer reviewers; when the individual award is over $150,000, approval by the Center for Mental Health Services' National Advisory Council; availability of funds; equitable distribution of awards in terms of geography (including urban, rural and remote settings) and balance among populations of focus and program size; and equitable distribution of awards in terms of the highest rates of suicide and highest number of deaths by suicide or suicide attempts within the 25-64 age range (see Appendices K, L, and M).

Applications are awarded based on the outcomes of the SAMHSA peer review and CSAT National Advisory Council review, and approval by the Administrator, SAMHSA. Grants are awarded directly by SAMHSA to the applicant organization.

To be determined by agency or office administering the funds.