HHS Announces Availability of Health Center New Access Point Grants

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the availability of up to $250 million in grants for New Access Points for the delivery of primary health care services for underserved and vulnerable populations under the Health Center Program.  The funds, made available by the Affordable Care Act, will be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

 

A new access point is a new full-time service delivery site that provides comprehensive primary and preventive health care services.  New access points improve the health status and decrease health disparities of the medically underserved populations to be served. 

 

“These funds reflect the Administration’s steadfast commitment to improving and expanding access to vital primary health care services,” said Secretary Sebelius. “From our cities to our smallest towns, each health center has an important role to play, ensuring access to services in its community. Together they have a critical impact on the health care status of those most in need across the nation.”

 

“New access points will address the unique and significant barriers that stand in the way of affordable and accessible primary health care services.” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D. R.N. “Competitive applications will demonstrate a high level of need in the community, present a sound proposal to meet this need, and show that the organization is ready to quickly put their proposal to work.”

Organizations eligible to compete include public or nonprofit private entities, including tribal, faith-based and community-based organizations who meet health center funding requirements.  Current HRSA grantees may apply, as well as organizations applying for the first time.

 

For more information about National Community Health Center Week, visit http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/chc.html, or visit www.grants.gov to find out how to apply. 

Traumatic Brain Injury States Grant Program, Implementation Partnership Grants

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In July 1996, Congress enacted Public Law 104 166 to provide for the conduct of expanded studies and the establishment of innovative programs with respect to traumatic brain injury, TBI. Under the Law, the Health Resources and Services Administration, HRSA, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, MCHB, is charged with implementing a State Grants Program, formerly called the TBI State Demonstration Grant Program, to improve access to health and other services for individuals with TBI and their families. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, have also been delegated responsibilities in the areas of research, and prevention and surveillance respectively. The Federal TBI Program was reauthorized as part of the Childrens Health Act of 2008. Through this program States and Territories are eligible to receive two types of TBI Grants. This announcement solicits competitive applications for one type, State Implementation Partnership Grants. These grants are to be used by states to establish an infrastructure for the delivery of TBI related services and to improve the States ability to make system changes that will sustain the TBI service delivery infrastructure. This is the first of a four year project period. (The second category is TBI Protection and Advocacy, P&A, grants to the Governor designated State Protection and Advocacy organizations. These grants provide information and referral services, training in self advocacy, advocacy, and litigation services to individuals with TBI and their families. Since FY 2006, the Federal Program office has only two categories of grants, and the phrase Federal TBI Program is currently an umbrella for 2 components, State Implementation Partnership Grants and Protection and Advocacy Grants.)

Link to Full Announcement

Eligibility - As cited in 42 CFR Part 51a.3 (a), any public or private entity, including an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as those terms are defined at 25 U.S.C. 450b), faith based and community based organization are eligible to apply for this federal funding opportunity that can document previous experience to address and fulfill review criteria in guidance.

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HHS SECRETARY ANNOUNCES $25.7 MILLION IN GRANTS TO EXPAND, IMPROVE HEALTH CENTER SERVICES

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Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced more than $25.7 million in grants to increase and improve health and support services at the nation ' s health centers. “These grants could not be coming at a better time,” Secretary Sebelius said. “With more than 14.5 million Americans out of work, and 47 million without health insurance, the health centers are seeing more patients now than ever before.” Overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, the Health Center system served more than 17 million medically underserved people in 2008, up from 10 million patients served in 2001. Since the economic downturn began, the health center patient population has grown by another one million people – a third of them children. By law, patients are accepted regardless of their ability to pay. A total of 180 grants worth more than $21.9 million will give existing health centers the funds to add or increase mental health/substance abuse, enabling (i.e., outreach, transportation, case management services), oral health or pharmacy services. Additionally, 48 planning grants totaling more than $3.8 million will be distributed to organizations in hard hit areas that do not have health centers to help them develop new service delivery sites. New health center sites must meet federal requirements for governance, community involvement, quality of care and financial feasibility. HRSA’s Health Center Program funds a national network of more than 1,100 community, migrant, homeless and public housing health center grantees. These organizations provide health care at more than 7,500 clinical sites, ranging from large medical facilities to mobile vans. In FY 2009, more than $2.1 billion was appropriated to support the Health Center Program. Read More

