We hope everyone is hanging in there! We appreciate all your efforts to support your community during this stressful time. While client service provision remains a priority, we wanted to communicate some recent updates from SAMHSA regarding the SOR grant.
First, we encourage your agencies to offer GPRA interviews via phone or video during this time, and SAMHSA has approved these additional methods for all GPRA interviewing (intake, follow-up, and discharge). There are many different free options for connecting with clients remotely (e.g., Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts). Please reach out if you have any questions or would like any support around conducting interviews remotely.
Additionally, for the remainder of the current SOR grant, we have received clarification regarding contingency management for the SOR client intake process. CSBs and FQHCs may now offer a gift card to clients (for up to $15) as an incentive for completing an intake GPRA interview. These incentives can be funded by the SOR grant; however, consistent with gift cards for follow-up GPRA completion, your agency is responsible for purchasing and managing the gift cards. Additionally, gift cards may be of your agency’s choosing, but cannot be cards that can be exchanged for cash value or issued to locations with alcohol available for purchase with a gift card.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the TA team if you have any questions about these changes or ideas for how we can support you during this time.