Medicare & Medicaid Services

Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
Behavioral Health Telehealth and Crisis Support Program
for Mississippi Veterans and First Responders
Funded through the Rural Health Transformation Program
Issue Date: September 29, 2026
Proposals Due: October 14, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time
Mississippi Department of Mental Health
1101 Robert E. Lee Building, 239 North Lamar Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
Procurement Contact: Caleb Pracht, Director of Strategic Partnerships
caleb.pracht@dmh.ms.gov * 601-359-1327
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
Table of Contents
Section 1. Purpose and Overview................................................................................................................4
1.1 Contract Summary.............................................................................................................................4
Section 2. Background.................................................................................................................................4
2.1 The Mississippi Department of Mental Health..................................................................................4
2.2 The Rural Health Transformation Program........................................................................................5
2.3 The Need...........................................................................................................................................5
Section 3. Scope of Work.............................................................................................................................5
3.1 Teletherapy Services (Required)........................................................................................................6
3.2 Direct Crisis Support Line (Required).................................................................................................6
3.3 Wellness and Resilience Programming (Required)............................................................................7
3.4 Platform and User Experience (Required)..........................................................................................7
3.5 Privacy, Security, and Compliance (Required)...................................................................................7
3.6 Data, Reporting, and Care Coordination (Required)..........................................................................8
3.7 Outreach, Marketing, and Awareness (Required)..............................................................................8
3.8 Implementation (Required)...............................................................................................................9
3.9 Desirable Capabilities (Not Required, Scored)...................................................................................9
Section 4. Minimum Vendor Qualifications...............................................................................................10
Section 5. Proposal Requirements.............................................................................................................10
5.1 Technical Proposal...........................................................................................................................10
5.2 Cost Proposal...................................................................................................................................11
Section 6. Evaluation and Award...............................................................................................................12
6.1 Evaluation Process...........................................................................................................................12
6.2 Evaluation Criteria...........................................................................................................................12
6.3 Basis of Award.................................................................................................................................13
Section 7. Procurement Schedule..............................................................................................................13
Section 8. Instructions and Conditions......................................................................................................13
8.1 Questions and Addenda..................................................................................................................13
8.2 Submission.......................................................................................................................................13
8.3 Communication Restriction.............................................................................................................14
8.4 Exceptions........................................................................................................................................14
8.5 Public Records.................................................................................................................................14
8.6 Costs of Preparation........................................................................................................................14
8.7 Rights Reserved...............................................................................................................................14
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
8.8 Contract Terms................................................................................................................................14
8.9 Payment...........................................................................................................................................14
Section 9. Attachments..............................................................................................................................15
Attachment B. Cost Proposal Form............................................................................................................16
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
Section 1. Purpose and Overview
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to
deliver a statewide behavioral health telehealth and crisis support program for Mississippi's veterans
and first responders. DMH intends to award a single fixed-price contract, funded through the Rural
Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
DMH is looking for a turnkey, high-quality program with an established national reputation: immediate
access to licensed therapists, a 24/7 direct crisis line staffed by licensed clinicians, on-demand wellness
programming, and a real-time reporting dashboard, all delivered through a platform that veterans and
first responders can navigate easily from a phone or computer anywhere in Mississippi. Participants
must incur no cost and face no referral, insurance, or paperwork barriers to begin care.
Mississippi is a rural state. Many veterans and first responders live an hour or more from the nearest
behavioral health provider, and the culture of service in both populations often discourages help-
seeking. The successful vendor will bring care to these individuals directly, privately, and immediately,
and will work with DMH to build awareness through a coordinated, co-branded outreach campaign.
1.1 Contract Summary
Item Detail
Issuing Agency Mississippi Department of Mental Health
Funding Source Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS), administered in Mississippi
under the State's approved RHTP plan
Contract Type Fixed price, single award
Initial Term Twelve (12) months from contract execution
Target Population Mississippi veterans (all eras and discharge statuses) and first responders
(law enforcement, fire, EMS, 911 dispatch, corrections, and emergency
management personnel), age 18 and over
Estimated Eligible Population Approximately 200,000 individuals statewide
Service Area All 82 Mississippi counties, with intentional outreach to rural counties
Go-Live No later than sixty (60) calendar days after contract execution
Section 2. Background
2.1 The Mississippi Department of Mental Health
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is committed to making available a comprehensive
system of services and supports so all Mississippians have access to the least restrictive and most
appropriate level of services and supports that will meet their needs. The system is person-centered and
is built on the strengths of individuals and families while meeting their needs for special services. DMH
believes services should be provided on a continuum of where the person is at that time and what their
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
needs are. Inspiring hope, helping individuals on their road to recovery, and improving resiliency are key
factors to the success of the people we serve.
