Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 16 055
Apply for HRSA 16 055
- The HHS-HRSA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strategic Approaches to Improving Access to Quality Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.110.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2016 and posted on Feb 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 12, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Strategic Approaches to Improving Access to Quality Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy program is a discretionary grant opportunity from HHS HRSA (CFDA 93.110; Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-16-055) designed to improve how children and youth with epilepsy (CYE) access and experience coordinated, high-quality care. The program is built around the idea that many families, especially those in rural or medically underserved areas, face avoidable barriers to specialty epilepsy services, care coordination, and consistent education and support. Through this funding, HRSA aims to push practical system changes that expand access, strengthen pediatric-to-adult transition planning, and spread best practices across multiple care sites using structured quality improvement approaches. The original application closing date for this cycle was May 12, 2016, and HRSA anticipated making about eight awards (with an award ceiling listed as 0 in the source data, which typically means applicants must consult the full announcement for exact budget guidance).
At its core, the grant supports three connected strategies. First, recipients are expected to implement evidence-based and innovative telehealth and telemedicine models, including mobile health (mhealth), using health information technology (HIT). The intent is not simply to add video visits, but to use technology in a way that measurably improves access to coordinated and comprehensive epilepsy care, such as improving specialty consultation availability, supporting education and self-management, and strengthening communication between primary care and specialty providers. Second, the program requires implementation of the Got Transition Six Core Elements Framework to help adolescents and young adults move successfully from pediatric to adult health care systems, a period when gaps in care and loss to follow-up are common. Third, awardees must facilitate outreach and education about epilepsy for key stakeholders, which can include families, clinicians, schools or community partners, and advocacy organizations, with the goal of improving understanding of epilepsy management and strengthening community and system support.
Equity and reach are central requirements rather than optional priorities. Each funded project must serve at least 1,000 children and youth with epilepsy within a defined target population that may be statewide or span a broader region. In addition, at least 20 percent of the population served must include people experiencing health disparities and must be medically underserved. The opportunity explicitly emphasizes reaching CYE in underserved and/or rural communities, and it defines health disparities broadly (differences in length and quality of life, disease burden, and disability tied to social position, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, education, and related factors). Medically underserved is tied to concepts like Health Professional Shortage Areas and barriers that are economic, cultural, or linguistic.
A major feature of the program is the required use of quality improvement (QI) learning collaboratives to drive consistent, measurable change across multiple clinical settings. Every awardee must convene learning collaboratives focused on two themes: (1) implementing technology-enabled care (telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth) and (2) improving youth transition by implementing the Got Transition Six Core Elements. These collaboratives are structured, team-based learning and testing environments that use standardized QI methods to translate evidence into practice, allowing participating sites to try changes in a sequenced way, measure results, and spread effective workflows. To make this real on the ground, each awardee must recruit at least seven clinical sites to participate, such as hospitals, primary care practices, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and community health centers. Those sites are expected to actively participate in collaborative activities and then implement telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth and transition-related practices using QI methods rather than one-time trainings.
The awardee functions as the organizer, coach, and accountability hub for the participating sites. Recipients must coordinate structured collaborative activities that support the patient/family-centered medical home model for CYE and demonstrate the value of integrating technology and formal transition infrastructure into routine care. Awardees also need to establish a quality improvement leadership team that includes, at minimum, a physician, a program coordinator, and a child/youth with epilepsy and/or a family member. This requirement signals that family voice is meant to be built into decision-making, not just patient satisfaction surveys. In addition to ongoing activities, the collaborative must include at least one in-person session for clinical sites, and awardees must provide monthly progress updates through conference calls with the Epilepsy Coordinating Center (ECC) and the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Project Officer.
Beyond convening the collaborative, awardees must provide hands-on support and infrastructure for improvement work. That includes coaching clinical sites on quality improvement methods; providing evidence-based guidance on implementing and using health information technology; and ensuring sites have up-to-date pediatric epilepsy guidelines and best practices, including the Got Transition framework and patient/family-centered medical home principles. Recipients must also maintain a formal evaluation plan that is updated annually and addresses whether program objectives are being met, how effective the chosen strategies are, how barriers and challenges are being handled, and how data will be collected, monitored, and reported across project components. Another concrete deliverable is a "change package," meaning a practical, evidence-based set of changes and implementation lessons that summarize what worked for telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth and youth transition so that others can replicate the model.
Family engagement is treated as a required design element rather than an add-on. Projects must include family engagement activities along a continuum that can range from consultation to involvement to partnership and shared leadership. Engagement can occur at the level of direct care, organizational design and governance, and even policy-making, depending on what fits the project strategy. The intent is to ensure that improvements in access, technology workflows, education, and transition planning reflect real family needs and lived experience with epilepsy care.
Clinical sites themselves have clearly defined responsibilities under the program. Each participating site must take part in the epilepsy-focused QI learning collaborative, implement telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth within its care delivery system to improve access to quality epilepsy care (with special attention to health disparity populations and rural/underserved communities), and implement and maintain a pediatric-to-adult transition model grounded in the Got Transition Six Core Elements. In practical terms, this points toward building consistent workflows for transition readiness assessments, transition planning, transfer preparation, and follow-up in adult care, while also increasing the use of technology to deliver coordinated services across distances.
