SUBJECT:
Ordinance approving first amendment for grant extension to the City’s Be Well Be Connected Program funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the System of Care (SOC) Expansion
BACKGROUND:
The Mayor’s Office recommends that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing First Amendment to the Subaward Agreement between the City of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine to the SAMHSA by the City of Houston for the Grant; declaring the City’s eligibility for such amendment; authorizing the City of Houston Mayor to execute all related agreements and documents with the approval of the City Attorney in connection with the grant not to exceed the no-cost extension date of September 29, 2024.
The City was awarded this SAMHSA grant of $1,000,000.00 per year for 4 years for the City’s Be Well Be Connected Program in 2019. Council is now asked to approve an extension of the grant period to allow additional time for all funds to be expended.
SAMHSA’s System of Care Expansions and Sustainability Program improves the mental health outcomes for people from birth through the age of 21 who suffer and have shown serious signs of emotional disturbance and mental illness, which might lead to suicide ideation or suicidal attempts.
The Program goals include increasing the number of treated youths who are at risk of completed suicide or self-injurious behaviors across a wide variety of serious mental health conditions, enhancing local schools’ abilities to respond to a serious mental health crisis, reducing barriers and improve attitudes toward youth with serious mental health concerns on school campuses, developing a comprehensive monitoring process for youths at high risk, and increasing the number of those youth receiving appropriate evidence informed treatments for suicide and self-injurious behaviors.
The Program goals include increasing the number of youths assessed for serious mental health conditions, enhancing local schools’ abilities to respond to a serious mental health crisis, reducing barriers and improve attitudes toward youth with serious mental health concerns on school campuses, developing a comprehensive monitoring process for youths at high risk, and increasing the number of referral and successful treatment. Planning and implementation of the Program will be a collaborative effort among the City of Houston and the Baylor College of Medicine and other organizations located in the Houston area.
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Olivera Jankovska, Director, Mayor’s Office of Education