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) certifies, provides and/or financially supports a
network of services for people living with mental illness, intellectual/ developmental disabilities,
substance use disorders. Mississippi's public mental health system is comprised of three components: 1)
state-operated programs, 2) regional community mental health centers, and 3) other nonprofit/profit
service agencies/organizations.
2.2 The Rural Health Transformation Program
The RHTP is a federal program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that funds
state initiatives to improve access to and outcomes of health care in rural communities. DMH has
identified behavioral health access for veterans and first responders as an RHTP priority. The successful
vendor must comply with all applicable federal requirements, including 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform
Guidance) and the reporting requirements of Mississippi's approved RHTP plan. All funding under this
contract is contingent on continued availability of federal RHTP funds.
2.3 The Need
National data consistently show that veterans experience major depression at several times the civilian
rate and die by suicide at roughly double the civilian rate, a gap that has widened since 2001. Only about
half of veterans who need mental health care ever receive it. First responders carry a parallel burden: an
estimated 30 percent develop conditions such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder,
compared with 20 percent of the general population, and police officers and firefighters are more likely
to die by suicide than in the line of duty. EMS personnel report contemplating suicide at roughly ten
times the rate of the general public, and 911 dispatchers show elevated rates of post-traumatic stress
from repeated exposure to trauma over the phone. Repeated trauma exposure, shift work, and an
occupational culture that treats help-seeking as weakness keep first responders from care as reliably as
they keep veterans from it. Three barriers keep both populations from care:
* Stigma. Concern about being seen, judged, or flagged by an employer or peers keeps many from
walking into a clinic.
* Access. Provider shortages, waitlists, and travel distance put timely care out of reach, especially
in rural Mississippi.
* Awareness. Many do not recognize the need for care or know where to turn when they do.
This program is designed to remove all three. It offers a private front door to care that requires nothing
of the participant but a phone or an internet connection, and it will be promoted through channels
veterans and first responders already trust.
Section 3. Scope of Work
The vendor must deliver each of the following components. Proposals must address every numbered
requirement and clearly state whether the vendor meets, exceeds, or does not meet it. DMH will treat
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
requirements marked "Required" as minimum specifications; failure to meet a required specification
may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive.
3.1 Teletherapy Services (Required)
* Up to ten (10) individual teletherapy sessions per eligible participant during the contract term,
with additional sessions permitted when deemed clinically beneficial or necessary by the
treating therapist. There shall be no fixed session cap when additional services are determined
to be clinically appropriate. Services shall be provided without co-pays, insurance requirements,
or referral requirements.
* Every session is delivered by a therapist licensed to practice in Mississippi at the independent
level (e.g., LPC, LCSW, LMFT, licensed psychologist), practicing in compliance with Mississippi
telehealth and licensure law.
* Participants choose their own therapist. The platform must allow matching on, at minimum:
gender, language, race/ethnicity, area of focus (e.g., PTSD, moral injury, substance use, grief,
family and relationship issues), and availability.
* Participants choose their modality: secure video, telephone, live chat, and asynchronous
messaging must all be available. Telephone-only sessions are a required option, not an optional
one, given limited broadband in rural Mississippi.
* A first available appointment must be offered within 24 hours of a participant's request, with
same-day availability during core hours. Vendors should state their current average time from
request to booked appointment and to first session. The contract will include a fee credit for any
month in which fewer than 90 percent of first appointments are offered within 24 hours of
request.
* Appointments must be available days, evenings, and weekends. Shift-working first responders
must be able to book outside standard business hours.
* The vendor must maintain a dedicated Mississippi provider community with demonstrated
cultural competence in military and first responder populations. Vendors must state the
percentage of their proposed network with military service, first responder experience, or
documented specialized training in treating these populations, and their plan to recruit and
retain Mississippi-licensed clinicians for the program's duration.
