solved Peer 1 liv After looking through the SAMHSA website, and

Peer 1 liv
After looking through the SAMHSA website, and all the grant programs that are listed, there was one that stuck out. The grant selected is the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act). This program was created to prevent and reduce the use of alcohol among youth and young adults ages 12-20 in the United States (Department of Health and Human Services, 2021). Eligibility for this grant is limited to domestic public and private nonprofit entities that are current or former Drug-Free Communities Support Program recipients. This program would assist in writing a grant proposal because it outlines the length of the current project, how continuations work, how eligibility works and how certain recipients may not be eligible, outlines how individuals apply for the grant and the shows how the review process is completed. The part of grant writing that I foresee being the most challenging would be understanding and explaining the federal award information. I feel like it would be challenging to understand the dollar amounts and the number of years and how it relates federally when writing grants. Obviously, it has to all be correct and nothing can be miswritten, so I feel like that would be difficult and I would need assistance with that. It is important for mental health workers to know how to research funding options for prevention programs because we will be in charge of either creating prevention programs, or finding programs that are useful for certain communities. If there are communities that are in need of a prevention program and they are not able to acquire that program on their own, they will need information on how to do that. Having information on grant programs or ways to help individuals earn those programs is extremely important. This is another way to help clients or communities get the resources they need. It is also a way to provide individuals with services that we may not be able to give them ourselves. 
Reference:
·      Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act Grants. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/grants/pdf/sp-19-003_stop_act_foa_final.pdf?scrlybrkr=ee2be811.
Peer 2 Melissa
Last year, Trinitas Regional Medical Center was awarded $1,600,000 in grants for the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration, PBHCI for short (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA, 2020). This grant was awarded for the duration of four years. Currently, there are no grants for the towns of Maplewood and South Orange. I’m wondering if it has to do with the affluent sections of both towns, and the fact that 96% of the population possess health care coverage. However, I think if the PBHCI was still in use, I would collaborate with Trinitas Regional Medical Center. The purpose of PBHCI is to establish projects for the provision of coordinated and integrated services through the co-location of primary and specialty care medical services in community-based behavioral health settings. The goal is to improve the physical health status of adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI), and those with co-occurring substance use disorders who have or are at risk for co-morbid primary care conditions and chronic diseases. The program’s objective is to support the triple aim of improving the health of individuals with SMI; enhancing the consumer experience of care (including quality, access, and reliability); and reducing/controlling the per capita cost of care.
Emerging research has documented the relationships among exposure to traumatic events, impaired neurodevelopmental and immune systems responses and subsequent health risk behaviors resulting in chronic physical or behavioral health disorders.[2] Unaddressed trauma significantly increases the risk of mental and substance use disorders and chronic physical illnesses. Many of these health conditions are preventable through routine health promotion activities, primary care screening, monitoring, treatment and care management /coordination strategies and/or other outreach programs (SAMHSA, 2020).
Screening for risk factors and biomarkers of postpartum depression is crucial. Trinitas has a few behavioral health services. Since I’m an employee, I would reach out to the employee responsible for the maternal health and child department since there is an outpatient service linked to it. I think the challenges would be:
1)     Applying for the grant and specifying in detail why I’m requesting. Postpartum depression is debilitating when it’s not treated. I would try to include accurate data to support my request, which means I would probably have little time to do it since the grant registration process six weeks in advance of the application due date.
2)     Competitive market. The fact that many behavioral health programs are adding medical treatment components to their service repertoire makes them even more competitive candidates for grant selection. 
3)     Requesting state certifications which might make it possible to receive state grants. But knowing who to address the request to could be difficult.
4)     Ensuring that whatever program I’m working on possesses evidence-based practices interventions.
Developing an outpatient treatment program is a major financial challenge, whether the program is entirely new or is part of an existing treatment entity. The process of program development requires careful planning and extensive work to ensure adequate financial support (SAMHSA, 2006). A new program incurs extensive costs for office space, furniture, staff, computers, and other equipment before it provides services to clients and can receive payments, significant amounts of upfront capital are needed. Understanding what’s involved to make a program sustainable is crucial for mental health workers because a program with only one major funding source is financially vulnerable if its funder’s budget or priorities change; dependence on one source should be avoided. Diversification of funding sources should be a major goal. Each funding stream usually has its own approval and reporting requirements.
References:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (SAMHSA, 2006). Outpatient Treatment Financing Options and Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64066/
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (SAMHSA, 2020). Grants. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/grants-awards-by-state/NJ/discretionary/2016/details?page=0
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (SAMHSA, 2020). Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-15-005
Peer #3 Camilla
I was amazed at how many resources the SAMHSA website offered for applying for grants. Considering the “mock community case study” I see that grants are necessary. They have resources, but not near enough. There is a Tribal Opioid Response Grant available. The program aims to address the opioid crisis in tribal communities by increasing access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment using FDA approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). In addition to focusing on OUD, recipients may also address stimulant misuse and use disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamine. The intent is to reduce unmet treatment need and opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for OUD and, if so desired, stimulant misuse and use disorders (SAMSHA, 2021).
This grant is only available to federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native tribe. They greatest challenge would have the tribal council use the funds on true evidence-based treatments to help the community. The SAMHSA website walks you through every stage of the grant writing and application. They hardest part for me would be to how to apply the money to make the most of it and make sure it’s used for the best benefit.
Reference:
Tribal Opioid Response Grant. (2021). SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/…