Social and Behavioral Interventions to Increase Organ and Tissue Donation

This grant program is to increase solid organ donation and to improve understanding of how to increase solid organ donation. The goal of the grant program is to assist eligible entities in the evaluation of, or the implementation and evaluation of, highly promising strategies and approaches that can serve as model interventions for increasing solid organ donation. Projects may focus on community initiatives to increase individual commitment to donation and or to education and or hospital based efforts to increase family consent for donation when a death has occurred. Expected Number of Awards: 4 Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,250,000 Closing Date for Applications: Mar 31, 2009

Redesign of Primary Health Care

The Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) wll meet November 17 - 18, 2008. At this meeting the Advisory Committee will work on its eighth report about the re-design of the delivery of primary health care and its implications for the training of primary care practitioners. Reports are submitted to Congress and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Data Collection Tool for State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program

The State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program (SORH) is authorized by Section 338J of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254r). The purpose of SORH is to assist States in strengthening their rural health care delivery systems by helping to support a focal point for rural health within each State. The program provides funding for an institutional framework that links rural hospitals, providers and communities with State and Federal resources to help develop long term solutions to rural health problems. The average annual award for each State based grantee is $150,000. The law provides for a Federal-State partnership, requiring a State funding match of $3 for each $1 of Federal funding. Over the past 16 years, this program has leveraged in excess of $200 million in State matching funds for rural health. For SORH, program performance measures were drafted to provide data useful to the program and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate program data required by Congress under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. ORHP seeks to collect information from grantees on their efforts to provide technical assistance to clients within their State. SORH grantees would be required to submit a Technical Assistance Report that includes: 1) The total number of technical assistance encounters provided directly by the grantee; and, 2) the total number of clients that received direct technical assistance from the grantee. Submission of the Technical Assistance Report would be done via e-mail to ORHP no later than 30 days after the end of each twelve month budget period.

HRSA - Many Underserved Areas Lack a Health Center Site, and the Health Center Program Needs More Oversight

What GAO Found Grant awards for new health center sites in 2007 reduced the overall percentage of MUAs lacking a health center site from 47 percent in 2006 to 43 percent in 2007. In addition, GAO found wide geographic variation in the percentage of MUAs that lacked a health center site in both years. Most of the 2007 nationwide decline in the number of MUAs that lacked a site occurred in the South census region, in large part, because half of all awards made in 2007 for new health center sites were granted to the South census region. GAO also found that HRSA lacks readily available data on the services provided at individual health center sites.

Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program

The purpose of this program is to enact and stabilize systems change, within State governments, to support the availability of and access to services and supports for individuals with TBI and their families. Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-09-132 Closing Date for Applications: Dec 01, 2008 Expected Number of Awards: 16 Award Ceiling: $250,000 CFDA Number(s): 93.234 -- Traumatic Brain Injury State Demonstration Grant Program

State Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) Program

The purpose of this program is to provide services to support the rights of people with Traumatic Brain Injury through provision of information, referrals, and advice; individual and family advocacy; legal reprsentation; and specific assistance in self advocacy. Current Closing Date for Applications: Sep 11, 2008 Funding Instrument Type: Grant Category of Funding Activity: Health Expected Number of Awards: 57 Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,700,000 Award Ceiling: $50,000 Award Floor: $50,000 CFDA Number(s): 93.267 -- State Grants for Protection and Advocacy Services Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages

The Committee will be focusing on rural issues and how the Title VII Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Training Grant Programs identified under sections 751-756, Part D of the Public Health Service Act can respond to the current rural healthcare workforce needs. The Committee has invited speakers to highlight various topics related to rural healthcare workforce issues including, but not limited to, discipline specific shortages; recruitment and retention; health professions training; faculty development; telemedicine; and other specific rural health care issues. The meeting will afford committee members with the opportunity to identify and discuss the current status of the healthcare workforce in rural America and formulate appropriate recommendations to the Secretary and to the Congress regarding a variety of training strategies to address the health workforce shortage issues. Agenda: The ACICBL agenda includes an overview of the Committee's general business activities, presentations by experts on rural healthcare workforce related issues, and discussion sessions specific for the development of recommendations to be addressed in the Eighth Annual ACICBL Report. Dates and Times: September 10, 2008, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., EST., September 11, 2008, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., EST. Place: (Web Conference). Status: The meeting will be open to the public; Web conference access limited only by availability of telephone ports.

Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas

Proposed Rule

SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) received many substantive comments on the proposed rule and will consider these comments carefully. Based on a preliminary review of the comments, it appears that HRSA will need to make a number of changes in the proposed rule. Instead of issuing a final regulation as the next step, HHS will issue a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for further review and public comment prior to issuing a final rule.

Rural Health Care Services Outreach and Rural Health Network Development Program

This program encourages the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential care services. The emphasis of the grant program is on service delivery through collaboration, requiring the grantee to form a consortium with at least two additional partners.

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: Client Level Data Reporting System: New

The Client-Level Data Reporting System (CLDRS), created in 2008 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is designed to collect information from grantees, as well as their subcontracted service providers, funded under Parts A, B, C, D, and F of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 (Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program). The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides the Federal HIV/AIDS Programs in the Public Health Service (PHS) Act under Title XXVI, with the flexibility to respond effectively to the changing HIV epidemic. Its emphasis is on providing life-saving and life-extending services for people living with HIV/AIDS across the country, and on targeting resources to areas that have the greatest needs.

A well designed and supported client level data reporting system, using a unique identifier that will be encrypted before transfer, would provide the grantee and HRSA with the requisite information to assess quality of care and unmet needs, and the ability to more accurately and efficiently report these figures to HAB and other funding agencies. In addition, HAB will be able to characterize accurately the number of clients served by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the outcomes of the program services on a national scale. The ability to perform detailed analyses will be possible only if organizations submit data associated with encrypted client identifiers. These unique identifiers must be able to link data for clients across Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program-funded grantees and their subcontracted service providers.

The CLDRS provides data on the characteristics of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program-funded grantees, their contracted service providers, and the clients being served with program funds. It is intended to support clinical quality management, performance measurement, service delivery, and client monitoring at both the system and client levels. The reporting system consists of two online data forms, the Grantee Information Form and the Service Provider Form. A data file containing the client level data elements will be submitted with the two online data forms on a semi-annual basis.

Rural Health Care Services Outreach and Rural Health Network Development Program

Agency Name Health Resources & Services Administration Description To provide support to entities that need assistance to plan, organize and develop a health care network because they do not have a significant history of collaboration and are not sufficiently evolved to apply for a three year Rural Health Network Development Grant. This support may be sufficient to jumpstart a network into becoming operational and developing strategies for becoming sustainable. The grant program supports one year of planning to develop and operationalize health care networks, consisting of at least three health care providers in rural areas. Identify potential collaborating network partners in the community/region. Convene potential collaborating network partners, conduct planning activities, which could include undertaking a community assessment identifying the most critical need of potential network partners to ensure their viability. Eligible Applicants: Public and non-profit private entities, including faith-based and community organizations Link to Full Announcement https://grants.hrsa.gov/webExternal/SFO.asp?ID=6C638A6F-AD5B-495F-B12A-9DE799C3F8F2 Current Closing Date for Applications: Sep 15, 2008

National Health Service Corps

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces that the listing of entities, and their Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores, that will receive priority for the assignment of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) personnel (Corps Personnel, Corps members) for the period July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, is posted on the NHSC Web site at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/jobs/index.asp. This list specifies which entities are eligible to receive assignment of Corps members who are participating in the NHSC Scholarship Program, the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, and Corps members who have become Corps members other than pursuant to contractual obligations under the Scholarship or Loan Repayment Programs. Please note that not all vacancies associated with sites on this list will be for Corps members, but could be for individuals serving an obligation to the NHSC through the Private Practice Option.