Applications should be completed using the following information, guidance, and requirements:

SECTION I.    GENERAL PURPOSE & APPLICANT INFORMATION

Purpose

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) releases this Request for Applications (RFA) for the purpose of soliciting applications from organizations that have experience in development, implementation and evaluation of prevention and early intervention programs for older adults. This RFA seeks to select a grantee to develop the Older Adult Behavioral Health & Wellness (BHW) Project, which is aimed at reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors in Ohio’s older adult population. The objectives are to empower older adults to make healthy lifestyle choices and to navigate the use of medications and alcohol by utilizing the evidence-based program Wellness Initiative for Senior Education and the integration of a screening and referral process. OhioMHAS will award funding to one qualified organization that demonstrates the expertise and capacity to complete this project.

Overview of the Project

The Older Adult Behavioral Health & Wellness Project is focused on empowering older adults to make healthy lifestyle choices and to navigate the use of medications and alcohol with the support of the evidence-based program Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE). The WISE program educates older adults on a variety of topics including safe medication use, the aging process, communicating effectively with healthcare providers, and strategies for making healthy lifestyle choices. Along with implementing the WISE program, the project will incorporate early intervention strategies to reduce risk of substance misuse and suicide by integrating Screening and Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and Question Persuade & Refer (QPR) as part of Ohio’s model.  The model will be piloted with local teams made up of Mental Health and Recovery Services Boards, Local Areas on Aging, Suicide Prevention Coalitions, Substance Misuse Prevention Coalitions, and provider organizations.

Issuing Office

Office of Prevention Services

Background

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths related to drug misuse and alcohol abuse   appear to be on the rise among older adults in the United States.  Key findings from the National Vital Statistics System are as follows:

• Between 2000 and 2020, age-adjusted rates of drug overdose deaths for adults aged 65 and over increased from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 standard population.
• For men aged 65–74 and 75 and over, rates of drug overdose deaths were higher among non-Hispanic Black men compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White men.
• For women aged 65–74, drug overdose death rates were higher for non-Hispanic Black women compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women, but for women aged 75 and over, non-Hispanic White women had the highest rates.
• The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (such as fentanyl) for adults aged 65 and over increased by 53% between 2019 (1.9) and 2020 (2.9).

With funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) State Opioid and Stimulant Response (SOS 3.0, formerly SOR) grant funding, this work will further support Ohio’s commitment to high-quality prevention and early intervention that strengthens state and local efforts to connect Ohioans with life-saving services.

Scope of Work

The selected organization will be expected to do the following:

• Collaborate with OhioMHAS to establish an Advisory Committee
• Engage Advisory Committee in SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) to establish a road map for building the state and local infrastructure needed to roll out the Older Adult BHW Project
• Assess need, determine sub-populations of focus (LGBTQ Elders, Hispanic, Latino, African American) and settings for where programming will be provided
• Engage the developers of the WISE program to establish training the trainer opportunities and to provide content expertise to the Advisory Committee as needed
• Develop an evaluation plan
• Determine process for incorporating SBIRT and QPR and depression screenings that are culturally appropriate
• Establish and facilitate local teams in developing action plans on how to implement the model
• Work with WISE developer to offer train the trainer opportunities for local teams
• Work with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation to offer QPR certification training for local teams
• Identify training entities to offer SBIRT trainings for local teams
• Develop sustainability plan
• Provide OhioMHAS quarterly and yearly reports demonstrating progress, needs, challenges, and successes

Eligible Applicants

OhioMHAS seeks applications from OhioMHAS Prevention Certified organizations and Institutions of Higher Education that have experience in the Strategic Prevention Framework, prevention and early intervention program development, evaluation, culturally appropriate screening tools and expertise in working with older adults.

Only organizations that have partnerships and resources to complete each item under “Scope of Work/Deliverables” should apply. Applicants must be a 501-C (3) or (4) non-profit or government entity.

Award

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has released this request for applications (RFA) with the intent of awarding up to $250,000 per year for two years, to support the development and implementation of the Ohio Older Adult Behavioral Health & Wellness Project.

Awards are expected to be announced for project implementation by March 1, 2023. Future funding award years are contingent upon receipt of federal funds.

