Grant Details

This award will be a continuation of funds intended only for awardees previously awarded under CDC-RFA-TP12-1201.

Original Program Description:

To advance all-hazards preparedness and national health security, promote responsible stewardship of federal funds, and reduce awardee administrative burden, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are aligning the administrative and programmatic aspects of the ASPR Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) and the CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreements. This funding opportunity announcement describes the ASPR and CDC terms and conditions of the award, the overall purpose of the HPP and PHEP programs, and strategies for achieving program outcomes.

As ASPR and CDC align the two preparedness programs, which represent critical sources of funding and support to our nation’s public health and healthcare preparedness systems, ASPR and CDC are committed to the following goals:

• Increase program impact and advance preparedness
• Reduce awardee burden and enhance customer service provided to states and localities
• Improve federal efficiencies
• Promote innovation
• Demonstrate a clear return on investment and communicate preparedness accomplishments to help ensure sustainability of the PHEP and HPP cooperative agreements

The purpose of the 2012-2017 HPP-PHEP cooperative agreement program is to provide technical assistance and resources that support state, local, territorial, and tribal public health departments and healthcare systems/organizations in demonstrating measurable and sustainable progress toward achieving public health and healthcare preparedness capabilities that promote prepared and resilient communities.

HPP and PHEP program implementation activities should be focused on development of all healthcare and public health capabilities. Awardees are expected to use their cooperative agreement funding to build and sustain the public health and healthcare preparedness capabilities, ensuring that federal preparedness funds are directed to priority areas within their jurisdictions as identified through their strategic planning efforts. Awardees must demonstrate measurable and sustainable progress toward achieving all the preparedness capabilities over the five-year project period. In addition, awardees should be able to describe how effective implementation activities and programs have met the needs of at-risk individuals (also known as vulnerable or special needs) as required under PAHPA. The definition of at-risk individuals is available at: http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Documents/at-risk-individuals.pdf.

Cross-cutting HPP and PHEP activities should be managed, coordinated, and integrated where applicable. To further advance public health and healthcare preparedness, awardees should consider organizing their programs to align and integrate with jurisdictional preparedness planning priorities. Establishing such an organizational structure will help assure public health and healthcare preparedness program components are integrated and associated requirements are achieved, helping to assure more effective coordination, administration, and oversight of strategic and tactical program implementation activities. 

Public health and healthcare systems have complementary yet unique characteristics, and both have specific preparedness and response roles. Grant alignment efforts are intended to maintain the uniqueness of each program, while ensuring both programs are jointly planning, exercising, and implementing program operations in a more coordinated fashion. Examples of potential joint activities or shared services include:

• Exercise planning and conduct
• Healthcare coalition planning
• Implementation of joint capability resource elements and tasks  
• Information technology services
  • Health Alert Networks (HAN)
  • Communication platforms

In addition, HPP-PHEP grant alignment is designed to promote efficiencies through appropriate pooling of resources and leveraging of funds for applicable services, activities, and infrastructure while maintaining separate appropriation identities. However, leveraged funding must be used to support joint HPP-PHEP requirements. For instance, an integrated HPP-PHEP program at the awardee level could have one administrative structure that supports both programs. Examples of could include but are not limited to:

• Preparedness director
• Planners
• Exercise development staff
• Contract support staff
• Administrative assistants
• Legal support staff
• Grants management staff
• Evaluation staff
• Public information officers

Joint HPP-PHEP Requirements include:

1. Foster greater HPP and PHEP program alignment
2. Conduct jurisdictional risk assessments
3. Develop and implement administrative preparedness strategies
4. Coordinate exercise planning and implementation
5. Healthcare coalition planning
6. Integrate preparedness efforts across jurisdictions
7. Obtain public comment and input on public health emergency preparedness and response plans
8. Meet Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) compliance requirements
9. Engage in technical assistance planning
10. Plan and conduct joint site visits
11. Submit pandemic influenza plans