Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program | HRSA 17 122

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 17 122

The Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program (SAT-TNGP) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), focused on showing how telehealth networks can expand access to care in rural, frontier, and otherwise underserved communities. The central aim is to demonstrate, with real-world implementation and measurable results, that telehealth can help overcome longstanding barriers such as geographic isolation, limited specialty workforce, transportation challenges, and fragmented care delivery, especially when it comes to substance use disorder treatment.

The grant is built around the idea of telehealth as a hub-and-spoke model, where specialty clinicians (the hub) support patients and local care teams at multiple originating sites (the spokes). HRSA emphasizes that telehealth has matured into a practical tool that can reduce patient travel time, increase access to specialty services, improve patient safety, strengthen care quality, and provide additional support to providers working in resource-constrained settings. For substance use treatment in particular, the program highlights how telehealth can extend the reach of scarce behavioral health and addiction professionals so that patients can receive services closer to home instead of traveling long distances or skipping care altogether.

A major driver behind the program is the broader federal priority to address substance misuse and the opioid epidemic. The notice references SAMHSA data indicating increases in illicit drug use over time and, importantly, a large treatment gap, with only a small share of adults with illicit drug dependence reporting receipt of treatment in the prior year. SAT-TNGP is positioned as a way to reduce that gap by making evidence-based substance use treatment and related behavioral health services more available in communities that have historically had too few providers and too many access barriers.

While the primary focus is tele-substance abuse treatment and other behavioral health services, the program also encourages applicants to include a secondary focus on common chronic medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. The logic is that substance use disorders often co-occur with chronic and poorly managed physical health conditions, and telehealth infrastructure can serve multiple clinical needs once it is in place. HRSA is clearly interested in applicants who will use the technology broadly across participating sites, both to meet local health needs and to make the telehealth investment more efficient. Higher utilization can lower per-visit costs and potentially increase the number of services that can be covered by insurers, which matters for long-term sustainability after federal funding ends.

A key requirement is accountability through data. Awardees must submit performance information, including clinical data, across a set of metrics that HRSA will specify after awards are made. This data reporting is not treated as optional; it is part of the program’s core purpose of producing evidence and demonstrating impact in rural and underserved settings.

The opportunity is not designed for brand-new telehealth efforts starting from scratch. Applicants are expected to already have a proven track record implementing telehealth technology and, critically, to have a committed network of partners already in place at the time of application. The application must include signed Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) from network partners, documenting concrete commitments such as roles and responsibilities and the specific clinical services that will be delivered through the network. HRSA states plainly that applications missing verifiable partner commitments, or lacking specificity about what partners will do and provide, will not be funded. Funding is intended to expand existing telehealth networks and/or increase the range of services those networks can provide, rather than simply planning or exploratory activities.

Eligibility listed in the notice includes Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (excluding institutions of higher education), with additional categories referenced in the full eligibility clarification. The funding opportunity number is HRSA-17-122, associated with CFDA 93.211. The notice anticipated three awards. The original posting dates show a creation date of July 24, 2017 and an original closing date of August 23, 2017.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.211.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 24, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 23, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 17 122

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