3.2 Direct Crisis Support Line (Required)
* A dedicated, program-branded crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a
year, answered by a licensed clinician, not a call-center intake worker.
* Connection to a licensed clinician within 60 seconds of call initiation, on average. Vendors must
state their current average and 90th-percentile connection times.
* Structured follow-up with every crisis contact at approximately 48 hours and 30 days after the
initial contact, with documentation of outcome.
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
* Written crisis protocols that include lethal-means safety counseling, warm handoff to
emergency services when indicated, and coordination with Mississippi's 988 Suicide & Crisis
Lifeline centers and DMH-certified Mobile Crisis Response Teams. DMH will provide contact and
referral protocols for the state crisis continuum at contract execution.
* Crisis contacts are unlimited and carry no cost to the participant.
3.3 Wellness and Resilience Programming (Required)
* A library of on-demand, self-guided wellness content accessible to all participants at any time,
covering at minimum stress management, sleep, mindfulness, physical wellness, substance use,
and family/relationship health.
* Live or recorded programming (e.g., workshops, group sessions, events) offered on a regular
cadence, with content tailored to veteran and first responder audiences.
* Wellness programming is included at no additional cost and imposes no usage limits.
3.4 Platform and User Experience (Required)
DMH places significant weight on ease of use. A platform that is technically capable but difficult to
navigate will not reach this population. Vendors must provide DMH with demonstration access to the
participant-facing platform during evaluation.
* A participant must be able to register, verify eligibility, select a therapist, and book a first
appointment in a single session of no more than ten minutes, without assistance.
* Available as a responsive web application and as native or web-based mobile experiences on iOS
and Android, with no requirement to download an app to receive telephone services.
* Registration requires only the minimum information necessary to confirm eligibility (e.g., self-
attestation of veteran or first responder status, Mississippi residency, and age). No DD-214
upload, employer verification, or insurance information may be required to begin care.
* Plain-language interface written at or below an eighth-grade reading level; Spanish-language
support at minimum.
* Conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 accessibility standards.
* A single dedicated program website, co-branded with DMH (see Section 3.7), that serves as the
sole entry point for participants and can be reached by URL or QR code.
3.5 Privacy, Security, and Compliance (Required)
* Full compliance with HIPAA and, where applicable, 42 CFR Part 2. The vendor will execute a
Business Associate Agreement with DMH.
* Current SOC 2 Type II report (or equivalent third-party security attestation) and HITRUST
certification or a documented roadmap to it. Vendors must attach the executive summary of
their most recent attestation.
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
* Participant clinical information is never shared with an employer, department, unit, or
command. The vendor must describe technical and contractual safeguards ensuring that no
employing agency can identify which of its personnel have used the service.
* All participant data stored and processed within the United States. No sale, secondary use, or
sharing of participant data for marketing or any purpose outside the program.
* Documented incident response and breach notification procedures consistent with Mississippi
law and the DMH contract.
3.6 Data, Reporting, and Care Coordination (Required)
* A permission-based administrative dashboard giving designated DMH staff real-time, de-
identified visibility into program utilization: registrations, appointments booked and completed,
crisis contacts, wellness engagement, modality mix, wait times, and geographic distribution by
county.
* Standardized clinical outcome measurement at intake and at regular intervals (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-
7, PCL-5), reported to DMH in aggregate.
* Participant satisfaction measurement after each therapy and crisis contact, reported in
aggregate.
* Monthly utilization reports and quarterly narrative reports in a format that satisfies DMH's RHTP
reporting obligations. DMH will provide the required data elements at contract execution; the
vendor must accommodate reasonable changes in federal reporting requirements at no
additional cost.
* A written continuity-of-care protocol for participants who need a higher level of care, psychiatric
medication management, or ongoing in-person services, including referral pathways into DMH-
certified community providers, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, and the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs.
* Export of all program data to DMH in a standard machine-readable format at contract end or on
request.
3.7 Outreach, Marketing, and Awareness (Required)
Awareness is the make-or-break component of this program. The centerpiece of the vendor's outreach
effort is a dedicated program website; the remaining components support and drive traffic to it. The
vendor is responsible for the website and for a sustained outreach campaign in partnership with DMH,
within the cost allocation in Section 5.2.
