Bureau of Justice Assistance: Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program

Deadline: 25 April 2017

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications to plan and implement comprehensive strategies in response to the growing opioid epidemic. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing resources to state, local, and tribal governments to intervene with persons with substance-use disorders.

BJA is seeking four TTA providers that will work collaboratively to develop the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) Network TTA and support the delivery of TTA to current and future site-based COAP grantees, PDMPs, and their stakeholders. Please note that the four categories described within this competitive grant announcement are soliciting applications from providers to deliver nationwide training and technical assistance. This grant announcement is not soliciting applications from individual jurisdictions to receive funding, training, or technical assistance from BJA.

The goals of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Training and Technical Assistance Program are twofold. First, the program aims to support site-based and state initiatives designed to reduce opioid misuse and the number of overdose fatalities. Second, the program supports PDMPs and their stakeholders in expanding the implementation, enhancement, and proactive use of prescription drug monitoring programs to support clinical decision-making and prevent the misuse and diversion of controlled substances.

Objectives

The objectives of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Training and Technical Assistance Program are to:

Collaborate with all TTA providers that are part of the COAP initiative to identify and provide training and/or technical assistance to address a wide range of issues related to program design, implementation, and program assessment.
Engage proactively with current and future COAP grantees to assess progress, address challenges, and identify sustainable solutions.
Develop communication strategies to improve national awareness and knowledge of best practices for responding to opioid and prescription drug misuse, implementing diversion and alternatives to incarceration programs, and reducing the number of overdose fatalities.
Support comprehensive cross-system planning and collaboration among officials who work in law enforcement, pretrial services, the courts, probation and parole, child welfare, reentry, PDMPs, emergency medical services and healthcare providers, and agencies that provide substance misuse treatment and recovery support services.
Collect, maintain, and disseminate information about effective policies, programmatic practices, and trends relevant to the COAP grantees, stakeholders, and policy makers.
Work with states and national partners (including federal agencies) to increase utilization and improve the benefits derived from PDMPs.
Maintain a clearinghouse of information for PDMP stakeholders to include up-to-date data on PDMP program status, capabilities, and contacts, as well as policy papers, briefings, scientific reports, studies, and other resources to serve PDMP program stakeholders.
Communicate regularly with BJA staff to assess the impact of services on program goals and review the progress of the COAP grantees.

Categories and Award

BJA expects to make up to four awards with an estimated total amount awarded of up to $6,200,000. BJA expects to make awards for a 24-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2017.

COAP TTA Category A: COAP Network Training and Technical Assistance Coordination Provider – One anticipated award of $2,650,000. Performance Period: 24 months.
COAP TTA Category B: COAP National Training and Technical Assistance Provider – One anticipated award of $2,150,000. Performance Period: 24 months.
COAP TTA Category C: COAP National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Peer Recovery Support Partnerships – One anticipated award of $400,000. Performance Period: 24 months.
COAP TTA Category D: Harold Rogers PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Provider – One anticipated award of $1,000,000. Performance Period: 24 months.

Eligibility Criteria