SOR 3 FY22-23 Halfway Point Follow-up GPRA Reminder

In April, we officially passed the halfway point for the first year of SOR 3! That means that GPRA follow-up windows have begun to open for clients that were intaked at the beginning of SOR 3 in October, November, or early December. Be sure to check your agency’s weekly tracking sheets in Dropbox to stay up to date with when follow-up windows are open. As a reminder, windows are open from 5 to 8 months after the intake interview date.

This milestone is also reflected in the newest figure (Figure 3) recently added to this month’s Monthly Progress Reports, also located in your agency’s Dropbox. Figure 3 compares Virginia’s follow-up rate to your agency’s follow-up rate. The follow-up rate is calculated by dividing the total number of interview follow-up GPRAs by the total number of closed or open follow-up windows. Only interview follow-ups completed within the window will count towards your agency’s overall follow-up rate, which SAMHSA requires to be at least 80% by the end of the two-year grant period.

Please reach out to SORSupport@omni.org if you need access to your agency’s Dropbox folder or need a refresher on how to track or administer Follow-up GPRAs.

OMNI Kudos to Piedmont CSB for SOR III Intake GPRA Numbers

This year we will continue to share some shout-outs about CSBs or Agencies that are doing well with intakes, follow-ups, engaging and supporting clients, and/or those that demonstrate a "spirit of inquiry" when engaging with our TA Team on GPRA administration issues.

This month, we’d like to highlight Piedmont CSB. Piedmont has gone above and beyond and has already reached 143% of their annual SOR III Year 1 Intake GPRA target completion goal, showing their diligent efforts in completing these important GPRA interviews. Kudos!

We know that everyone is working hard toward meeting their intake goal as set out by DBHDS this year. If you have questions about this or need support with any aspect of GPRA administration, please reach out to our team at OMNI: SORsupport@omni.org

 

Minor Revisions to GPRA Paper Surveys and QxQ

We have recently made a couple of small changes to the GPRA resulting in minor changes to the online survey as well as the paper tools in English and Spanish to align with SAMSHA’s SPARS data system. There are two changes limited to just single response items in sections D and E.

We recommend that you download and save the most recent version(s) of the GPRAs from our website and shred or delete the older versions so you have the most up-to-date one available. The footer of the revised surveys will be dated in April 2023 to identify the most recent version. Here is where you can find them:

The GPRA Question by Question (QxQ) guide has also had some updates. The revised QxQ version can be found here on the website.

And in other exciting news, thanks to the suggestion of the Caritas team, we’ve created a practice Follow-up & Discharge online survey, in addition to the existing practice Intake GPRA. You can that here.

Let us know if you have any questions: SORSupport@omni.org

From DBHDS - 2023 Mobile Engagement/MAT/Harm-Reduction Mini-Grant

The SOR-funded Mobile Engagement/MAT/Harm-Reduction Mini-Grant application is available to Administrative and Operational Virginia’s Community Services Boards and Behavioral Health Authorities until 04/26/23! The grant aims to expand substance use outreach, screening, assessment, treatment, prevention, and recovery support services capacity by funding a mobile vehicle/unit. The grant will be awarded to two applicants in the amount of $500,000 per year.

For additional information on the grant, grant requirements, and the full application process, please click HERE. The completed application will need to be emailed to Mike Zohab (Mike.zohab@dbhds.virginia.gov) and Angela Weight (angela.weight@dbhds.virginia.gov) by close of business day 04/26/23.

SOR III Year 1 Quarter 2 Treatment and Recovery Services Survey

It's time to complete the SOR III Year 1 Quarter 2 Treatment and Recovery Services Survey! Contacts that completed the SOR III Year 1 Quarter 1 survey (or contacts indicated for Quarter 1 outreach within the SOR III Year 1 Quarter 1 survey) for your agency received an email on Monday, April 3rd, with specific instructions for survey completion. If you did not receive this email and believe you should have, please contact SORSupport@omni.org.

Please refer to the Quarterly Survey resources page to review applicable information and resources relevant to completing the survey. These include:

• Quarterly Survey Instruction Guide: provides an overview of survey basics and specifics survey question guidance.

• Quarter 2 Treatment and Recovery Services Survey Questions: PDF file of questions asked in the Quarter 2 Treatment and Recovery Reporting Survey (note: please do not complete the survey on this PDF file – this is for viewing purposes only)

Quarter 2 of the SOR III Year 1 grant ended on March 31, 2023. Survey responses should reflect all of Quarter 2 (Jan 1st - March 31st 2023). This survey is due no later than Friday, April 14th.

Please reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org with any questions, concerns, or recommendations about this survey. We appreciate and thank you for your help with this survey!

March 28th Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training - Recording and Materials Now Available!

Thanks to all who were able to join the OMNI Team for our Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on March 28, 2023.

If you were unable to attend, or if you want to review the content, the following is now available for you on our website (here). Here are direct links:

If you have questions about the training or the GPRA, please reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org.

From DBHDS - Apply Now to Become a VDH Naloxone Partner

Here is the link to become a VDH naloxone partner and receive the medication at no cost to your organization: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/disease-prevention/naloxonepartnerprogram. If you haven’t already become a VDH naloxone partner, fill out the linked application and email it to the contact provided. Feel free to copy Mike Zohab (mike.zohab@dbhds.virginia.gov) or Angela Weight (angela.weight@dbhds.virginia.gov) on the email.

Weekly GPRA Tracking Sheet Overview and Use Guidelines

Every Monday, OMNI posts a weekly Excel tracking sheet to each CSB/Agency’s Dropbox. The tracking sheet is a useful tool to stay apprised of each client’s GPRA status and timeline as well as notes that OMNI may have included for your attention. We wanted to remind everyone of the information in and functions of these sheets.

