Billing Code: 4163-18-P
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Strengthening Surveillance for Infectious Diseases Among
Newly-Arrived Immigrants and Refugees
Announcement Type: New
Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-CI07-705
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.283
Letter of Intent Deadline: July 10, 2007
Application Deadline: August 10, 2007
Authority: This program is authorized under 317(k)(2) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 247 and 247b(k)(2)], as amended.
Every year, approximately 50,000-70,000 refugees and 400,000 immigrants resettle to the United States from overseas. These refugees and immigrants undergo a health assessment overseas; the quality of this health assessment is under the oversight of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After arrival, there is no standardized surveillance that identifies acute illnesses in newly arrived refugees and immigrants. Consequently, there are few data from which to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of the required overseas medical assessment for immigrants and refugees, or to guide the establishment of appropriate recommendations for the post-arrival medical assessment. A better understanding of medical conditions in refugees and immigrants is also critical for educating health care providers in the U.S. about those conditions, particularly tropical diseases, with which they may be largely unfamiliar. In addition, recent naturally occurring international outbreaks, such as SARS and monkeypox, the probability of pandemic influenza, and the specter of international bioterrorism, mean that the threat to the United States from disease outbreaks originating in other parts of the world, particularly areas from which refugees and immigrants arrive, has never been greater.
Refugees are a particularly vulnerable population, marginalized from public-health surveillance, preventive treatment and health care in their home countries and countries of temporary asylum. Of the 50,000-70,000 refugees welcomed annually to the United States, 20,000-25,000 are from Africa, 20,000 from East and South Asia and 15,000 are from Europe and Central Asia.
From 2003 through 2005, the majority of refugee arrivals were of Somali (23.7%), Laotian (10.4%), and Russian (9.2%) nationality. During this time frame, the largest numbers of new refugee arrivals have been resettled to: 1) California (13.4%); 2) Minnesota (11.5%); 3) Texas (6.43%); 4) New York State (5.40%) and; 5) Washington State (5.38%).
Before resettlement, refugees have complex health-care issues, such as low baseline vaccination rates and high rates of other infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, and intestinal parasites. Refugees are highly mobile populations that have often traveled through multiple countries and been exposed to a variety of potentially hazardous environmental conditions before arriving in the United States.
Before resettlement, refugees receive a required health assessment overseas that focuses on identifying inadmissible conditions,[1] which are defined in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations and by U.S. statute. This assessment fails to address many additional important preventable or treatable public-health problems, including vaccine-preventable diseases, malaria, intestinal parasites, respiratory diseases, and diseases originating from agents of bioterrorism (except for active tuberculosis). Immigrants also have the same required health assessment, except they are also required to initiate vaccinations that are recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Refugees are exempt from the vaccination requirements.
The required overseas health assessment for refugees and immigrants is performed by panel physicians, under the technical guidance of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For refugees, the assessment is performed by physicians from the International Organization for Migration, under contract with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the U.S. Department of State. Immigrants have an exam performed by overseas physicians that have been authorized as panel physicians by the local U.S. Embassy. Unlike refugees, immigrants are required to pay for their health assessments.
After arrival in the U.S., a medical assessment is required for immigrants and refugees only if they have with a “Class A” or “Class B” medical condition (see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/panel.htm)for definitions of class A and B conditions). However, a medical assessment is recommended for all refugees within 30 days after arrival in the United States. Currently, each state or local health jurisdiction develops its own protocol for post-arrival refugee health assessments. The Department of Health and Human Services issued limited recommendations for domestic refugee health assessments in 1996; these recommendations are outdated and under revision. There are no standard recommendations for post-arrival medical assessment for immigrants.
Reporting of health conditions in refugees and immigrants that are identified after arrival is limited to the required reportable conditions as specified by state and federal requirements. However, refugee or immigrant status is not reported and, therefore, there are few data about post-arrival illnesses in these populations.
There is no current domestic guidance addressing diseases originating from possible agents of bioterrorism (www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist/asp) in these populations. Because there is a need to protect the United States against international biological threats, both biological and intentional, diseases originating from bioterrorism agents should be included in surveillance for newly-arrived refugees and immigrants.
