Call for Applications: Native Public Health Resilience Program (United States)

Purpose

• The purpose of this program is to enhance Tribes’, Tribal organizations’, and Urban Indian Organizations’ capacity to implement core Public Health functions, services, and activities, and to further develop and improve their Public Health management capabilities.
• As part of the IHS mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level, this program seeks to build on and strengthen community resilience by supporting wider access to the 10 Essential Public Health Services (EPHS)1 in Indian Country, a framework designed to offer all people a fair and just opportunity to achieve optimal health and well-being.
• The IHS is offering competitive awards to assist applicants in enhancing EPHS implementation within established public health programs serving AI/AN communities.
• The 10 EPHS include:
  • Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets.
  • Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population.
  • Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it.
  • Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health.
  • Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health.
  • Use legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health.
  • Contribute to an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy. This Service description has been adapted to better align with the anticipated scope of intended recipient jurisdictions.
  • Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce.
  • Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement.
  • Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.

Funding Information

• The total funding identified for fiscal year (FY) 2024 is approximately $6,000,000. Individual award amounts for the first budget year are anticipated to be between $300,000 and $400,000.
• The IHS anticipates issuing approximately 15 awards under this program announcement.
• The period of performance is for 3 years.

Required and Allowable Activities

• The following activities are required under this funding announcement. For more guidance on the proposal requirements, please see Project Narrative, below.
  • Required Activities
    • Select and implement one or more new EPHS or implement significant expansion of existing EPHS to support Tribal communities throughout the planned project period. Recipients are required to offer new or expanded EPHS activities through the award’s period of performance. Applicants must address at least two core elements of their selected EPHS in their proposal, as described below.
      • EPHS 1: Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets.
        • Core elements:
          • Maintaining an ongoing understanding of health in the jurisdiction by collecting, monitoring, and analyzing data on health and factors that influence health to identify threats, patterns, and emerging issues, with a particular emphasis on disproportionately affected populations.
          • Using data and information to determine the root causes of health disparities and inequities.
          • Working with the community to understand health status, needs, assets, key influences, and narrative.
      • EPHS 2: Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population.
        • Core elements:
          • Anticipating, preventing, and mitigating emerging health threats through epidemiologic identification.
          • Monitoring real-time health status and identifying patterns to develop strategies to address chronic diseases and injuries.
          • Using real-time data to identify and respond to acute outbreaks, emergencies, and other health hazards.
      • EPHS 3: Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it.
        • Core elements:
          • Developing and disseminating accessible health information and resources, including through collaboration with multi-sector partners.
          • Communicating with accuracy and necessary speed.
          • Using appropriate communications channels (e.g., social media, peer-to-peer networks, mass media, and other channels) to effectively reach the intended populations.
      • EPHS 4: Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health.
        • Core elements:
          • Convening and facilitating multisector partnerships and coalitions that include sectors that influence health (e.g., planning, transportation, housing, education, etc.).
          • Fostering and building genuine, strengths-based relationships with a diverse group of partners that reflect the community and the population.
          • Authentically engaging with community members and organizations to develop public health solutions.
      • EPHS 5: Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health.
        • Core elements:
          • Developing and championing policies, plans, and laws that guide the practice of public health.
          • Examining and improving existing policies, plans, and laws to correct historical injustices.
          • Ensuring that policies, plans, and laws provide a fair and just opportunity for all to achieve optimal health.
      • EPHS 6: Use legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health.
        • Core elements:
          • Ensuring that applicable laws are equitably applied to protect the public’s health.
          • Conducting enforcement activities that may include, but are not limited to sanitary codes, especially in the food industry; full protection of drinking water supplies; and timely follow-up on hazards, preventable injuries, and exposure-related diseases identified in occupational and community settings.
          • Licensing and monitoring the quality of healthcare services (e.g., laboratory, nursing homes, and home healthcare).
      • EPHS 7: Contribute to an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy.
        • Core elements:
          • Connecting the population to needed health and social services that support the whole person, including preventive services.
          • Ensuring access to high-quality and cost-effective healthcare and social services, including behavioral and mental health services, that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
          • Engaging health delivery systems to assess and address gaps and barriers in accessing needed health services, including behavioral and mental health.
      • EPHS 8: Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce
        • Core elements:
          • Providing education and training that encompasses a spectrum of public health competencies, including technical, strategic, and leadership skills.
          • Ensuring that the public health workforce is the appropriate size to meet the public’s needs.
          • Building a culturally competent public health workforce and leadership that reflects the community and practices cultural humility.
      • EPHS 9: Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement.
        • Core elements:
          • Building and fostering a culture of quality in public health organizations and activities.
          • Linking public health research with public health practice.
          • Using research, evidence, practice-based insights, and other forms of information to inform decision-making.
      • EPHS 10: Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.
        • Core elements:
          • Developing an understanding of the broader organizational infrastructures and roles that support the entire public health system in a jurisdiction (e.g., government agencies, elected officials, and non-governmental organizations).
          • Ensuring that appropriate, needed resources are allocated equitably for the public’s health.
          • Exhibiting effective and ethical leadership, decision-making, and governance.
  • Allowable Activities:
    • Allowable costs and activities must align with the 10 EPHS. Additional activities that complement but are not explicitly captured within the defined core elements are allowable but should be clearly associated with the selected EPHS.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for this funding opportunity applicant must be one of the following:
  • A federally recognized Indian Tribe
  • A Tribal organization
  • An Urban Indian organization,
• The IHS does not fund concurrent projects. Specifically, an applicant may not be awarded under both this opportunity and the Native Public Health Resilience Planning opportunity. Applications on behalf of individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign organizations are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.