To
provide recognition and funding to community-based programs that
unite promising approaches in women's health across the following
six components: (1) Comprehensive health service delivery; (2) training
for lay and professional health providers; (3) community- based
research; (4) public education and outreach; 5) leadership development
for women as health care consumers and providers; and (6) technical
assistance to ensure the replication of promising models and strategies
that coordinate and integrate women's health activities at the community
level and improve health outcomes for underserved women. The focus
of the CCOE initiative is to integrate, coordinate, and strengthen
linkages between activities/programs that are already underway in
the community in order to reduce fragmentation in women's health
services and activities.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
A
majority of the funds from the CCOE award must be used to support
staff and efforts aimed at coordinating and integrating the major
components of the CCOE program. The Center Director, or the person
responsible for the day-to-day management of the CCOE program, must
devote at least a 75 percent level of effort to the program. Additionally,
25 percent of the award funding must target efforts to foster the
transfer of lessons learned/successful strategies from the CCOE
program (technical assistance). Funds may be used for personnel,
consultants, supplies (including screening, education, and outreach
supplies), and grant related travel. Items costing less than $5,000
are considered to be supplies. Funds may not be used for construction,
building alterations, medical treatment, equipment, or renovations.
All budget requests must be fully justified in terms of the proposed
CCOE goals and objectives and include a computational explanation
of how costs were determined. Applications from academic health
centers or organizations that are part of academic health centers
and state, county and local health departments will not be accepted.
To ensure a wide geographic distribution of the Center of Excellence
in Women's Health model, applications will not be accepted from
organizations in States or territories that currently have a CCOE
or a CoE program. Applications will not be accepted from organizations
in the following States/Territories: AZ, CA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MI,
MO, MN, NM, NY, OH, PA, PR, VT, WA, and WI.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: The CCOE applicant must be public
or private nonprofit community-based hospitals, community health
centers, or community-based organizations serving underserved women.
Community entities/organizations, including faith-based organizations,
that have alliances, partnerships, networks with, or have other
affiliations with an academic health center are also eligible to
apply for a CCOE grant as long as the community entity/organization
has a leading management role in the activity and maintain control
of all funds. Organizations that have previously submitted CCOE
applications, but were not funded, are also eligible to reapply
for this award.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Underserved women will benefit.
Credentials/Documentation:
Each applicant for a cooperative agreement funded under this CCOE
announcement must, at a minimum: (1) Present a plan to integrate
all six components of the CCOE program by the end of the first
year of funding, although only four components have to be in place
at the time the application is submitted. (2) Develop a CCOE advisory
board or ensure that their already established advisory board
is included in the decision-making process for CCOE program development,
identification of community-based research questions, and formulation
of CCOE policies. (3) Be a sustainable organization with an established
network of partners capable of providing coordinated and integrated
women's health services in the targeted community. (4) Have an
established clinical care center/facility, an operating public
educational/outreach program, and a community identified as the
recipient of technical assistance at the time the application
is submitted. (5) Demonstrate the ways in which the organization
and the care that are coordinated through its partners are women-focused,
women-friendly, women-relevant, and sensitive to the importance
of patient/provider communication/relationships for medically
underserved women of all ages. (6) Detail/specify the roles and
resources/services that each partner organization brings to the
program, the duration and terms of agreement as confirmed by a
signed agreement between the applicant organization and each partner,
and describe how the partner organizations will operated within
the CCOE structure. (7) Describe in detail plans for the local
evaluation of the CCOE program and when and how information obtained
from the evaluation will be used to enhance the CCOE program.
(8) Describe in detail the planned community-based research and
the research methodology/procedure.
Pre-application
Coordination: This program is eligible for coverage
under E.O. 12372 "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs."
An applicant should consult the office or official designated as
the single point of contact in his or her State for more information
on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for
assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. The
application kit to be made available under this notice will contain
a listing of States that have chosen to set up a review system and
will include a State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) in the State
for review. Applicants (other than federally recognized Indian tribes)
should contact their SPOCs as early as possible to alert them to
the prospective applications and receive any necessary instructions
on the State process. For proposed projects serving more than one
State, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected
State. The due date for State process recommendations is 60 days
after the application deadline. The Office on Women's Health does
not guarantee that it will accommodate or explain its responses
to State process recommendations received after that date.
Application
Procedure: Applications must be prepared using
Form PHS 5161-1 (Revised July 2000). This form is available in
Adobe Acrobat format at the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm
Questions regarding programmatic information and/or requests for
technical assistance in the preparation of grant applications
should be directed in writing to Ms. Barbara James, Division of
Program Management, Office on Women's Health, Parklawn Building,
Room 16A-55, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville MD 20857, email: bjames1@osophs.dhhs.gov.
Requests for application kits and completed applications should
be submitted to Ms. Karen Campbell, Grants Management Officer,
Division of Management Operations, Office of Minority Health,
Office of Public Health and Science, Rockwall II Building, Room
1000, 5515 Security Lane, Rockville, MD 29852. Technical assistance
on budget and business aspects of the application may also be
obtained from Ms. Karen Campbell, at (301) 594-0758.
Award
Procedure: Applications will be screened upon
receipt. Those that are judged to be incomplete, arrive after
the deadline, or are from states that already have a CCOE or a
CoE program will be returned without comment. Accepted applications
will be reviewed for technical merit in accordance with PHS policies.