In the last three years, HHS/CDC has responded to thirteen domestic and international outbreaks of infectious diseases among African and Asian U.S.-bound refugees, including measles, rubella, varicella, cholera, hepatitis A, O’nyong-nyong fever, and multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. These outbreaks, associated with the importation of infectious diseases to the United States and secondary domestic transmission within the United States, have taxed the resources of U.S. State and local health departments. These outbreaks also represent an obstacle to the U.S. Government’s plans for elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and rubella, and constitute a risk for the importation of emerging infectious diseases and biological threats. In addition to the public-health resources required for outbreak response, the outbreaks halted resettlement and cost the U.S. government hundreds of thousands of dollars in flight cancellations and other expenses. Early detection through pre-departure surveillance and appropriate, cost-effective public-health tools, such as routine vaccination, could have prevented these financial costs, and the mortality and the serious morbidity that occurred among U.S.-bound refugees.
Beginning in late 2003, outbreaks of lethal H5N1 influenza infection in poultry were reported in several countries in Asia and subsequently spread through parts of Europe, and, more recently, Africa. As of January 2007, 270 human cases of H5N1 influenza have been reported worldwide, including 164 deaths.
With the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza and the potential for pandemic influenza and other diseases originating from agents of bioterrorism, U.S.-bound immigrants and refugees constitute a population that is at risk for morbidity and mortality and present a possible source of importation of these diseases and biological threats into the United States. Although many refugees and immigrants are arriving from areas with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, there are currently no routine preparedness, surveillance, prevention and control activities for highly pathogenic avian influenza, seasonal influenza or influenza-like illness, other infectious respiratory diseases, or diseases originating from bioterrorism agents among most U.S.-bound refugees and/or immigrants.
Most recent outbreaks of communicable infectious diseases among refugees have occurred in refugee camps with a mixture of U.S.-bound and non-U.S.-bound refugees. While detecting, controlling and preventing outbreaks as early as possible in refugee camps is the most effective means to prevent the importation of communicable diseases into the United States, limited public health infrastructure and laboratory resources present challenges to disease surveillance in these settings. Conducting predeparture surveillance in U.S.-bound immigrants is even more challenging since they are geographically dispersed and usually fully integrated into the local community. Until these complex and far-reaching limitations can be addressed, enhancing surveillance among refugees after arrival in the United States will provide the most effective means of monitoring their health status, detecting outbreaks of communicable disease or disease in a naturally occurring pandemic or bioterrorism event, and initiating prompt response measures.
Purpose: The purpose of the program is to assist health-care organizations in implementing a network of systems to detect, prevent and control communicable infectious diseases, including possible bioterrorism agents, among refugees and/or immigrants that are newly arrived in the United States. The program will accomplish this by doing the following: 1) establish and/or enhance existing surveillance networks for infectious diseases and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents. These illnesses may include, but are not limited to, the following syndromes: acute respiratory disease, febrile illness, febrile exanthemas, diarrheal illness, hepatitis, neurological conditions associated with infectious diseases, diseases originating from bioterrorism agents, and other diseases of public health significance among refugees and/or immigrants. Respiratory diseases may include seasonal influenza, highly pathogenic avian influenza, pandemic influenza and other infectious respiratory pathogens; 2) evaluate the health status of refugees and/or immigrants for the purposes of informing and improving U.S. policy regarding overseas and the post-arrival health assessments; 3) prevent the importation and spread of infectious diseases and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents, including pathogens that cause febrile illness, febrile exanthemas, diarrheal illness, hepatitis, neurological conditions and acute respiratory illnesses, such as seasonal influenza, highly pathogenic avian influenza, and pandemic influenza; and 4) improve the health of refugees and/or immigrants undergoing U.S. resettlement and protect the health of their receiving communities by controlling the spread of communicable diseases and also disease in a naturally occurring pandemic or bioterrorism event.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one (or more) of the following performance goal(s) for the HHS/CDC National Center for Infectious Disease: Protect Americans from infectious diseases.
This announcement is only for non-research activities supported by HHS/CDC. If an applicant proposes research, HHS/CDC will not review the application. For the definition of “research,” please see the HHS/CDC Web site, at the following Internet address:
Activities:
Awardee activities for this program appear below. The awardee either will implement activities directly or will implement them through its subawardees and/or subcontractors; the awardee will retain overall financial and programmatic management under the oversight of HHS/CDC.
