Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program on Promoting Policy in Support of Suicide Prevention RFP

Mental Health America of Wisconsin and the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin invite eligible organizations to submit applications to be local partners in a grant proposal to the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program on Promoting Policy in Support of Suicide Prevention. The attached Request for Applications has detailed information on eligible organizations, available funding, requirements for local partners and applicable timeframes. Letters of Intent are required and are due by April 19th. An applicant teleconference will be held on April 9th for those individuals wishing additional information.  Request for Proposal details (.doc).


MOTHERS Act Becomes Law

As part of the landmark health insurance reform bill that passed Congress on Monday, the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act – legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) – will become law. The legislation will establish a comprehensive federal commitment to combating postpartum depression through new research, education initiatives and voluntarily support service programs. The legislation is designed to:

• Encourage Health and Human Services (HHS) to coordinate and facilitate research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and find treatments for, postpartum mood disorders.
• Encourage a National Public Awareness Campaign, to be administered by HHS, to increase awareness of postpartum depression and psychosis.
• Conduct a study on the benefits of screening for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
• Create a grant program to fund public or non-profit private entities to deliver or enhance outpatient, inpatient and home-based health and support services, including case management and comprehensive treatment services for women with or at risk for postpartum conditions.

Postpartum depression is an illness which affects nearly one million American women each year, yet it has typically been overlooked so that most women with this illness receive no treatment whatsoever. “Adoption of the MOTHERS Act is a positive development for women and their families,” said American Psychiatric Association President Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D. “Now the many women who are suffering from postpartum depression will have the support needed to get the help for this treatable condition.”



Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) KIT Series

The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Knowledge Informing Transformation (KIT)series furthers SAMHSA's commitment to promoting evidence-based and promising practices in serving persons with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders.. The materials provide innovative, engaging, and effective learning tools that help shape mental health services toward recovery. The first-generation EBP KIT topics include:

• Assertive Community Treatment (SMA08-4345)
• Co-Occurring Disorders: Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (SMA08-4367)
• Supported Employment (SMA08-4365)
• Family Psychoeducation (Online Only)
• Illness Management and Recovery (Online Only)

Rental Assistance to Support Independent Living for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities - $40 million available to local housing agencies to assist 5,300 families

As part of President Obama's Year of Community Living initiative, HHS and HUD collaborated to provide housing support for non-elderly persons with disabilities to live productive independent lives in their communities rather than in institutional settings. HHS will use its network of state Medicaid agencies and local human service organizations to link eligible individuals and their families to local housing agencies who will administer voucher distribution. To read the full funding announcement, visit HUD's Web site. More information about the Money Follows the Person program can be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CommunityServices/20_MFP.asp



National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media 2010

From August 17 to 19, 2010, SAMHSA is joining with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to sponsor the fourth annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media in Atlanta, Georgia.

This year's theme is Convergence: Purpose, Programs, & Partners. The fields of health communication, marketing, and media are converging, with distinct sciences, methodologies, and technologies merging into a unified whole. This year's conference will further promote this "convergence" of purpose, programs, and partners, and examine its impact on processes and outcomes.  Learn more at: http://www.cdc.gov/healthmarketing/NCHCMM2010/index.htm



Federal Parity - What are the Implications?

Now that the law is in effect, what will the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 actually do for people with mental health and substance abuse disorders? SAMHSA experts weigh in. 

• Learn more about Mental Health Parity from the WUMH Web site.

Application Period Opens for 2010 CMHR Awards

These annual awards fund selected consumer-run organizations across the United States to promote the CMHR on the State and local levels. The awards provide support for community-based efforts to promote recovery and to counter negative perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs associated with mental health problems. This year, SAMHSA will award six $20,000 grants for statewide and community-based efforts that promote and expand the What a Difference a Friend Makes campaign. One of the emphases of this year’s awards is reaching multicultural audiences.  Information about the next phase of the CMHR—a series of public service announcements that extends the campaign’s message to reach the African-American community is now available at http://storiesthatheal.samhsa.gov. Additional multicultural phases will be launched throughout the year.

The application period for the 2010 CMHR Awards for Statewide Consumer/Survivor-Operated Projects opens April 1, 2010, and the deadline for submitting applications is June 7, 2010.

The comprehensive Project Guide, which fully describes the project focus, eligibility requirements, application requirements, and other important information, is available at http://www.promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov/CMHR/awards/2010awards.aspx.

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Upcoming Events and Conferences

Youth Suicide Clusters: Recognizing and Responding to a Suicide Contagion
Thursday, April 15th
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. ET
In this webinar, speakers Maureen Underwood and Keith Hotle will review current research on suicide contagion, best practices to address the problem, and the role of community partnerships in developing a response. It includes an overview of a suicide cluster involving adolescents in Maine that led to wide-scale changes in awareness and response carried out by a multi-agency team of representatives from the CDC, Bureau of Health, and community representatives.  Get more information.

Suicide Risk Assessment Symposium
April 26, 2010
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
American Family Insurance Training Center
6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI
David Mays, MD Instructor, Sponsored by Safe Communities http://www.safercommunity.net

May is Mental Health Month

May 6 is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

Training Institutes 2010
July 14-18, 2010
Washington, D.C.
New Horizons for Systems of Care: providing effective clinical interventions, services, and supports and measuring performance to assess the outcomes of these practices for children, adolescents, and their families.
For more information visit the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development Web site.

SAVE THE DATE!  --  21st Annual Children Come First Conference
November 8 & 9, 2010
Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells
"See My World: New Perspectives on Children’s Mental Health"