The Department of Health and Human Services (Department) is seeking to continue the development, planning, implementation, and maintenance of the Statewide Substance Use Disorder Learning Community, a structured educational program that delivers education, training, and technical assistance to Prescribing Clinicians and their teams, as defined in this Request for Proposals (RFP) document. This document provides instructions for submitting proposals, the procedure and criteria by which the awarded Bidder will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State of Maine (State) and the awarded Bidder. The Department is dedicated to promoting health, safety, resiliency, and opportunity to all Maine residents. The Department’s Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) is committed to supporting a complete and coordinated behavioral health continuum of care that serves the whole person, the whole community. The State has been hit hard by substance use and the opioid epidemic. The total number of confirmed and suspected drug-related fatal overdoses from January to December 2023 was six hundred seven (607). While effective treatments exist for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), it is known that less than ten percent (10%) of people with SUD report accessing treatment. There has been a significant increase recently in the number of Maine Prescribing Clinicians licensed to provide evidence-based treatment for SUD, but most treat few patients, and there are still areas of the State where people cannot find or access treatment. In Governor Janet Mills ’ Maine Opioid Response’ 2023 – 2025 Strategic Action Plan, she identified the need to develop and train a prevention and treatment workforce sufficient to meet the needs of all Maine communities. This action will contribute to a Statewide infrastructure supporting evidence-based and community-focused actions in response to Maine’s opioid crisis. The Department implemented this action in 2021 and seeks to continue it through this RFP.