The awardee must coordinate these activities as much as possible with governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in the provision of health care for newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants. The awardee may choose to work with only refugee or immigrant populations or with both populations. The awardee’s proposal should include activities from at least one of the two overall categories below.
1. Implement or enhance domestic surveillance networks for communicable diseases and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents among newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants. Although most of the surveillance data may be obtained from outpatient facilities, the network must have the ability to capture data about acute infectious illnesses associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, such as those requiring emergency care or hospitalization. Specific tasks involved with this activity may include the following:
Implementing surveillance networks for communicable diseases, including diseases originating from bioterrorism agents among newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants. This may include, but is not limited to, febrile illness, febrile exanthemas, diarrheal illness, hepatitis, neurological conditions associated with infectious diseases, and/or acute respiratory illness, including influenza-like illness, avian influenza, and pandemic influenza.
Investigating outbreaks of infectious diseases, including natural and intentional infectious disease emergencies, among newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants and establishing the etiology(ies) of these outbreaks, which may include establishing mechanisms to perform diagnostic testing for these illnesses;
Implementing measures to control and prevent outbreaks of communicable infectious diseases, including diseases originating from bioterrorism agents in newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants and to prevent the spread of these diseases in the United States ;
2. Establishing a network to exchange surveillance data about communicable, infectious diseases including complex cases of highly dangerous infections and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents in newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants and collaborate to prepare prevention and control plans for communicable, infectious diseases and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents in newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants. This may include collaboration with overseas partners such as the International Organization for Migration and other panel physicians, and non-governmental organizations that provide health care to refugees overseas.
Establishing a program to educate refugees and/or immigrants and/or persons who are working with refugees about communicable infectious diseases and diseases originating from bioterrorism agents.
If the proposal includes influenza surveillance activities, the applicants should describe activities in detail as part of a four-year action plan (U.S. Government Fiscal Years 2007-2010 inclusive) that reflects the policies and goals outlined in the President’s National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza and the HHS Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan (located at www.pandemicflu.gov). The awardee will produce an annual operational plan in the context of this four-year plan. The awardee may work on some of the activities listed below in the first year and in subsequent years, and then progressively add others from the list to achieve all of the performance goals of the President’s National Strategy and the HHS Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan.
HHS/CDC will approve funds for activities on an annual basis. If the activities involve influenza surveillance, the review will be based on documented performance toward achieving the performance goals of the President’s National Strategy and the HHS Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan.
If the activities involve refugees, the awardee must coordinate these activities as much as possible with Governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in refugee resettlement; this may include national voluntary resettlement agencies. If the activities include influenza surveillance, the awardee must coordinate these activities as much as possible with Governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in influenza preparedness.
In a cooperative agreement, CDC staff is substantially involved in the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring.
CDC activities for this program are as follows:
1. Collaborate with the awardee to establish priorities for the program, both among and within each of the areas listed above, through regular meetings and communication.
2. Collaborate with the awardee to establish goals, objectives, and effective and innovative strategies and methodologies.
3. Provide consultation, guidance and technical assistance, as needed, in support of activities implemented under this agreement. This could include expert technical assistance and targeted training activities in specialized areas, such as strategic information and project management.
4. Assist the awardee in reporting and disseminating results, recommendations, and relevant information, in both English and local languages in refugees’ and/or immigrants’ countries of origin and through which refugees and/or immigrants transit on their way to the United States.
5. Collaborate with the awardee in the development of related goals, objectives, and innovative strategies and methodologies for the implementation of surveillance activities for newly-arrived refugees and/or immigrants.
6. Collaborate with the awardee and other partners in the development and implementation of plans for the sharing and dissemination of information on communicable diseases, including in local languages in refugees’ and/or immigrants’ countries of origin and through which refugees and/or immigrants transit on their way to the United States.
7. Assist in evaluating program operations and the overall effectiveness of interventions through joint program review and analysis of the monitoring data.
8. Organize an orientation meeting with the awardee to brief them on applicable U.S. Government and HHS expectations, regulations and key management requirements, as well as report formats and contents. The orientation could include meetings with staff from HHS agencies.
