6 CCR 1014-5 – Office of Health Equity Rules for the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT Colorado State Board of Health OFFICE OF HEALTH EQUITY RULES FOR THE HEALTH DISPARITIES GRANT PROGRAM 6 CCR 1014-5 [Editor’s Notes follow the text of the rules at the end of this CCR Document.] _________________________________________________________________________

1.1 Definitions

(1) "Commission" means the Health Equity Commission that, pursuant to Section 25-4-2206, C.R.S., advises the Department to advance health equity and eliminate health disparities.

(2) "Grant program" means the Health Disparities Grant Program created in Section 25-4-2203, C.R.S. to provide financial support for statewide initiatives that address prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases in underrepresented populations.

(3) "Health Disparities Grant Program priorities" means areas of emphasis for grantees as determined for the grant cycle.

1.2 Procedures for Grant Application

(1) Grant Application Contents.

(a) At a minimum, all applications shall be submitted to the department in accordance with these rules and shall contain the following information:

(i) A description of the specific needs of the community or population to be served.
(ii) A description of:
1. (A) how the application meets at least one of the following program criteria
  1. 1. Translating evidence-based strategies regarding the prevention and early detection of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pulmonary disease into practical application in healthcare, workplace and community settings.
  2. 2. Providing appropriate diagnosis and treatment services for anyone who has abnormalities discovered in screening and early detection programs funded through this initiative.
  3. 3. Implementing education programs for the public and healthcare providers regarding the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary disease; and 4. Providing evidence-based strategies to overcome health disparities in the prevention and early detection of cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary disease, and;

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(B) how the application addresses the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or chronic pulmonary diseases, in underrepresented populations, and;
1. (C) the Health Disparities Grant Program priorities identified for the grant cycle.
(iii) A detailed scope of work describing goals, objectives, implementation steps and timelines.
(iv) A description of the roles and responsibilities of all staff funded through the application.
(v) A detailed operating budget and budget narrative.
(vi) A detailed sustainability plan including any other funding to support the project.
(vii) A written evaluation plan.

(2) Timelines for Grant Application.

Grant applications may be solicited on dates determined by the department.

1.3 Criteria for Selecting Entities

(1) The following criteria shall be used for selecting potential grantees:

(a) The applicant submits a completed application in accordance with the requirements in Section 1.2;

(b) The applicant does not use grant monies to supplant funding for existing programs;

(2) The Commission shall appoint a review committee to review the applications received and make recommendations to the Commission regarding the entities that may receive grants, the amounts of the grants, and the duration of the grant, which cannot exceed three years. The Commission shall finalize the recommendations for funding and provide them to the State Board of Health. The Board of Health shall ensure that awards are consistent with the purpose of the grant program.

1.4 Responsibilities of Grantees

(1) Program Evaluation and progress reports. Grantees shall be responsible for ongoing program evaluation and reporting consisting of the following:

(a) Written evaluation plan at the inception of the program;

(b) Quarterly progress reports;

(c) Annual evaluation updates; and (d) Final evaluation report at the end of the grant cycle. Code of Colorado Regulations 2 (2) All evaluation plans/reports and progress reports shall be submitted to the Office of Health Equity. Reports shall be submitted in an electronic form. Electronic reports shall be provided in any word processing software program compatible with Microsoft Word 2007 or higher format.

(3) The Written Evaluation Plan shall be developed and submitted with the application and implemented at the inception of the program. At a minimum, the Written Evaluation Plan shall describe:

(a) How the grantee will measure the outcomes of the grant against the goals and objectives it set out to accomplish;

(b) A determination of how the results achieved by the project will contribute to the achievement of the Health Disparities Grant program goals and objectives as stated in the application;

(c) Agreement to participate, at the request of the department, in state-level evaluation or surveillance studies regarding the impact of the overall grant program;

(d) The number of people and target population the grantee anticipates will be served and the services provided;

(e) A description of the measures or indicators that will be used to evaluate the project, along with the data methodology and data variables;

(f) A description of how the results of the evaluation will be used, disseminated and communicated;

(g) The interventions or approach selected and the desired outcomes;

(h) Why this approach was chosen;

(i) Specific disease category(ies) focus for the project; and (j) How the grantee will address cultural competence.

(4) During the grant cycle, grantees shall submit Quarterly Reports no later than two weeks following the end of each 3-month quarterly cycle, as based on when the grant started within the state fiscal year (the State Fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30). At a minimum, each Quarterly Report shall include:

(a) Outlines of objectives, implementation steps, activities, achievements, occurring during the quarter using the measures, indicators and data identified in the written evaluation plan.

(b) An explanation if a project goal, objective or activity was not met. The grantee should describe what hindered the accomplishment of the project goal or objective and what was done to overcome the barriers. The narrative should also describe activities undertaken as an alternative or substituted for the original activity.

(c) Revisions to approved work plans. Requests for revision of program goals and objectives must be submitted in writing to the Office of Health Equity. Grantees will receive a written response regarding the approval of the change. If the requested change is substantial, it may be necessary to revise the budget.

(d) A copy of any material developed during the project, such as brochures or manuals, must be included with the progress reports. All such materials should include proper credit for the type and source of funding.

Code of Colorado Regulations 3 (5) A Final Evaluation Report shall be submitted within 30 days of the end of the grant cycle. At a minimum, each Final Evaluation Report shall include:

(a) A determination of how the results achieved by the project contributed to the achievement of the project goals and objectives;

(b) Whether the grantee participated in state-level evaluation or surveillance studies regarding the impact of the overall Health Disparities Grant Program at the request of the department, and if so, a description of each evaluation or study;

(d) A summary of outcomes achieved and the lessons the grantee learned from the implementation of the grant services;

(e) Measures or indicators used along with the data methodology and data variables;

(f) Methods/strategies used to determine effectiveness and impact on health disparities;

(g) How results will be used, disseminated and communicated;

(h) Whether plans for sustainability after the grant period ends have been implemented, and if so, what those plans are; and (i) How grantees impacted the target population.

(j) An explanation of how cultural competence was addressed.

(6) Grantees who fail to submit any of the required reports may be terminated from the grant program for non-performance. In the event that grantees fail to submit a Final Evaluation Report after the conclusion of their grant, future applications of the grantee may be denied based on non- performance.

(7) The moneys shall not be used for the purposes of lobbying as defined in Section 24-6-301 (3.5) (a), C.R.S. or to support or oppose any ballot issue or ballot question. _________________________________________________________________________ Editor’s Notes History Entire rule eff. 03/02/2014.

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