Notice Number: NOT-MH-14-021
Key Dates
Release Date:
July 14, 2014
Response Date: August 18, 2014
None
Issued by
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Purpose
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) seeks input on approaches to fostering innovation and accelerating progress in the development and testing of disparity-reduction strategies related to mental health service provision, access, or outcomes in the U.S. Comments are invited from any interested parties.
Background
In September 2013, the NIMH meeting, "Closing the Gaps: Scaling Up to Reduce Mental Health Disparities in the United States" brought together experts in disparities research and care delivery to discuss significant research issues. A meeting summary is available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-priorities/scientific-meetings/2013/closing-the-gaps-reducing-disparities-in-mental-health-treatment-through-engagement.shtml. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks to obtain further input focused specifically on developing and testing novel strategies to reduce services-related mental health disparities in the U.S.
Information Requested
The NIMH seeks input to inform the next generation of innovative research on access, availability, quality, coordination, financing, structure and other aspects of mental health services relevant to reducing or eliminating mental health disparities in the U.S. Of interest are ideas about novel service delivery approaches, services research methods, and strategies to accelerate progress toward findings that are of both scientific and public health impact.
Areas of possible comment include but are not limited to:
1. Insights on previously unidentified or understudied behavioral or organizational targets that may have high impact in reducing mental health disparities related to service provision, especially those that have potential for effectiveness across multiple underserved groups.
2. Ideas about innovative systems-level or cross-systems factors that may significantly contribute to reducing or eliminating mental health disparities.
3. Practical, promising, and/or preliminarily effective mental health disparity reduction strategies currently in use in the community but not empirically tested.
4. Identification of strategies with proven effectiveness in disparity reduction in other health or non-health areas which show promise of effectiveness if applied to or adapted for mental health services.
5. Ideas about new methods or tools that may be critical to measuring the effectiveness of disparity reduction strategies, including the development of valid, reliable measures of mental health disparity with sufficient sensitivity to gauge reduction in or elimination of such disparity.
Responses
Responses to this RFI are voluntary. This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the National Institutes of Health, or individual NIH Institutes or Centers. The NIH does not intend to make any type of award based on responses to this RFI or to pay for either the preparation of information submitted or the Government's use of such information.
The NIH will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information provided and will not provide feedback to respondents. The information submitted will be analyzed and may be shared internally, appear in reports or be reflected in future solicitations, as appropriate and at the Government's discretion. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s) or other activities. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government's use of such information.
Responses will be accepted through August 18, 2014. Electronic responses should be addressed to [email protected]. You will see an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response, but will not receive individualized feedback on any suggestions.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Denise Juliano-Bult, M.S.W.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Email: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
