**Cooperative Agreements for HIV/AIDS Related Mental Health Services In
Minority Communities**

**FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS**

**1. Question:** Can a local county health department or health center
apply for this grant if they provide direct mental health services?

**Answer:** Yes. A local county health department or a health center
operated by a county may apply for this grant as long as they are direct
providers of mental health services. The key to eligibility is that the
applicant must be a "public or private non-profit entity" that is a
"direct mental health service provider." With the latter in mind,
applications from entities such as public clinical centers directly
providing mental health services will be considered eligible even though
they may be connected to state or local Government (see answer #2, as
well).

**2. Question:** We are interested in a definition of "direct mental
health service provider." The applicant of interest is a hospital that
provides direct mental health services through staff (e.g., psychiatric
nurses, licensed clinical social workers, psychiatrists, and
psychologists). Does a medical provider with mental health staff qualify
as a mental health service provider?

**Answer:** Yes. However, please note that you also must provide
sufficient information in your application to show that you are a
community-based provider for people who are HIV positive.

**2a. Question:** Can the above medical provider be affiliated with, or
part of, a university or college?

**Answer:** Yes.

**3. Question:** SM-06-001 is for mental health services for people who
are HIV positive. Can we use it for HIV-affected households where
members are experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
complicated by loss? Not everyone in the family will be HIV positive,
but there will be at least one HIV positive family member.

**Answer:** First, your previous mental health experience does not have
to be AIDS-related, so work in the PTSD area fits nicely with respect to
eligibility (assuming the organization meets the 2-year requirement).

Second, and this is a major issue -- all clients in the program
***must*** be HIV positive. However, the program allows family members
(defined very loosely)/significant others to be seen/treated briefly in
conjunction with the index client (e.g., brief couples or family
therapy, short term groups, education sessions/groups for family
members) for the purpose of helping the identified client. Family
members/significant others of HIV positive people cannot be seen unless
the HIV positive person is the index client and the purpose of their
session is to help the client.

**4. Question:** Can Africans be included under the "other racial/ethnic
minority communities?"

**Answer:** Yes. African Americans or Africans with immigrant status who
are HIV positive are appropriate target populations for this grant
program. There is no restriction in regard to immigration status of
clients.

**5. Question:** Is there a requirement for, or is evaluation permitted
as a part of this program? If so, is there a set percentage of the
budget than should be devoted to evaluation or is that left to the
discretion of the applicant organization?

**Answer:** Yes. An evaluation component is part of the grant
requirements. Information about the evaluation requirement for both the
application and the implementation of the project are in the
announcement (see Section I-2.5 and Section V-1E).

**6. Question:** Please advise if there are any grant facilities
available for initiatives in Jamaica.

**Answer:** This program is a domestic (U.S.) HIV/AIDS service program.
You may want to contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
([www.cdc.gov](http://www.cdc.gov/) ) or the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Disease
([http://www3.niaid.nih.gov](http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/)), which might
have programs for which non-U.S. entities can apply.

**7. Question:** Would a 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission focuses
on HIV treatment and prevention plus peripheral services for the HIV
positive population, be eligible as an applicant for this grant if it
has existed for many years but does not have a 2-year history of
providing mental health services?

**Answer:** No. The applicant organization must have provided mental
health services for a minimum of 2 years.

**7a. Question:** If this HIV organization were to partner with a group
of licensed mental health practitioners and/or community-based mental
health service-providing non-profit organization(s), would the HIV
organization be disallowed as the lead applicant for this grant?

**Answer:** The mental health provider must be the applicant
organization, but collaboratives and/or partnerships are welcome. If the
mental health organization were the legal applicant, the HIV service
organization could be a collaborating agency and would be a primary
referring agency that the mental health agency cites as a client source
for their target population.

**8. Question:** The guidance notes "only direct mental health service
providers may apply\...." We have been providing HIV mental health
services integrated with primary care at our HIV clinic here. However,
we do not have a state license to provide the range of generic mental
health services that would be provided in a mental health outpatient
department. Do we still qualify to apply for your grant?

**Answer:** Yes. You only need to be a provider of mental health
services for the last 2 years (not necessarily to people who are HIV
positive), and you must agree to have a licensed mental health clinician
as your clinical director and at least one other licensed mental health
clinician on staff.

**9. Question:** Does the eligibility requirement of 2 years of
experience as a provider of mental health services also require 2 years
of providing psychiatric services?

**Answer:** No. While providing mental health services may include
providing psychiatric services, this is not a prerequisite for this
announcement.

**10. Question:** Can you recommend any articles or references for
evidence based mental health models for individuals living with HIV?

**Answer:** No. The database of evidence-based practices that SAMHSA
maintains does not currently contain any programs that pertain
specifically to providing mental health services for persons living with
HIV.

**11. Question:** The National Outcome Measures Standards (NOMS) are not
posted on the SAMHSA website. How should applicants address the issue of
NOMS?

**Answer:** We do not know when the NOMS will be posted; one
recommendation is to indicate that your organization will collect
whatever data is required by SAMHSA.