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41 °F 5 Day Forecast Wednesday, December 10, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 3, 2003 Grants hinged on margins A federal agency measured the width and rejected two OnTrack requests without review By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Sen. Ron Wyden on Tuesday sharply criticized a federal agency that rejected grant requests from Medford’s OnTrack Inc. drug counseling agency because margins on submitted forms were two- tenths of an inch too narrow. "This is really a jaw-dropping, forehead-slapping, what-will-they-think-of-next-in-Washington-D.C. kind of thing," said Wyden, D-Ore. "There are vulnerable people who are going to get hurt because government has taken leave of its senses." But officials from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration program, which disbursed the grants totaling $8.3 million, defended the decision. "It may sound ridiculous but if you were the program that stuck to the rules and did not get funded, there’d be someone else upset in Oregon," said Mark Weber, associate administrator for communications for SAMHSA. In a letter released Tuesday, Wyden appealed to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to explain what he called the "selective application" of a rule requiring one-inch margins on grant applications. Advertisement "Frankly, I do not see the connection between one-inch margins and effective drug and alcohol treatment," Wyden wrote. He said he intervened in the fray to prevent cuts in social services "through the back door." Wyden questioned why OnTrack’s two applications to provide services for pregnant women and young addicts were returned without review. Previous applications to SAMHSA over the last eight years — written on the same too-narrow template — had been not only considered, but funded, said Rita Sullivan, executive director of OnTrack. "We were shocked," Sullivan said. "When the second one came back it enraged me that the opportunity was lost to increase services to that very vulnerable population." SAMHSA officials told Sullivan they measured the margins with a ruler, which outraged OnTrack board of directors chairman Ernie Garb. "There’s someone in Washington, D.C., whose job it is to measure margins," he said incredulously. "I am struck by the complete idiocy of the whole thing." OnTrack had sought a grant of $436,000 a year for three years to expand treatment for pregnant and postpartum women. The agency also sought $227,000 a year for three years to expand services to reach adolescent drug users earlier. The funds would have helped make up a 25 percent reduction in the agency’s $4 million annual budget caused by recent state cuts, Sullivan said. But Weber said budget dilemmas in many states created a flood of applicants for scarce grant dollars. SAMHSA received 72 applications for the pregnancy grant. Twenty-nine were screened out; 43 were reviewed, he said. For the adolescent program, the agency received 186 grants; only 22 were funded. Weber said he had no idea why previous submissions from OnTrack drafted on the same template were not only reviewed, but rewarded. He said the agency would have a chance to apply for similar grants next year. "So, if they read their directions and they have a completed grant application, they may be successful," Weber said. OnTrack now serves about 120 pregnant and new mothers and 160 teenagers. The grants would have allowed expansion of both programs, Sullivan said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times