The actual dollar amounts awarded for selected applications will be based on the amount of state or federal funding made available to OhioMHAS, and the number of applications which are both qualified and selected for award. Applications are qualified if they are in accordance with the application submission requirements and earn at least the minimum score requirements for quality and completeness of applications, as specified in this RFA. Scoring and final selections will be completed by a team selected by OhioMHAS. To make its final selection of applications which will receive awards and to determine the size of those awards, OhioMHAS may, at its option, take into consideration application quality, reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget, geographic diversity, local collaborations, and funding available.

OhioMHAS may, at its option, make selections based in part on geographical and demographic criteria in order to provide a wide range of services around the state, and in both urban and rural areas. Applicants are encouraged to prepare and submit applications and budgets which are both practicable and capable of meeting the requirements of this RFA.

Applicants are to be aware that OhioMHAS may, at its sole discretion, negotiate with all technically qualifying applicants for a revised Project Budget, if the Project Budgets of all technically qualifying applicants are in excess of the available funding for this project. Please refer to Section 7.1 C. of this RFA for further information on OhioMHAS procedures to be implemented if this occurs.

SECTION II.                  Posting and Award PROCESS INFORMATION

Anticipated Timetable

1. The RFA, accompanying documents, and all questions and answers are/will be posted on this web page.
2. All questions must be submitted electronically no later than January 31, 2023, by 5 p.m. EST, to OhioMHAS at MHAS-OPWGRANTS@mha.ohio.gov
3. The FAQ mailbox will close one week prior to the application due date. No questions will be answered after the deadline. You may NOT contact any OhioMHAS staff member directly with questions regarding this RFA. Contacting staff directly with questions could result in disqualification of an application.
4. Responses to all questions (FAQ) will be posted on this web page and will be updated frequently.
5. Applications must be submitted via the Grants Funding Management System (GFMS) with additional documentation uploaded to the Project Documentation Section by February 7, 2023, at 5:00pm.
6. Application grant notification letters will be sent approximately fourteen days post grant application closure.
7. OhioMHAS agreements are not valid and effective until the issuance of an approved State of Ohio Notice of Sub-Award (NOSA). The NOSA will contain the start and end dates of the award.
8. The grantee(s) must be able to begin work no later than seven (7) working days after the time funds are encumbered and approved by the Office of Budget & Management. The grantee(s) will be notified by the OhioMHAS Agreement Manager when work may begin. Any work begun by the grantee prior to this notification may not be reimbursable by OhioMHAS.
9. All work must be completed and approved by the OhioMHAS Project Lead. All work must be completed by the end of the programmatic period as it appears on the NOSA.

It is the responsibility of all applicants to check the webpage dedicated to this RFA on a regular basis for responses to all questions, as well as for any amendments, alerts, or other pertinent information regarding this RFA. OhioMHAS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information regarding this RFA that was obtained or gathered through a source different from the Q & A process described in this RFA.

Should applicants experience technical difficulties accessing the OhioMHAS website where the RFA and its related documents are published, they may contact the OhioMHAS Helpdesk at (MHAHelpdesk@mha.ohio.gov) for guidance.

SECTION III.                 APPLICATION GUIDELINES

1. All applications must be submitted through the GFMS system.  To enter the system, you must be a vendor for the State of Ohio and can access the vendor forms here to register: http://www.supplier.obm.ohio.gov/
2. You must also register for the GFMS system by going to this link:  https://apps.mha.ohio.gov/iPortal/GFMSExternalUser/Register    If you are already registered for GFMS you can begin submitting your grant at any time.
3. You must complete each section of the GFMS system completely to be considered for funding. GFMS User Guide
4. GFMS Definitions and Terms can be found at http://mha.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=500
5. The Project Area to be selected on the GFMS Face Sheet is “SOS Prevention”
6. The grant application must be submitted in GFMS no later than (February 7, 2023, by 5 pm). Applications submitted after this date and time will not be reviewed.
7. Emailed, faxed or mailed applications will not be accepted.
8. Costs incurred in the preparation of this application are to be borne by the applicant; OhioMHAS will not contribute in any way to the costs of the preparation.

Page Limit

The page limit for this application is 12 pages, single spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman. The 12 pages do not include the Budget Expenditure Form and Budget Narrative.

Application Components

Completion of all components of GFMS.