The grant is also highly metrics-driven, with required reporting on both outcome objectives and process objectives targeted for progress by August 2019 (with baseline data collection expected in the first quarter of year two). On the outcome side, projects must aim to increase by 25 percent the number of CYE receiving care through a patient/family-centered medical home; increase by 50 percent the number of CYE with a youth transition plan in place (with at least 20 percent of that group drawn from disparity and/or underserved/rural populations); increase by 25 percent the number of disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE with access to specialized epilepsy care, described at minimum as having a seizure action plan and receiving comprehensive epilepsy education for the child/youth and caregivers; and increase by 25 percent the number of CYE reporting the use of comprehensive and coordinated treatment and care plans. On the process side, projects must increase by 25 percent the proportion of CYE receiving coordinated and comprehensive care through telemedicine visits; increase by 20 percent the number of disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE receiving coordinated and comprehensive care through telemedicine visits; ensure that all participating clinical sites have a transition infrastructure in place using the Got Transition framework; and increase by 50 percent the number of clinical sites with a plan to use telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth to coordinate care specifically for disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE.
Overall, this opportunity is structured to move beyond isolated pilot projects by requiring scale (at least 1,000 youth reached), multi-site participation (at least seven clinical sites), disciplined quality improvement methods (learning collaboratives with routine measurement and reporting), and equity commitments (a defined minimum share of medically underserved populations experiencing disparities). The program’s theory of change is that technology-enabled care, standardized transition processes, and strong stakeholder education and partnerships can reduce gaps in specialty access, improve care coordination, and help young people with epilepsy avoid disruptions when they age out of pediatric systems, particularly in communities where the existing health care infrastructure is limited.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Strategic Approaches to Improving Access to Quality Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy program?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity from HHS HRSA (CFDA 93.110; Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-16-055) focused on improving how children and youth with epilepsy (CYE) access and experience coordinated, high-quality epilepsy care. The program targets avoidable barriers to specialty services, care coordination, and consistent education and support, especially for families in rural or medically underserved communities.
Which federal agency is offering this grant?
The grant is offered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
What is the CFDA number and funding opportunity number for this program?
The CFDA number is 93.110 and the Funding Opportunity Number is HRSA-16-055.
What is the overall purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to drive practical system changes that expand access to coordinated and comprehensive epilepsy care, strengthen pediatric-to-adult transition planning, and spread best practices across multiple care sites using structured quality improvement (QI) approaches.
What kinds of barriers is the program trying to reduce?
The program is designed to reduce avoidable barriers such as limited access to specialty epilepsy services, weak care coordination, inconsistent education and self-management support, and gaps that commonly occur during the transition from pediatric to adult health care. These barriers are highlighted as especially common for families living in rural or medically underserved areas.
How many awards did HRSA anticipate making for this cycle?
HRSA anticipated making about eight awards for this cycle.
When was the application closing date for this cycle?
The original application closing date for this cycle was May 12, 2016.
Is there an award ceiling or budget limit listed?
The source data lists an award ceiling as 0, which typically indicates applicants must consult the full announcement for exact budget guidance.
What are the three main strategies funded under this program?
The program supports three connected strategies: (1) implementing evidence-based and innovative telehealth/telemedicine models, including mobile health (mhealth), using health information technology (HIT); (2) implementing the Got Transition Six Core Elements Framework to strengthen pediatric-to-adult transition; and (3) facilitating outreach and education about epilepsy for key stakeholders to improve understanding and strengthen community and system support.
Does the program require telehealth or telemedicine?
Yes. Recipients are expected to implement evidence-based and innovative telehealth and telemedicine models, including mhealth, supported by HIT. The intent is to measurably improve access to coordinated and comprehensive epilepsy care, not simply add video visits.
What does HRSA mean by using technology "in a way that measurably improves access"?
Based on the program description, technology should be used to improve availability of specialty consultations, support education and self-management, and strengthen communication and coordination between primary care and specialty providers, with measurable improvements tracked through QI methods and required metrics.
What is required for pediatric-to-adult transition work?
Awardees must implement the Got Transition Six Core Elements Framework and ensure participating clinical sites build and maintain a transition model grounded in those Six Core Elements to reduce gaps in care and loss to follow-up during adolescence and young adulthood.
What outreach and education activities are expected?
Awardees must facilitate outreach and education about epilepsy for key stakeholders. Stakeholders can include families, clinicians, schools or community partners, and advocacy organizations. The goal is to improve understanding of epilepsy management and strengthen community and system support.
What scale of impact is required (how many children and youth must be served)?
Each funded project must serve at least 1,000 children and youth with epilepsy within a defined target population. The target population may be statewide or span a broader region.
What equity or disparity requirements apply to the population served?
At least 20 percent of the population served must include people experiencing health disparities and must be medically underserved. The opportunity emphasizes reaching CYE in underserved and/or rural communities.
How does the opportunity define "health disparities"?
