OAJJA: Behavioral Health Information and Data Sharing Grant Program

Overview:

The Behavioral Health Information and Data Sharing Grant Program provides funding to support county jails in onboarding and integrating with the Colorado Trusted Interoperability Platform (CTIP). This initiative aims to exchange behavioral health, housing, and demographic information with the Colorado Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (CICJIS) to ensure continuity of care for individuals transitioning between criminal justice agencies and the community.

Funding Details:

Amount Available: $1,547,728
Award Period: December 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026
Match: Match is not required for this funding
Restrictions: Supplanting of funds is not allowed.
Program Description:

Purpose of the Funds:
The goal of the Behavioral Health Information and Data Sharing Grant Program, established by SB22-196, is to facilitate the exchange of behavioral health, housing, and demographic information with CICJIS. This exchange will be accomplished by establishing an information exchange platform within CICJIS to improve criminal justice, health, and safety outcomes.

Statutory Authority:
24-33.5-532. Behavioral health information and data-sharing in the criminal justice system.

Eligibility:
Every Colorado county is eligible for a grant. Counties lacking an existing electronic jail management system infrastructure may face challenges in completing required activities.

Eligible Activities:

Integrating county jail data systems with CICJIS.
Standardizing client-specific information through common data fields.
Automating data reporting required by state and federal law.
Required Application Components:
All grant applications must address the following:

Justifiable project costs.
Plans to use technology meeting state standards.
Addition of all data exchange requirements to the applicant's jail management system.
Acknowledgment of the conditional nature of funding based on acceptance of the CICJIS participation agreement.
Technical Assistance and Resources:
The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) provides technical assistance for the program. General technical support for the grant application process is available through webinars, office hours, and other means on the ORS website. Additional resources include a project conceptual document, the CICJIS Participation Agreement, FAQs, and applicant resources.

Evaluation:
Funding decisions involve consultation with relevant stakeholders. Applications will be evaluated based on:

Capacity to integrate with the interoperability platform.
Explanation of proposed processes for meeting eligible activities.
Demonstration of justifiable costs.
Denied applications may submit appeals within three days, focusing on clarifying information specific to the denial reasons.
How To Apply:
Applications must be completed and submitted through Colorado’s online application system, ZoomGrants, by Thursday, May 16, 2024, 5:00 PM MST. Inquiries regarding ZoomGrants can be directed to dcjgms@state.co.us.