The purpose of this procurement is to acquire comprehensive clinical site and study monitoring services for a set of global mental health projects funded by the National institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and designed a) to increase the research base on scaling up the delivery of evidence-based mental health care in low- and middle-income countries, and b) to stimulate research partnerships that will conduct implementation research on closing health services gaps through expanded efforts to prevent, preempt, treat, manage, and otherwise minimize disability due to mental and substance use disorders. Examples of locations can be found here: Research Partnerships for Scaling Up Mental Health Interventions in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (U19) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-16-174.html (Reissue of RFA-MH-16-350) Implementation Science for the Prevention and Treatment of Mental and/or Substance Use Disorders in Low- and Middle-income Countries (U01) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-17-650.html. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH) coordinates the Institute's efforts to reduce mental health disparities within and beyond the United States. As part of the NIMH's Global Mental Health Research Strategy, ORDGMH sponsors research that addresses disparities in access to mental health care. The mental health treatment gap (i.e., the proportion of persons who need, but do not receive care) exists globally, and collateral issues in low-resource settings make closing the treatment gap especially challenging. More than 80% of the world's population lives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the burden of disease associated with mental illnesses in these countries is rising. As of 1 July 2016, the World Bank defines low-income countries (e.g., Chile, China, India, and Kenya) as those with a gross national income (GNI) per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of $1,025 or less in 2015; lower middle-income countries are those with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $4,03. Moreover, the gap between treatment need and the allocation of human, scientific, and fiscal resources for mental health care in LMICs is great. The median number of psychiatrists per 100,000 people is 0.05 in LMICs, compared to 8.6 in high-income countries. The need for rigorous mental health research is immense, and research activity in this area is disproportionately lower than for other areas of health. At the same time, financing for mental health is insufficient: on average, there is a 200-fold difference between investments in low-income and high-income countries. These situational factors require innovative solutions for scaling up evidence-based mental health care in LMICs.