9. Review and approve the process used by the awardee to select key personnel and/or post-award subcontractors and/or subawardees to be involved in the activities performed under this agreement.
10. Review and approve the awardee’s annual work plan and detailed budget.
11. Review and approve the awardee’s monitoring and evaluation plan.
12. Meet on a monthly basis with the awardee to assess monthly expenditures in relation to approved work plan and modify plans, as necessary.
13. Meet on a quarterly basis with the awardee to assess quarterly technical and financial progress reports and modify plans as necessary.
14. Meet on an annual basis with the awardee to review the annual progress report for each U.S. Government Fiscal Year, and to review annual work plans and budgets for subsequent years.
15. Provide
administrative support to help the awardee meet U.S.
Government financial and reporting requirements.
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement
CDC’s involvement in this program is listed in the Activities Section above.
Award Mechanism: U50
Fiscal Year Funds: 2007
Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $ 420,000
Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $ 2,100,000 (This amount is an estimate, and is subject to availability of funds. This amount includes direct costs only.)
Approximate Number of Awards: 3
Approximate Average Award: $ 140,000 (This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes direct costs only.)
Floor of Individual Award Range: None
Ceiling of Individual Award Range: $420,000 (This is the ceiling if only one award is made. This ceiling is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes direct costs only.)
Anticipated Award Date: August 31, 2007
Budget Period Length: 12 months
Project Period Length: 5 years
Throughout the project period, CDC’s commitment to continuation of awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government. If activities involve influenza, the awardee must also demonstrate evidence of satisfactory progress against the goals and objectives of the President’s National Strategy on Pandemic Influenza.
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
Public nonprofit organizations
Private nonprofit organizations
Universities
Colleges
Research institutions
Hospitals
Community-based organizations
Faith-based organizations
Federally recognized Indian tribal governments
Indian tribes
Indian tribal organizations
State and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents (this includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau)
Political subdivisions of States (in consultation with States)
A Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a letter from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Place this documentation behind the first page of the application form.
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing and matching funds are not required for this program.
III.3. Other
If a funding amount greater than the ceiling of the award range is requested, the application will be considered non-responsive and will not be entered into the review process. The applicant will be notified that the application did not meet the submission requirements.
Special Requirements:
If the application is incomplete or non-responsive to the special requirements listed in this section, it will not be entered into the review process. The applicant will be notified the application did not meet submission requirements.
Late applications will be considered non-responsive. See section “IV.3. Submission Dates and Times” for more information on deadlines.
Note: Title 2 of the United States Code Section 1611 states that an organization described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds constituting a grant, loan, or an award.
IV.1. Address to Request Application Package
To apply for this funding opportunity use application form PHS 5161-1.
Electronic Submission:
CDC strongly encourages the applicant to submit the application electronically by utilizing the forms and instructions posted for this announcement on www.Grants.gov, the official Federal agency wide E-grant Web site. Only applicants who apply on-line are permitted to forego paper copy submission of all application forms.
Registering your organization through www.Grants.gov is the first step in submitting applications online. Registration information is located in the “Get Started” screen of www.Grants.gov. While application submission through www.Grants.gov is optional, we strongly encourage you to use this online tool.
Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to filing your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. Under “Get Started,” the one-time registration process will take three to five days to complete. We suggest submitting electronic applications prior to the closing date so if difficulties are encountered, you can submit a hard copy of the application prior to the deadline.
Paper Submission:
Application forms and instructions are available on the CDC Web site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/forms.htm.
If access to the Internet is not available, or if there is difficulty accessing the forms on-line, contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIM) staff at 770-488-2700 and the application forms can be mailed.
CDC Telecommunications for the hearing impaired or disabled is available at: TTY 770-488-2783.
IV.2. Content and Form of Submission
Letter of Intent (LOI):
Your LOI must be written in the following format:
Maximum number of pages: 5
Font size: 12-point unreduced, Times New Roman
Double spaced
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches
Page margin size: One inch
Printed only on one side of page
Written in plain language, avoid jargon
The LOI must contain the following information:
Goals and objectives
Methods and technical approach
Project management and staffing
Budget – total funds requested
Application:
A project narrative must be submitted with the application forms. The narrative must be submitted in the following format:
Maximum number of pages: 20 – excluding budget and attachments. (If your narrative exceeds the page limit, only the first pages which are within the page limit will be reviewed.)
