SAMHSA Awards Up to $6.7 Million in Grants to Expand Technology Assisted Care for Behavioral Health Services

Newswise — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced it is awarding a total of up to $6.7 million for three years to up to six grantees to expand their behavioral health treatment systems using technology-assisted approaches in communities that can most benefit from these types of integrated comprehensive services. This program is part of SAMHSA’s strategic initiative on preventing substance abuse and mental illness.   This program enhances and expands the capacity of behavioral health care providers to reach people with behavioral health needs who have been underserved because of lack of access to treatment in their immediate community -- due to transportation concerns, the scarcity of treatment providers in their community, and/or financial constraints.  The approaches utilized by this program may include, but are not limited to the use of various technological tools such as the Internet, chat lines, video cams, etc.  Through the use of advanced technology-based treatments, clients will have the opportunity for more frequent contact with providers resulting in a decreased burden on clients and families who have limited or no access to treatment services.   The annual award per grantee amount is up to $400,000 for up to three years. The actual amounts may vary, depending on the availability of these funds and the performance of the grantees.  Grant recipients are:  

 SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.