Rural Health Information Technology grants

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, authorized incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals when they use electronic health records (EHR) privately and securely to achieve specified improvements in care delivery. HITECH's goal is not solely the adoption of EHR but "meaningful use" of EHRs; the use by providers to acheive significant improvements in care.

The primary purpose of the Rural Health Health Information Technology Network Program is to support rural organizations in their ability to effectively achieve "meaningful use" requirements. The Rural Health Information Technology Network Program is authorized under Section 330A (f) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The purpose of the program is to expand access to, coordinate and improve the quality of essential health care services, and enhance the delivery of health care in rural areas. The program will support rural providers who work in formal networks, alliances, coalitions or partnerships in their effort to effectively acheive "meaningful use" requirements. Funds provided through this program are not used for direct delivery of services.

Upon completion of the grant program, a network should have completed a thorough strategic planning process, business planning process, and have a sounds strategy in place for sustaining its operations. Some anticipated outcomes of supporting the development of rural health networks include: achieving economies of scale and cost efficiencies; increasing the financial viability of the network, enhancing professional development; enhancing workforce recruitment and retention; sharing staff and expertise across network members; enhancing the continuum of care; ensuring continuous quality improvement of the care provided by network members.

It is anticipated that this will be a one-time funding opportunity to assist networks in attaining meaningful use standards for electronic health records and other HIT activities that will support the achievement of meaningful use. Some activities that can be supported by grant funds are as follows: workforce analysis; EHR strategic plan development; EHR training; purchase of HIT equipment; identify and locate certified HIT equipment vendors; and installation of broadband.

Networks should have a history of organizational collaboration and must have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) prior to applying to this program.

The Rural Health Information Technology Program supports HRSA's goals of improving access and quality of health care, improving health outcomes, and improving public health and health care systems. The Program also supports HHS goals to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of health care and to promote the economic and social well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

Please refer to http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ or http://healthit.hhs.gov/standardsandcertification for more information regarding meaningful use and certification criteria.

Helping Hands Grant Program

[from Philanthropy News Digest] The American Psychiatric Foundation, the philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association, administers the Helping Hands Grant Program to provide support to medical schools for mental health service projects that are created and managed by medical students, particularly in underserved minority communities. These projects can be conducted in partnership with community agencies or in conjunction with ongoing medical school outreach activities.

The program was established to encourage medical students to participate in community service activities, particularly those focused on underserved populations; raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition of illness; and build an interest amongst medical students in psychiatry and working in underserved communities. Student projects may be conducted in partnership with community agencies or in conjunction with ongoing medical school outreach activities.

Medical schools are eligible to apply for the grants. All student projects must be conducted under medical faculty supervision. Medical students must be in their second, third, or fourth year of medical school to participate.

The application deadline for projects to take place during the 2011-2012 school year is May 25, 2011.

Visit the APF Web site for complete program guidelines and application.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Caregiving Leadership Awards

[from Philanthropy News Digest]

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving is accepting nominations for its Leadership in Caregiving Award. The annual award recognizes leadership in implementing innovative partnerships between community agencies and caregiving researchers to bridge the gap between science and practice. These partnerships help move effective caregiver support programs to widespread use in the community more quickly and efficiently.

The award-winning team will be announced at the RCI's National Summit to be held October 5-7, 2011 in Americus, Georgia. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will present the team with a cash award of $20,000 and a statuette. The cash award is intended to support the team's efforts in implementing effective caregiver interventions at the community level.

Winning partnerships must have clearly demonstrated: dedication to developing effective evidence-based caregiver interventions that improve the health and well-being of caregivers; collaboration and partnerships between all stakeholders in the caregiving process; potential for developing or more effectively using financial, educational, and human resources to support caregivers; effective reach into the target population; and potential to serve as a model for other individuals, groups, organizations or communities in efforts to better support caregivers.