(Please see this helpful resource for a more detailed overview of the information below.)

The top portion of the tracking sheet displays your CSB/Agency name, tracking sheet date, total number of intake GPRAs completed in SOR 3 Year 1 to-date, your CSB/Agency’s SOR 3 Year 1 intake GPRA target number, and the number of months remaining in SOR 3 Year 1.

Once a client has an intake GPRA completed and entered in the online system, their Client ID will show up in a new row on the tracking sheet which will appear on the sheet that is released on the following Monday. Also listed will be the dates of the follow-up window (the “6m-Open Date” and the “6m-Close Date” in columns D and E). The tracking sheet will also display the discharge and follow-up completion dates once completed and entered in the system, and whether they are an interview or administrative GPRA.

One of the most important sections to pay attention to from week to week is the “Notes” section in column L. These are for your attention. Notes may relate to intakes, follow-ups, or discharges and may contain the following information:

  • Follow-up Outside of Window: If a follow-up occurred outside the designated window, a note will indicate this with instructions to re-attempt the follow-up within the designated open window.

  • Deceased Client: If a client is deceased, a note indicating this will appear.

  • Duplicate Client: If your agency accidentally enters more than one intake, follow-up, or discharge survey for a single client, OMNI typically proceeds with using the first survey received (for each survey type). In some cases, with follow-up or discharge surveys, OMNI may prioritize interview GPRAs or those that were administered within a client's open follow-up window instead of the survey first received. In all cases where OMNI has taken an action due to duplicate surveys received, OMNI will flag the affected record accordingly in your CSB/Agency's tracking sheet with a note explaining the action OMNI took. If you would like OMNI to use a duplicate survey that differs from OMNI's selection indicated in the tracking sheet notes, please send an encrypted email to SORSupport@omni.org explaining which survey you would like to use as ‘final’ instead.

Please reach out to SORSupport@omni.org if you have any questions or would like to discuss the information in your tracking sheet in more detail.

REMINDER! Register for OMNI Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on 3/28 at 11am ET

As you know, SAMHSA has released an updated version of the Intake and Follow-up GPRAs that started being used on January 21st, 2023.

This is to remind you that OMNI will hold a two-hour Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on Tuesday, March 28th, 2023, from 11am-1pm ET. This training will most directly focus on providing a detailed overview of the Follow-up and Discharge GPRA and will provide tips for administering the survey. We will also review general information about the GPRA (including what it is and who should receive it) as well as point out existing TA resources.

You must register in advance for the Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training here: https://omni-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqcOyrpzovHdUD7Xq1lF227TJv_n1q15BX

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

A newly recorded training on the Intake GPRA is now available on our website. You can find that here: SOR III Full Intake Training Recording (January 2023)

OMNI Kudos to CSBs with High SOR II Interview Follow-up Rates!

This year we will continue to share kudos to recognize CSBs or Agencies for doing well with intakes, follow-ups, engaging and supporting clients, and/or demonstrating a "spirit of inquiry" when engaging with our TA Team on GPRA administration issues. This month we are compiling some kudos along with best practice information for completing follow-ups.

To remind you, follow-up windows for SOR III will start opening this month. Please review your weekly tracking sheets to stay on top of the window openings and closings for each client who has a GPRA Intake. As with years past, SAMHSA requires an 80% follow-up rate. However, only “Interview” follow-up GPRAs count towards this rate, whereas “Administrative” follow-up GPRAs do not.

This month, we’d like to give kudos to five CSBs who achieved high GPRA Interview follow-up rates during SOR II, each exceeding the 80% SAMHSA rate:

  • Chesapeake 87%

  • Horizon 81%

  • PD1 82%

  • Richmond 83%

  • Virginia Beach 83%

It is possible to meet the goal, and OMNI’s TA Team has compiled tips and best practices to support all CSBs to attain it. Here are examples of the support we’ve compiled to keep you on track:

  • GPRA Admin Tips & Best Practices: This helps answer questions such as "How do I reach clients for follow-ups?", "What systems can I put in place to better manage GPRA administration?" and "How do I engage clients who have left services?", and much more.

  • Engagement Information Sheet for Clients: Designed to be shared with your clients so they can have a better understanding of the GPRA and its purpose. This helps encourage buy-in.

  • Client Locator Form: Word document that will auto-download as a form that you can use to keep track of each client's GPRA ID, DOB, and multiple points of contact. This can help in outreach for completing follow-up GPRAs.

Many of these compiled tips came directly from our conversations with CSBs or Agencies who were most successful in securing GPRA follow-up interviews. For even more tips, check out the recorded Community Forum on this topic and accompanying slides.

Thanks for your CSB or Agency’s hard work towards meeting intake goals as set out by DBHDS this year. We are here to support your team with any aspect of GPRA administration, including meeting the SAMHSA interview follow-up goal. Please reach out to our team at OMNI: SORsupport@omni.org.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.112 Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.112-1113 The Federal awarding agency must establish conflict of interest policies for Federal awards. The non-Federal entity must disclose in writing any potential conflict of interest to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with applicable Federal awarding agency policy. Failure to adhere to these statues will result in immediate termination of funding.

Virginia’s State Opioid Response (SOR) grant is awarded at the discretion of DBHDS and SAMHSA. All recipients of SOR funding supports evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery services to address opioid and stimulant misuse and use disorders, including for cocaine and methamphetamine. The SOR grant is not intended to be utilized as a long-term or permanent funding source. All SOR proposals must include a realistic plan for financial sustainability beyond the grant period.