Font size: 12 point unreduced, Times New Roman
Single spaced
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches
Page margin size: One inch
Number all pages of the application sequentially from page 1 (Application Face Page) to the end of the application, including charts, figures, tables, and appendices.
Printed only on one side of page.
Held together only by rubber bands or metal clips; not bound in any other way.
The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period and must include the following items in the order listed:
Project/Activity Title
Background and Statement of Need
Objectives and Timeline: Include key target dates or milestones for project implementation for each activity
Staff and Responsibilities: List of key staff responsible for conducting the activity and specific activities for which each will be responsible
Operational Plan: A detailed description of the technical/clinical approach, methods, and specific activities for conducting the activity
Measures of Effectiveness for overall program activities: Specific outcome measures that will allow for evaluation of progress toward project objectives (see also Section V: “Application Review Information” for further information on addressing Measures of Effectiveness)
Budget and Justification: A line-item budget with clear and detailed explanation and justification for each cost element, for year one (1) only. The budget justification will not be counted in the stated page limit.
Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative page limit. This additional information includes:
Curricula vitae and/or resumes for all key staff
Organizational chart
Additional information submitted via Grants.gov should be labeled appropriately.
There is no maximum number of allowable electronic attachments.
The agency or organization is required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative agreement from the Federal government. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
Additional requirements that may request submittal of additional documentation with the application are listed in section “VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.”
Letter of Intent Deadline Date: July 10, 2007
Application Deadline Date: August 10, 2007
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC Procurement and Grants Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
Applications may be submitted electronically at www.Grants.gov. Applications completed on-line through Grants.gov are considered formally submitted when the applicant organization’s Authorizing Official electronically submits the application to www.Grants.gov. Electronic applications will be considered as having met the deadline if the application has been submitted electronically by the applicant organization’s Authorizing Official to Grants.gov on or before the deadline date and time.
If submittal of the application is done electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), the application will be electronically time/date stamped, which will serve as receipt of submission. Applicants will receive an e-mail notice of receipt when HHS/CDC receives the application.
If submittal of the application is by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery service, the applicant must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery by the closing date and time. The applicant will be given the opportunity to submit documentation of the carrier’s guarantee, if HHS/CDC receives the submission after the closing date due to: (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time; or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters. If the documentation verifies a carrier problem, HHS/CDC will consider the submission as having been received by the deadline.
If a hard copy application is submitted, HHS/CDC will not notify the applicant upon receipt of the submission. If questions arise on the receipt of the application, the applicant should first contact the carrier. If the applicant still has questions, contact the PGO-TIM staff at (770) 488-2700. The applicant should wait two to three days after the submission deadline before calling. This will allow time for submissions to be processed and logged.
This announcement is the definitive guide on LOI and application content, submission address, and deadline. It supersedes information provided in the application instructions. If the application submission does not meet the deadline above, it will not be eligible for review, and will be discarded by HHS/CDC. The applicant will be notified the application did not meet the submission requirements.
IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
IV.5. Funding Restrictions
Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing the budget, are as follows:
Recipients may not use funds for research.
Recipients may not use funds for clinical care.
Recipients may only expend funds for reasonable program purposes, including personnel, travel, supplies, and services, such as contractual.
Awardees may not generally use HHS/CDC/ATSDR funding for the purchase of furniture or equipment. Any such proposed spending must be identified in the budget.
The direct and primary recipient in a cooperative agreement program must perform a substantial role in carrying out project objectives and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provider who is ineligible.
Reimbursement of pre-award costs is not allowed.
If requesting indirect costs in the budget, a copy of the indirect cost rate agreement is required. If the indirect cost rate is a provisional rate, the agreement should be less than 12 months of age.
The recommended guidance for completing a detailed justified budget can be found on the CDC Web site, at the following Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm.
IV.6. Other Submission Requirements
Application Submission Address:
Electronic Submission:
HHS/CDC strongly encourages applicants to submit applications electronically at www.Grants.gov. The application package can be downloaded from www.Grants.gov. Applicants are able to complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov Web site. E-mail submissions will not be accepted. If the applicant has technical difficulties in Grants.gov, customer service can be reached by E-mail at http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport or by phone at 1-800-518-4726 (1-800-518-GRANTS). The Customer Support Center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
HHS/CDC recommends that submittal of the application to Grants.gov should be early to resolve any unanticipated difficulties prior to the deadline. Applicants may also submit a back-up paper submission of the application. Any such paper submission must be received in accordance with the requirements for timely submission detailed in Section IV.3. of the grant announcement. The paper submission must be clearly marked: “BACK-UP FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.” The paper submission must conform to all requirements for non-electronic submissions. If both electronic and back-up paper submissions are received by the deadline, the electronic version will be considered the official submission.
The applicant must submit all application attachments using a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. Directions for creating PDF files can be found on the Grants.gov Web site. Use of file formats other than PDF may result in the file being unreadable by staff.
OR
Paper Submission:
Applicants should submit the original and two hard copies of the application by mail or express delivery service to:
2920 Brandywine Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
V.1. Criteria
Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified objectives of the cooperative agreement. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the performance goals stated in the “Purpose” section of this announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative and must measure the intended outcome. The measures of effectiveness must be submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
The application will be evaluated against the following criteria:
1. Capacity (30 points)
· Does the applicant document and demonstrate the ability to provide health care to refugees and/or immigrants that are newly arrived in the United States?
· Does the applicant document and demonstrate the ability to capture data about illnesses among newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants that require emergency room care and/or hospitalization?
· Does the applicant document and demonstrate the ability to capture outcome or follow-up data from acute care visits?
· Does the applicant document and demonstrate previous experience conducting surveillance, and providing medical care, and education activities in large numbers of refugee populations and/or immigrant populations (more than 250 refugees annually) in local languages?
· Does the applicant possess adequate technical and facility resources to adequately meet the project’s goals?
· Does the applicant document and demonstrate the ability to address all relevant data security and confidentiality requirements as is needed for public health surveillance?
· Does the applicant demonstrate the ability to obtain confirmatory, quality-control testing on specimens for infectious disease conditions under surveillance? If conducting influenza surveillance, does this include testing for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza as well as seasonal influenza?
· Does the applicant demonstrate the willingness and ability to work with a diverse group of newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants and to identify a sufficient number of illnesses in these populations, in order to capture data that reflect the ethnic and geographic diversity as well as the number of refugees and/or immigrants that are resettling to the United States?
2. Objectives and Operational Plan (30 points)
· Does the applicant propose a clear operational plan for conduct of the proposed activities? If the activities involve influenza, how well do the applicant’s proposed activities address the stated objectives and activities outlined in the President’s National Strategy and the HHS Implementation Plan?
· Does the applicant provide a timeline and resource plans for data collection, data management, data cleaning, quality control and analysis and analysis procedures to ensure that protocols are followed?
· Does the applicant propose and conduct an evaluation for estimating the validity and completeness of the surveillance system?
3. Evidence of Collaboration (10 points)
· Does the applicant demonstrate the willingness and ability to work in collaboration with non-governmental organizations that provide health care to newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants?
· Does the applicant demonstrate the willingness and ability to form a network of organizations and/or institutions that provide health care to newly arrived refugees and/or immigrants with the purpose of sharing surveillance strategies, protocols and data?
· Does the applicant demonstrate the willingness and ability to work in collaboration with the organizations involved in refugee and/or resettlement, such as International Organization for Migration and/or national voluntary agencies (Volags)?
· The extent to which the proposed collaborations at local, state, and/or national levels are well documented with letters of commitment conveying specific indications as to the level of involvement and material effort to be provided in support of project objectives.
· The extent to which the applicant presents evidence of strong partnerships between the state health or local departments and/or university partners, as well as with community-based organizations, national voluntary agencies or refugee resettlement agencies, and describes how these collaborations will result in successful infrastructure development.
4. Evidence of Understanding the Problem (10 Points)
· The extent to which the applicant provides an adequate description and understanding of the magnitude of refugee and/or immigrant health problems showing evidence (as available) of estimates of prevalence, demographic indicators, severity, effect on families and caregivers, and associated costs.
· The degree to which the applicant provides a suitable description of the extent of their current activities related to refugee and/or immigrant health, within their State or local area.
· The extent to which the applicant clearly define the geographical catchments area by population size, age, and socio-demographic characteristics. Providing current estimates of the number of recently arrived refugees and/or immigrants served in the last calendar year.
· The extent of the applicant to describe potential health and education data sources in the project area to identify acute illnesses in migrants, refugees, and immigrants that they may present at acute care facilities; obtain appropriate permissions from data sources to access health records needed for surveillance of communicable diseases.
5. Process Monitoring (10 points)
· Does the applicant propose clear plans for monitoring the proposed activities and implementation (“process” evaluation)? Does the applicant include clear timelines, identify responsible staff for various key activities, and provide other such information necessary to effectively track implementation?
6. Measures of Effectiveness (10 points)
· Does the applicant provide measures of effectiveness as described in the paragraph above such that effective “outcome” evaluation is possible?
7. Budget (reviewed but not scored)
· Is the itemized budget for conducting the project, along with justification, reasonable and consistent with stated objectives? If activities involve influenza, is the budget consistent with the President’s National Strategy and the HHS Implementation Plan and planned program activities?
V.2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) staff, and for responsiveness jointly by NCPDCID and PGO. Incomplete applications and applications that are non-responsive to the eligibility criteria will not advance through the review process. Applicants will be notified the application did not meet submission requirements.
An objective review panel will evaluate complete and responsive applications according to the criteria listed in the “V.1. Criteria” section above. The objective review panel will consist of CDC employees from outside the funding division who will evaluate the technical merit of the application for the purpose of advising the awarding official. The panel may consist of both Federal and non-Federal representatives. As part of the review process, the applicant will:
Receive a written Summary Statement of the findings of the Objective Review Panel;
Receive a vote of approval or disapproval and an approval score; and
Receive a second, programmatic-level review by Division senior staff.
Applications will be funded in order by score and rank determined by the review panel.
CDC will provide justification for any decision to fund out of rank order.
VI.1. Award Notices
Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Award (NoA) from the CDC Procurement and Grants Office. The NoA shall be the only binding, authorizing document between the recipient and CDC. The NoA will be signed by an authorized Grants Management Officer and emailed to the program director and a hard copy mailed to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of the application review by mail.
VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Successful applicants must comply with the administrative requirements outlined in 45 CFR Part 74 and Part 92, as appropriate. The following additional requirements apply to this project:
AR-6 Patient Care
AR-8 Public Health System Reporting Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14 Accounting System Requirements
AR-15 Proof of Non-Profit Status
AR-23 States and Faith-Based Organizations
AR-25 Release and Sharing of Data
Additional information on the requirements can be found on the CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/Addtl_Reqmnts.htm.
For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, see the National Archives and Records Administration at the following Internet address: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
The applicant must provide CDC with an original, plus two hard copies of the following reports:
1 Interim progress report, due no less than 90 days before the end of the budget period. The progress report will serve as the non-competing continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
d. Budget.
e. Measures of Effectiveness.
f. Additional Requested Information.
2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period
Final performance and Financial Status reports, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period.
The reports must be mailed to the Grants Management Specialist listed in the “Agency Contacts” section of this announcement.
CDC encourages inquiries concerning this announcement.
For general questions, contact:
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
2920 Brandywine Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
Telephone: 770-488-2700
For program technical assistance, contact:
Terry W. Comans, MPA, Project Officer
CDC/CCID/NCPDCID/DGMQ
1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-03
Atlanta, GA 30341
Telephone: 770-488-2788
E-mail: twc1@cdc.gov
For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact:
Valerie McCloud, Grants Management Specialist
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
2920 Brandywine Road, Mailstop: E-14
Telephone: (770) 488-4790
E-mail: fyq4@cdc.gov
CDC Telecommunications for the hearing impaired or disabled is available at: TTY 770-488-2783.
VIII. Other Information
Other CDC funding opportunity announcements can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/FOAs.htm.
[1] The inadmissible conditions are specifically listed as chancroid, gonorrhea, granuloma inguinale, HIV infection, infectious Hansen’s disease, lymphogranuloma venereum, infectious syphilis and active tuberculosis, mental health disorders with harmful behavior and drug abuse or addiction.
CDC Home Page: http://www.cdc.gov
CDC Funding Web Page: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/foamain.shtm
CDC Forms Web Page:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/app_and_forms.shtm