Enhancing Public Health Laboratory Capabilities and Increasing Capacity

Description

The purpose of this supplemental funding opportunity is intended to improve effectiveness of public health laboratories nationwide, both individually and as components of a national system, to improve public health. This supplemental NOFO aims to support efforts that will enhance the capabilities and increase the capacities of public health laboratories by strengthening: 1) science, management and operations; 2) policy, partnership, and communication; 3) training and capacity building; and 4) laboratory quality, safety, and informatics for public health testing services, surveillance and response. These four categories of strategies will be operationalized through projects from some of the nine focus areas: a) foundational leadership and support; b) environmental health; c) foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted diseases; d) infectious diseases; e) informatics; f) newborn screening and genetics; g) preparedness and response; h) quality and safety systems; and i) workforce development. This supplemental NOFO will be implemented as a cooperative agreement (CoAg). Through this CoAg, public health laboratories will become a more effective, timely, and reliable contributors to public health emergencies, guidelines, and policies. Activities conducted under this CoAg will increase the scientific knowledge for addressing public health issues, strengthen public health partnerships, and promote the use of informatics. Additionally, this CoAg will support the public health laboratory network’s capability at the forefront of unforeseen or emerging public health threats and serve as a sentinel for conditions that may adversely affect the health of the nation. The strategies of this supplemental NOFO are in alignment with the overarching goals of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020. Many of these goals depend upon an effective public health system that provides essential laboratory services. This supplemental NOFO is a single source eligibility opportunity. Only one applicant is eligible to apply for this NOFO. The eligible applicant is the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The success of this CoAg requires that the recipient has: 1) superior expertise in public health laboratory practice; 2) a history of successful partnerships with public health laboratories; 3) credibility and influence among public health laboratories; 4) a track record of improving public health laboratory practice, providing training and continuous education for public health laboratorians, promoting careers in public health laboratory practice, and preparing the future generation of laboratory leaders. The overall CDC Evaluation and Performance Measurement Strategy will focus on both process and outcome evaluation. The recipient can select strategies and activities outlined from the Core NOFO Logic Model to attain intended project outcomes. In addition, for each project the recipient must provide a detailed work plan with outcomes, outcome measures, strategies and activities, and process measures. Monitoring activities will include but are not limited to work plans, progress reports, performance measures, financial reports, conference calls, and site visits. Data collection requirements during the project period will be subject to review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), this is consistent with applicable grants regulations and policies. The following will occur during the post-award monitoring of the cooperative agreements: Tracking recipient progress in achieving the desired outcomes Ensuring the adequacy of recipient systems that underlie and generate data reports Creating an environment that fosters integrity in program performance and results Collectively, the proximal and intermediate outcomes are intended to contribute to improved effectiveness of public health laboratories over time, individually and as components of a national system to improve public health.

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