Planning Grants for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration in Rural Areas
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy (OMHPHP) Division of Primary Care and Rural Health announces the availability of funds to support two to three small Planning Grants in amounts from $2,500 to $7,500 each. Grant funds will be for community-based organizations located in rural Virginia to plan innovative, community-based initiatives that promote mental/behavioral health and primary care integration within a rural service area. Rural service areas are defined as all areas eligible to apply for HRSA Rural Health Grants. To see if an area is eligible, visit the HRSA website. Eligible applicants are community based agencies and organizations that are either
- A public or private non-profit holding a 501(c)(3) tax-exemption;
- Have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt fiscal sponsor; or
- An applicant for federal tax-exemption under 501(c)(3).
Grant funds will be awarded on a competitive basis through this Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Proposals must be received by 3:00 PM January 28, 2009.
Rural strategies to address mental/behavioral health and primary care integration range from diagnosis and treatment by a fully integrated clinical team of primary care and behavioral health providers to the use of telehealth technologies for linking rural primary care providers with distant mental/behavioral health professionals. Middle-ground strategies include the co-location of behavioral health and primary care services in physicians' offices, clinics, or hospitals; and the development of formal referral relationships among primary care providers and mental/behavioral health professionals both within and outside the local community. Dual certification and/or programs of cross training of providers in both primary care and mental/behavioral health is another significant strategy for integrating services.
Planning activities may include needs assessments and community asset mapping, feasibility studies, community meetings, focus groups, and the development/writing of grant proposals for project implementation. Additionally, all grantees will be required to have at least one representative attend the Models of Care: Primary Care & Behavioral Health Integration Training being held on Friday, March 13, 2009 in Abingdon, VA. Travel related to this requirement may be included in the grant budget request.
Download the RFP
- Access the full RFP
- You should now be at a page with the heading “Solicitation – Paper Only Responses” with a general overview for solicitation number: 601:557123008CLH. On this page, click on the word “Attachments”
- You should now be at a page with the heading “Solicitation Attachments”. Click on the word “Download.”
This RFP has been developed in partnership with the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF). It is our mutual desire that grantees who successfully meet the requirements of this planning process will be well positioned to apply for implementation funds through the VHCF through either their new initiative to provide services to persons with mental illness or their health safety net grants program. **The end result of this planning process should result in implementation strategies that align with one of these VHCF funding priorities:
- Develop or Expand Patient Capacity. This includes initiatives that establish new outlets of care for uninsured or medically underserved Virginians, as well as those which enable existing programs to serve a greater number of patients.
- Establish a Broader Scope of Services. Many existing safety net providers are interested in adding new primary care services to those they currently offer. Proposals to add key primary care services (e.g., mental/behavioral health) or utilize technology (e.g. telemedicine) to enhance and expand access to care in underserved areas fall within the parameters of this funding track.
**A Workshop for the new VHCF services to persons with mental illness initiative has been scheduled for January 30, 2009 from 10:00 AM-12:30 PM - for more information, contact Amanda Farnum (Amanda@vhcf.org) or Sherrina Gibson (Sherrina@vhcf.org) at 804-828-5804. For more information about the VHCF Safety Net Grant Program, visit their website.
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