Complete program guidelines and nomination forms are available at the Rosalynn Carter Institute Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Helping Hands grant program

The American Psychiatric Foundation's Helping Hands Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 to medical schools for mental health service projects that are created and managed by medical students, particularly in underserved minority communities. These projects can be conducted in partnership with community agencies or in conjunction with ongoing medical school outreach activities.

The program was established to encourage medical students to participate in community service activities, particularly those focused on underserved populations; raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition of illness; and build an interest amongst medical students in psychiatry and working in underserved communities. The program is supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the 2011-2012 school year is May 25, 2011 (postmark date). You may obtain the application and instructions here. Be sure to follow all instructions. Only complete applications (application form, executive summary, project narrative, and budget) will be reviewed. Information on what to include in the budget and project narrative are included in the instructions.

Philanthropy and Health Care Report

[From Philanthropy News Digest] Less than one-third of a representative sample of grantmakers that support health-related issues in the United States have made the needs of underserved communities a top priority, a new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy finds.

According to the report, Towards Transformative Change in Health Care: High Impact Strategies for Philanthropy (52 pages, PDF), 31 percent of the 880 foundations in the sample devoted at least half their health grant dollars to marginalized communities, including the economically disadvantaged, women and girls, the LGBTQ community, people with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, the elderly, immigrants and refugees, crime or abuse victims, and offenders and ex-offenders, while only 4 percent designated at least a quarter of their health grant dollars for systemic change and social justice efforts.

The report also found that of the 363 foundations that awarded an average of at least $1 million a year in domestic health grants from 2007 to 2009, 28 percent dedicated at least half of those grant dollars to benefiting underserved communities, while only 7 percent designated at least a quarter of their grantmaking in support of systemic change and social justice efforts.

Twenty-two grantmakers, or just 4 percent of the overall sample, met both of NCRP's recommended support criteria for marginalized communities and systemic change efforts. They included the California Endowment, the California Wellness Foundation, the Colorado Trust, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, and the Quantum Foundation.

"If improving the health of our nation is important to philanthropy, then we have to focus more on the needs of the most underserved and on making these communities integral participants in systemic reform efforts," said NCRP executive director Aaron Dorfman. "We can't wait for health reform to slowly trickle down, especially given the uncertainty of the current political climate."

“Too Few Foundations Promoting Health Equity Among the Poor and Disadvantaged, Report Says.” National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Press Release 4/05/11.

Health Impact Projects

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, has announced a Call for Proposals for grants to conduct Health Impact Assessments. The funding is intended to enable awardees to develop an HIA, which is a study that can help policy makers and community members identify and address the potential, and often overlooked, health implications of policy proposals in a broad range of sectors, including agriculture, transportation, and development.

The Health Impact Project will fund up to eight initiatives that identify how policy proposals will impact health at the local, tribal, or state level.

Grants will range from $25,000 to $125,000 each and will support government agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Grantees also will receive training, mentoring, and technical assistance from the Health Impact Project and leading HIA experts.

For more information about Health Impact Assessments, grant program guidelines, and/or to submit a brief proposal, visit the Health Impact Project Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Women Helping Others Foundation Invites Grant Applications for Programs to Assist Women and Children

The WHO (Women Helping Others) Foundation supports grassroots charities that serve the overlooked needs of women and children in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The foundation prioritizes specific projects and programs that address health and social service needs. The foundation recognizes the value of new programs created to respond to changing needs and will consider projects of an original or pioneering nature within an existing organization.

Grant applications are welcome from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that have been incorporated for at least three years and that have total organizational budgets of $3 million or less.

Preference will be given to organizations that are not dependent on government grants, and those with greater organizational program costs than personnel costs. Organizations that have previously received a WHO Foundation grant should wait three years before applying again.

Grants are not provided to individuals, educational institutions, religious institutions, or governmental agencies, or for endowment campaigns, political causes, or capital campaigns.

Grants will range from $1,000 to $40,000.

Complete funding guidelines, eligibility restrictions, and application procedures are available at the WHO Foundation Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP