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Pregnancy Assistance Fund – Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens and Women. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health and Science Office of Adolescent Health July 9, 2010 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET. Purpose of Today’s Call.
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Pregnancy Assistance Fund – Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens and Women U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health and Science Office of Adolescent Health July 9, 2010 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Purpose of Today’s Call • Review the Pregnancy Assistance Fund: Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens and Women • Created by the Affordable Care Act • Learn about the new program • Funding opportunity announcement (FOA) available to States, Territories, and Tribes 2
Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 directed that the new OAH be established Implements and administers new grant program to support evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention approaches Administers the new Pregnancy Assistance Fund Program Coordinates adolescent health programs and initiatives across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 3
Pregnancy Assistance Fund • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) sections 10211- 10214 • Authorizes $25 million for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019 • Authorizes the Secretary of HHS, in collaboration and coordination with the Secretary of Education, to establish and administer a Pregnancy Assistance Fund to award competitive grants to States to assist pregnant and parenting teens and women
Pregnancy Assistance Fund Purpose To develop and implement programs to assist pregnant and parenting teens and women Provide needed services to pregnant teens and women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term, and those who are parenting Linking families to supportive services focusing on important outcomes (e.g., graduation rates, maternal and child health outcomes, and parenting skills) Address violence against pregnant women
Award Information • Type of Award: State Competitive Grant • Number of awards: Up to 25 • Project Period: 3 years • Funding Range: $500,000 - $2,000,000 • Start Date: September, 2010 • States (including Tribes, Reservations and Territories ) may only submit one application for consideration 6
Any State which includes the District of Columbia, any commonwealth possession, or other territory of the United States, and any Indian tribe or reservation. Who is eligible to apply? 7
Pregnancy Assistance Fund: Use of Funds • States may propose to use grant funds to carry out any or all of the following activities: • Support for Pregnant and Parenting Student Services at Institutions of Higher Education • Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens at High Schools and Community Service Centers • Improving Services for Pregnant Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking • Increasing Public Awareness and Education 8
Pregnancy Assistance Fund: Use of Funds • Program expectations laid out in the legislation and the FOA • States can use funds to work with a wide range of stakeholders to provide needed services and to link with existing services in the community
Cost-Sharing or Matching • Institutions of Higher Education receiving funds from a State must provide 25 percent match (cash or in kind) • High schools, community service centers and State Attorneys General receiving funds from a State, and entities that provide public awareness and education activities, are not required to provide matching or cost sharing 10
Support for Pregnant and Parenting Student Services at Institutions of Higher Education • Establish, maintain, or operate pregnant and parenting student services at eligible institutions of higher education • May conduct program on the campus and/or sub-grant with service providers in the local community • Must supplement, not supplant, existing funding for such services • Propose strong linkages and referrals with existing service providers • 25 percent cash or in-kind match required • All educational programs and activities must be in compliance with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq. 11
Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens at High Schools and Community Service Centers • Establish, maintain or operate pregnant and parenting services to eligible high schools and community service centers that serve eligible youth • High Schools and Community Service Centers may operate in the same general manner and in accordance with all conditions and requirements described for Institutions of Higher Education, except that the 25 percent matching requirement does not apply • Community service centers funded under this FOA may serve out of school youth • All education programs and activities must be in compliance with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.
Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens (IHEs, High Schools, and Community Service Centers) Program Activities • Conduct a needs assessment and set goals • Conduct an annual assessment of the performance of the institution • Identify public and private service providers, located on campus or within the local community, that are qualified, and culturally competent and establish programs with qualified and culturally competent providers to meet such needs • Assist participants in locating and obtaining services • Provide referrals for prenatal care and delivery, postnatal care, enrollment assistance for health coverage under Medicaid and CHIP, infant or foster care, or adoption 13
Improving Services for Pregnant Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking • Make funding available to the State Attorney General to assist statewide offices in providing one or more of the following: • Intervention services, accompaniment, and supportive social services for eligible pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual assault, or stalking. • Technical assistance and training relating to violence against eligible pregnant women to be made available to the following: • Federal, State, tribal, territorial, and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and courts • Professionals working in legal, social service and health care settings • Nonprofit organizations • Faith-based organizations
Increasing Public Awareness and Education • Increase public awareness and education concerning any services or resources available to pregnant and parenting teens and women • Activities related to public awareness and education may include the development of user-friendly websites and new media tools to increase such awareness and access to appropriate services • HHS encourages programs that are not solely focused on such activities, but rather are supportive of a broader set of activities supporting pregnant and parenting teens and women
Program Expectations • Program activities emphasize health, education, and social services for pregnant and parenting adolescents and women • Programs may also serve fathers or spouses • A strong emphasis on linking to existing services is expected • HHS encourages applications that demonstrate collaboration among relevant State agencies and that leverage other resources or links to existing support services • Utilize evidence-based programs or practices and include data supporting the effectiveness of the proposed evidence-based strategies
Performance and Reporting Criteria Performance Criteria • Performance criteria should be established by the State and should reflect the specific activities or programs being implemented. Program outcomes may include, but are not limited to: • Graduation rates, school retention and reduction in drop out rates, access to prenatal care, parenting skills, infant mortality rate, subsequent pregnancy rates, and other maternal and child health outcomes. • States shall identify the format of the report. The State will share the performance criteria and the report format with the funded institution of higher education, high school or community service center.
Medical Accuracy & Age-Appropriateness • States are expected to ensure that materials used in any activities funded under this announcement are medically accurate and complete. • “medically accurate and complete” means verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods; and published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable or comprising information that leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete. 18
Receipt Deadlines • Application deadline - August 2, 2010 • Awards to States, Indian Tribes or Reservations to be made September, 2010 19
The Application Review Process: Review Criteria • Eligible competing grant applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary panel comprised of independent reviewers and federal staff, and subsequently reviewed by OAH staff • Applications will be assessed and scored by the panel of independent reviewers according to the following criteria: • Description of Problem and Need • Project Goals and Objectives • Implementation Plan • Work plan and Monitoring • Budget • Stakeholder Participation 20
Final Award Decision Criteria • Scores, recommendations, and comments from the Objective Review Committee panels; • Geographic distribution of projects; • Geographic area to be served, particularly services to underserved areas and populations; • Extent to which there are a broad range of programs both in size and scope; and • Reasonableness of the estimated cost of the proposed project
Thank you! • Office of Adolescent Health • Website - www.hhs.gov/ophs/oah • Email – oah.gov@hhs.gov • Phone – (240) 453-8128 23