Questions and Answers for Gambling Disorder Services: Hotline and Website
Q: I am writing to clarify that going forward, the amount of the grant will include funds from [non-state organizations]? Will that mean that those funds will be treated like the lottery funds where the agency bills the state for the entire amount and those agencies pay SUPR?
- IDHS/SUPR will not assume the reimbursement of services from third-party vendors. Any agreements with third-party vendors are between that vendor and the applicant. The narrative and budget should include a full description of the anticipated activities to be funded by this grant that meet the requirements of the project as described by the NOFO.
Q: What are the current annual volumes of gambling related calls to your existing hotline? How many calls do you receive annually? How many chats/texts do you receive annually?
- Through targeted and enhanced marketing and outreach efforts, it is the intent of IDHS/SUPR to expand the number of calls and virtual messages to the levels noted in Section A of the NOFO. The hotline will have the capacity to accommodate 10,000 calls and 1000 text/chat messages per year with staff on duty solely for the purpose of answering hotline calls and/or virtual messaging with individuals in their preferred language.
Q: Is submission of the Programmatic Risk Assessment due with the application?
- The Programmatic Risk Assessment (PRA) was recently removed as an application requirement. The applicant must still submit all other pre-qualification requirements as needed.
Q: Regarding the requirement for providing callers with transportation, will a list of transportation resources be provided to the vendor for sharing?
- Answer: A warm handoff along with any other support that will ensure the caller's engagement with services is the intent of the deliverable noted in section B. Should local services/supports be required, the selected applicant will need to coordinate with local providers/vendors to accommodate those needs.
Q: The NOFO mentions receiving calls from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network. Does this mean that callers calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network will forward gambling -related calls to the vendor, or will the vendor be expected to respond to all suicide prevention calls for the state?
- The selected applicant must be prepared to receive problem gambling related calls from other hotline providers for Illinois citizens. The selected applicant must also be prepared to link callers to other hotlines as appropriate when the caller needs services that are beyond problem gambling. The selected applicant must be prepared to screen callers for suicidality and take appropriate actions should a caller fall into the high risk category.
Q: The NOFO mentions receiving calls from the consumer information lines. Does this mean that the mentioned lines will forward gambling -related calls to the vendor?
- The selected applicant must be prepared to receive problem gambling related calls from other hotline providers for Illinois citizens. The selected applicant must also be prepared to link callers to other hotlines as appropriate when the caller needs services that are beyond problem gambling. The selected applicant must be prepared to screen callers for suicidality and take appropriate actions should a caller fall into the high risk category.