* A dedicated, co-branded program website, live at go-live, modeled on the Alabama Department
of Mental Health's statewide veterans mental health program site. The site must, at minimum:
explain the program in plain language; confirm eligibility for veterans and first responders;
describe how to register, choose a therapist, and book a first appointment; display the crisis line
number prominently on every page; present wellness resources; and link directly to registration.
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
The vendor hosts, maintains, and updates the site for the contract term; DMH approves design
and content before launch.
* A written outreach and marketing plan, submitted within 30 days of contract execution,
covering the full contract term.
* Co-branded print and digital collateral (posters, rack cards, wallet cards, social media assets,
digital ads, and QR-coded materials) for distribution through veteran service organizations,
county veterans service officers, National Guard and Reserve units, law enforcement agencies,
fire departments, EMS providers, 911 centers, and DMH's provider network.
* Direct engagement with statewide partners, including the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board, the
Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association, the Mississippi
Association of Chiefs of Police, the Mississippi Firefighters Association, and Mississippi
Emergency Management Agency. DMH will facilitate introductions.
* A dedicated account manager serving as DMH's single point of contact, and a customer service
function available to participants by phone, chat, and email seven days a week.
* Quarterly outreach performance reporting: impressions, landing page traffic, registrations by
referral source, and a comparison of registrations against the estimated eligible population by
county.
3.8 Implementation (Required)
* Go-live, meaning a fully functional program accepting participants, no later than 60 calendar
days after contract execution.
* A detailed implementation plan with milestones, submitted with the proposal, covering platform
configuration, provider network readiness, crisis line activation, DMH staff training, dashboard
access, and launch communications.
* A named implementation lead and weekly implementation status calls with DMH until go-live.
3.9 Desirable Capabilities (Not Required, Scored)
DMH will award additional evaluation points for the following:
* Peer support or peer specialist services delivered by individuals with lived military or first
responder experience.
* Family member access (spouse or adult dependent) at no additional cost.
* Psychiatric evaluation and medication management delivered through the platform.
* Group therapy specific to veterans or first responders.
* Integration or data-sharing capability with 988 and the state crisis system beyond the required
referral protocols.
* Ability to scale the program to additional populations (e.g., military family members, healthcare
workers) under a future amendment without platform redevelopment.
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Mississippi Department of Mental Health * RFP No. DMH-RHTP-2027-001
Section 4. Minimum Vendor Qualifications
To be considered, a vendor must document all of the following. Proposals that fail to establish minimum
qualifications will not be evaluated further.
1. At least five (5) years of continuous operation delivering teletherapy services through the
vendor's own platform and clinician network.
2. Current or prior contracts with at least two (2) state government agencies, at least one of which
served veterans, first responders, or another population where stigma is a documented barrier
to care.
3. A clinician network composed entirely of licensed mental health professionals, with the ability to
deliver services in Mississippi under Mississippi licensure at contract execution.
4. Demonstrated operational scale sufficient to serve a statewide population, including a 24/7
licensed-clinician crisis line already in operation.
5. Current SOC 2 Type II report or equivalent third-party security attestation.
6. Financial stability sufficient to perform for the full contract term, evidenced by audited financial
statements or a comparable demonstration acceptable to DMH.
7. Registration and good standing with the Mississippi Secretary of State, or a commitment to
register before contract execution.
8. No debarment, suspension, or exclusion from federal or state procurement or from participation
in federal health programs (SAM.gov and OIG LEIE).
Section 5. Proposal Requirements
Proposals must follow the structure below, in order, with tabs or headings matching each item. DMH
will not evaluate content submitted outside this structure. Technical proposals are limited to 40 pages
excluding required attachments, at 11-point font or larger. Cost proposals must be submitted as a
separate, sealed document (or separate electronic file).
5.1 Technical Proposal
Tab Section Contents
1 Transmittal Letter Signed by an officer authorized to bind the vendor. Confirms acceptance of
RFP terms, identifies any exceptions (see Section 8), and provides primary
contact information.
2 Executive Summary Two pages maximum. Why this vendor, why this approach, and what DMH
and participants will experience in year one.
3 Minimum Qualifications Point-by-point response to Section 4 with supporting documentation.
4 Company Profile Corporate history, ownership, organizational chart, total lives served, total
institutional clients, states and countries served, and any pending litigation
or regulatory action.
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