1. Abstract – Summary of services and supports to be provided, the target population(s), number of individuals projected to be served in the first and second funding period, the goal(s) and object(s) of the proposed services and supports, and the total amount of funding requested for the first and second funding period. (400 words or less)
2. Scope of the Work/Project Description: Provide a detailed description of the proposed approach to completing each deliverable and timeline for completing each deliverable. In the project description, please also include the following information.
   1. Sustainability Plan
   2. Evaluation Plan
3. Organizational Experience: Describe experience with the Strategic Prevention Framework, prevention, and early intervention program development, working with older adults. Must be uploaded in the Project Documentation Section of GFMS
4. Disparities Impact Statement: Must be uploaded in the Project Documentation Section of GFMS. Across the behavioral health system, there are well documented disparities in access to services and health outcomes among groups of different cultures or ethnic backgrounds, gender, and sexual orientation. To address these problems and improve health outcomes, it’s important to ensure that each component of the programs developed value diversity and inclusion and are equitable. Please describe the population(s) to be impacted by the proposed approach and how the following will be considered:
   1. How diverse cultural health beliefs and practices will be implemented in a culturally competent and trauma informed manner
   2. How preferred languages will be honored
   3. How to meet health literacy and other communication needs of all sub-populations identified in the proposal
   4. Link to National CLAS Standards https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53 
5. Budget Expenditure Form and Budget Narrative
   1. Applicants must complete the line item budget and narrative in GFMS that identifies all costs to complete the project as described in the Request for Application.

SECTION IV.                CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION SCORING

4.1       Scoring Applications

OhioMHAS will enter into agreement(s) with a grantee(s) that best demonstrates the ability to meet requirements as specified in the RFA. Applicants submitting a response will be evaluated based on the capacity and experience demonstrated in their Application and Project Budget. All applications will be reviewed and scored by a team from OhioMHAS.

OhioMHAS is under no obligation to issue an agreement as a result of this solicitation if, in the opinion of OhioMHAS and the Scoring Team, none of the applications are responsive to the objectives and needs of the Department. OhioMHAS reserves the right not to select any application should OhioMHAS decide not to proceed.

All applications and any other documents submitted to OhioMHAS in response to any solicitation shall become the property of OhioMHAS. This RFA and, after the selection of an applicant for award, any applications received in response to a solicitation that have been opened, reviewed and considered by OhioMHAS are deemed to be public records pursuant to ORC 149.43. For purposes of this section, the term “application” shall mean both the Technical Application and the Project Budget submitted by an applicant and any attachments, addenda, appendices, resumes, letters of recommendation, or sample products.

A. Criteria for Scoring

All applications will be scored based on the available points per section according to the following scale, based on a proposed plan’s ability to meet the objectives outlined in this RFA. The application scoring uses the following point values for rating each requirement:

Technical Performance Scoring Definitions:

“Does Not Meet Requirement”- applicant did not address a particular RFA requirement in the application,

Score: 0

“Partially Meets Requirement”- applicant demonstrates some attempt at meeting a particular RFA requirement, but that attempt falls below acceptable level, Score: 1-5

“Meets Requirement”- applicant fulfills a particular RFA requirement in all material respects, potentially with only minor, non-substantial deviation, Score: 6-10

“Exceeds Requirement”- applicant fulfills a particular RFA requirement in all material respects, and offers some additional level of quality in excess of OhioMHAS expectations, Score: 7-20

Award

1. An award is expected to be announced during the week of February 20, 2023.
2. Grant award will not exceed $250,000 per fiscal year.
3. All grant funds must be expended by September 29, 2023, for year one of the project.
4. Renewals are subject to successful performance and the availability of future funds.

Deadline for submission of all applications is February 7, 2023 5 pm EDT

5.1       Public Release of Records

Public release of any evaluation or monitoring reports funded under this agreement will be made only by OhioMHAS. Prior to public release of such reports, OhioMHAS must have at least a thirty (30) day period for review and comment.

SECTION VI.                ATTACHMENTS AND THEIR USES

1. Required Applicant Information and Certifications (To be completed & included in the application as specified)
2. Assurances-This will be completed in GFMS.
3. Application Score Sheet (For applicant reference purposes)

Organization Name: 

Comments:

Printed Name of Reviewer

Signature of Reviewer

Date