Introduction: The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to give qualified organizations the opportunity to inform Community Behavioral Health (CBH) and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual DisAbility Services (DBHIDS) of their interest in providing specialized treatment services to individuals who have lost loved ones to suicide.
Project Background: Close to one million people in the world die by suicide each year and suicide is one of the leading causes of death across all age groups. It is estimated that 85% of people in the United States will know someone personally who has died by suicide, with an average of 135 people exposed to each death by suicide. Each suicide affects a large circle of people who may be in need of clinician services or support (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29512876/).
Survivors of suicide loss are at high risk of developing complicated grief, which is associated with impaired functioning, poor health outcomes, increased rates of comorbid Major Depression and PTSD, and higher risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. Complicated grief can persist indefinitely without treatment and many times the stigma associated with suicide can pose a barrier to individuals seeking help. Untreated complicated grief can lead to long term issues and require higher levels of care in the future (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22754290/).
In Philadelphia, the medical examiner’s office has a bereavement social work department that engages with next of kin of individuals who experience suicide loss. A bereavement social worker will make initial contact with approximately 150 individuals on a yearly basis offering support services such as listening sessions and connections to community based organizations. As deaths by suicide has increased since 2020, so has the number of outreach to their loved ones impacted by the deaths (https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/s0810-US-Suicide-Deaths-2022.html).
The proposed suicide loss bereavement support program would aim to target loved ones of individuals who have died by suicide and are at risk of developing complicated grief. The medical examiner’s office would make individual and family therapy referrals to identified providers who specialized in evidenced-based practices and grief therapy addressing complicated loss.
Terms of RFI: This RFI is for information gathering purposes only and is not intended to result in a contract with any respondent. CBH is seeking community insight and information prior to considering a partnership between DBHIDS and an organization to provide specialized loss and bereavement therapy for CBH members who lost a loved one to suicide. This service may need to be delivered expeditiously. To ensure access and prevent treatment delays, referrals may need to be accepted in closer to real time. While the goal of the RFI is to inform a potential partnership opportunity, this RFI does not commit CBH to publish a procurement or award a contract. The issuance of a procurement as a result of information gathering from these responses is solely at the discretion of CBH. Responses to this RFI will in no way impact any future applications submitted to procurements regarding this training opportunity. Those wishing to respond to any potential future requests are not required to have first responded to this RFI.
Applicant and Project Requirements: Organizations responding to this RFI must be an Outpatient Provider within the CBH network.
Following the Submission: CBH will review all submissions and determine next steps based on information submitted. CBH plans to share relevant insights publicly.