Health disparities are defined broadly as differences in length and quality of life, disease burden, and disability tied to social position and factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, education, and related factors.
How does the opportunity describe "medically underserved"?
Medically underserved is tied to concepts such as Health Professional Shortage Areas and barriers that are economic, cultural, or linguistic.
What is a Quality Improvement (QI) learning collaborative in this program?
A QI learning collaborative is a structured, team-based learning and testing environment that uses standardized QI methods to translate evidence into practice. Participating sites test changes in a sequenced way, measure results, and spread effective workflows across multiple settings.
Are learning collaboratives required?
Yes. Every awardee must convene QI learning collaboratives focused on two themes: (1) implementing technology-enabled care (telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth) and (2) improving youth transition by implementing the Got Transition Six Core Elements.
How many clinical sites must participate in the collaborative?
Each awardee must recruit at least seven clinical sites to participate. Examples given include hospitals, primary care practices, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and community health centers.
What are participating clinical sites expected to do (beyond attending training)?
Sites are expected to actively participate in collaborative activities and implement telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth and transition-related practices using QI methods, rather than relying on one-time trainings.
What role does the awardee play in relation to the participating sites?
The awardee functions as the organizer, coach, and accountability hub. Responsibilities include coordinating structured collaborative activities, coaching sites on QI methods, providing evidence-based guidance on HIT implementation and use, and ensuring sites have up-to-date pediatric epilepsy guidelines and best practices.
What is required for family and patient involvement in project leadership?
Awardees must establish a QI leadership team that includes, at minimum, a physician, a program coordinator, and a child/youth with epilepsy and/or a family member. This is intended to incorporate family voice into decision-making, not only through satisfaction surveys.
How is family engagement expected to be incorporated into the project?
Family engagement is required along a continuum that can include consultation, involvement, partnership, and shared leadership. Engagement can occur in direct care, organizational design and governance, and potentially policy-making, depending on the project strategy.
Are in-person meetings required as part of the learning collaborative?
Yes. The collaborative must include at least one in-person session for clinical sites.
Are there recurring check-ins or reporting requirements during the project?
Yes. Awardees must provide monthly progress updates through conference calls with the Epilepsy Coordinating Center (ECC) and the HRSA MCHB Project Officer.
What evaluation requirements are included in the program?
Awardees must maintain a formal evaluation plan that is updated annually. The plan must address whether objectives are being met, how effective the strategies are, how barriers and challenges are being handled, and how data will be collected, monitored, and reported across project components.
What is a "change package" and is it required?
Yes, a change package is required. It is described as a practical, evidence-based set of changes and implementation lessons summarizing what worked for telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth and youth transition, so that other organizations can replicate the model.
What care model is emphasized for children and youth with epilepsy?
The program emphasizes the patient/family-centered medical home model for CYE and seeks to demonstrate the value of integrating technology-enabled care and formal transition infrastructure into routine care.
What are the main outcome objectives awardees are expected to work toward?
Projects must aim to: increase by 25 percent the number of CYE receiving care through a patient/family-centered medical home; increase by 50 percent the number of CYE with a youth transition plan in place (with at least 20 percent of that group drawn from disparity and/or underserved/rural populations); increase by 25 percent the number of disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE with access to specialized epilepsy care (at minimum having a seizure action plan and receiving comprehensive epilepsy education for the child/youth and caregivers); and increase by 25 percent the number of CYE reporting the use of comprehensive and coordinated treatment and care plans.
What are the main process objectives awardees are expected to work toward?
Projects must aim to: increase by 25 percent the proportion of CYE receiving coordinated and comprehensive care through telemedicine visits; increase by 20 percent the number of disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE receiving coordinated and comprehensive care through telemedicine visits; ensure all participating clinical sites have transition infrastructure in place using the Got Transition framework; and increase by 50 percent the number of clinical sites with a plan to use telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth to coordinate care specifically for disparity and/or underserved/rural CYE.
By when were these objectives targeted for progress?
The required reporting on outcome and process objectives was targeted for progress by August 2019, with baseline data collection expected in the first quarter of year two.
What counts as "specialized epilepsy care" for the required outcome measure?
For the purpose of the stated objective, specialized epilepsy care is described at minimum as having a seizure action plan and receiving comprehensive epilepsy education for the child/youth and caregivers.
What are the key responsibilities of participating clinical sites under this program?
Each site must participate in the epilepsy-focused QI learning collaborative, implement telehealth/telemedicine/mhealth within its care delivery system to improve access to quality epilepsy care (with special attention to disparity populations and rural/underserved communities), and implement and maintain a pediatric-to-adult transition model grounded in the Got Transition Six Core Elements.
What makes this opportunity different from a small pilot project?
The design requires scale (serving at least 1,000 youth), multi-site participation (at least seven clinical sites), disciplined QI methods (learning collaboratives with routine measurement and reporting), and explicit equity commitments (a defined minimum share of medically underserved populations experiencing disparities).
What partnerships or coordination entities are referenced in project operations?
Ongoing coordination is referenced with the Epilepsy Coordinating Center (ECC) and the HRSA MCHB Project Officer through monthly progress update calls.
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