Applications will be evaluated by a technical review panel composed
of experts in the fields of program management, community service
delivery, community service delivery, community outreach, health
education, community-based research, education, training, leadership/career
development, and technical assistance to other communities. Funding
decisions will be determined by the Director, Division for Program
Management, Office on Women's Health and will take into consideration
the recommendations and ratings of the review panel; program needs,
stated preferences; geographic location; and recommendations of
DHHS Regional Women's Health Coordinators. Preference will be
given to DHHS regions that do not have a CCOE or a CoE program
and to programs proposed to be implemented in medically underserved
areas, enterprise communities, empowerment zones, and applications
from Regions IV and VIII.
Deadlines:
To be considered for review, applications must be received by
May 1, 2003. Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline
if they are: (1) Received on or before the deadline date, or (2)
postmarked on or before the deadline date and received in time
for orderly processing. A legibly dated receipt from a commercial
carrier or U.S. Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of a postmark.
Private metered postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely
mailing. Applications submitted by facsimile transmission (FAX)
or any other electronic format will not be accepted. Applications
not meeting the deadline will be considered late and will be returned
to the applicant unread.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approximately
90 days from the application deadline date.
Appeals:
None.
Renewals:
None.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: None.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: The start
date for the cooperative agreement is September 30, 2002. Support
may be requested for a total project period not to exceed 5 years.
Non-competing continuation awards of up to $150,000 will be made
subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Quarterly progress reports, an annual progress report, an annual
Financial Status report, a final Progress report, a final Financial
Status report, an Audit Report, and a Technical Assistance Documentation
Report in the format established by the Office on Women's Health,
in accordance with provisions of the general regulations that apply
under Monitoring and Reporting Program Performance, 45 CFR 74, Subpart
J and Part 92.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit
Organizations, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements
are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal
government officials.
Records:
Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records,
and all other records pertinent to a grant shall be retained for
a minimum of 3 years, or longer pending completion and resolution
of any audit findings.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 75-0120-0-1-551.
Obligations:
(Grants): FY 01 $600,000; FY 02 est $600,000; and FY 03 est $600,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
All awards are made for $150,000 each in total costs (direct and
indirect) for a 12-month period. The average amount is $150,000.
The DHHS Office on Women's Health awarded four new grants in fiscal
year 2001 and plans to fund a similar number in fiscal years 2002
and 2003. Grants have also been awarded to fund the evaluation of
the national program.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Specific program requirements are contained in the application instructions,
the Federal Register announcement, and the PHS Grants Policy Statement
(DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 90-50,000, (Rev.) April 1, 1994); 45
CFR 100 applies.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Not applicable.
Headquarters
Office: Questions regarding the CCOE program
may be directed to the Division of Program Management, Office
on Women's Health, Parklawn Building, Room 16A-55, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville MD 20857. Telephone: 301-443-4422.
Web
Site Address: http://www.4woman.gov/owh/CCOE/index.htm
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
The major component of a CCOE program must consist of activities
aimed at developing and strengthening a framework for bringing together
a comprehensive array of services for women, and connecting those
with promising strategies to: train a cadre of health care providers
that are capable of addressing underserved women's health needs
at the community level with an emphasis on prevention or moderation
of illness or injury that appear controllable through individual
knowledge and behavior; conduct participatory, community-based research
in women's health; enhance public education and outreach activities
in women's health with an emphasis on prevention or moderation of
illness or injury that appear controllable through individual knowledge
and behavior; and promote leadership/career development for women
in the health professions and women/girls in the community. A project
may develop outreach and education materials, training programs,
and leadership development activities/materials. Award recipients
must also, with input from community representatives, put into place
and track a set of measurable objectives for improving health outcomes
and decreasing health disparities for underserved women in the community.
Each CCOE must also demonstrate an ability to foster the transfer
of lessons learned and successful strategies. These may include
either process-based lessons (for example: how to bring multiple
community partners together) or outcomes-based lessons (for example:
how to increase diabetes screening and control through improved
outreach, education, and treatment). The CCOEs must foster the replication
of promising models from their sites through activities such as
showcasing them at meetings and workshops; providing direct technical
assistance to other communities; developing replication guides/materials;
and providing technical assistance to health professionals, directly
or through their professional organizations interested in working
with underserved women in the community.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Applications selected for funding will be reviewed using the following
criteria: (1) The implementation plan as judged by the appropriateness
of the existing community resources and linkages, the appropriateness
of the proposed approach, component integration, and specific activities
described to address each element of the CCOE program, soundness
of the evaluation plan, willingness to anticipate in the national
CCOE evaluation, and willingness to contribute to the development
of a comprehensive national CCOE "how-to manual." (2) The management
plan which describes the applicant organization's capability to
manage the project as determined by the qualifications of the proposed
staff or requirements for "to be hired" staff, proposed staff level
of effort, management experience of the lead agency and the experience,
resources, and role of each partner organization. (3) The evaluation
plan and its relationship to program goals. (4) Plans for the provision
of technical assistance and the potential for replication of the
CCOE model in similar populations and communities. (5) The merit
of the objectives outlines by the applicant do address the CCOE
program in a way relevant to the targeted community needs and available
resources. (6) Adequacy of demonstrated knowledge of systems of
health care for underserved women at the local level; demonstrated
need within the proposed local community and target population of
underserved women; demonstrated support and established linkages
in place to operate a fully functional CCOE program; demonstrated
access to medically underserved women; and documented past efforts/activities
outcome with underserved women.
