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National Health Center Training and Technical Assistance Partners COVID-19 Funding Overview

Overview

Additional funding was awarded to fiscal year (FY) 2020 National Health Center Training and Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAP) award recipients to enhance national training and technical assistance (T/TA) to support health centers on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, preparedness, and/or response, including strengthening health center operations and capacity to ensure access to comprehensive primary care services.

In addition to the NTTAP base award, all NTTAPs received additional one-time COVID-19 funding equivalent to 10 percent of their NTTAP award or $75,000, whichever is higher. HRSA will provide the individual COVID-19 funding amount for each NTTAP in a separate communication1.

Use of Funds

This COVID-19 funding may support a wide range of activities that align with the funding purpose, as needs evolve, but may not be used for costs incurred before the award start date (July 1, 2020). Appendix A lists example activities that may support health centers with addressing COVID-19.

Required Supporting Documents

As stated on your notice of award, you will document your COVID-19-related T/TA activities in your revised Project Work Plan, to be submitted within 60 days of the award start date through the Project Work Plan (PWP) Module. Under the new objective titled COVID-19 Supplemental Funding, list the additional T/TA activities that will support health centers with addressing COVID-19.

You will report progress through your next non-competing continuation progress report and other routine monitoring processes.

Contacts

  • For questions about funding uses or Project Work Plan updates, contact Tia-Nicole Leak at tleak@hrsa.gov.
  • For questions about federal funding requirements, contact the grants management specialist referenced on your Notice of Award. 

Appendix A: Example Activities

This is a list of example NTTAP activities that may support health centers with COVID-19 prevention, preparedness, and/or response, including strengthening health center operations and capacity to ensure access to comprehensive primary care services. This list is not exhaustive.

Staffing

  • Support health centers with implementing team-based structures to meet growing workforce demands of COVID-19 care.
  • Create resource bundles including tools, manuals, and checklists on contracting with providers during surge and emergency situations to help health centers meet increased service demand due to COVID-19.
  • Provide T/TA on developing a pipeline to ensure staffing during surge situations requiring increased capacity for patient triage, testing, and laboratory services.
  • Develop staffing assessments to help health centers and PCAs understand new hiring needs to support increased service demand due to COVID-19.

Operations

  • Support health centers and Health Center Controlled Networks with enhancing telehealth infrastructure to increase capacity to assess a growing number of patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Support health centers to increase COVID-19 testing capacity to reach special and vulnerable populations including migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, school-aged children, older adults, individuals experiencing homelessness, and LGBT individuals.
  • Provide T/TA on implementing telehealth to replace in-person visits and reduce patient COVID-19 risk.
  • Develop learning collaboratives to support health centers’ readiness to provide fully integrated triage and care teams during surge situations due to COVID-19.

Health Education

  • Review and disseminate national resources via the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse on hand hygiene, cough etiquette, COVID-19 transmission, as well as standard, contact, and airborne precautions, and infection control procedures, including administrative rules and engineering controls, environmental hygiene, and appropriate use of personal protective equipment.
  • Develop and disseminate educational materials tailored to special and vulnerable populations, such as migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, school-aged children, older adults, individuals experiencing homelessness, and LGBT individuals, on precautions to prevent, contain, or mitigate COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
  • Publish COVID-19-specific information on existing NTTAP websites, with emphasis on issues health centers face, such as special and vulnerable populations, or health center management during a public health crisis.

Emergency Preparedness

  • Serve as a national expert for health centers, HCCNs, and PCAs to address financing needs related to major capital projects and minor alterations and renovations required to implement emergency preparedness for continuity of care and physical distancing.
  • Share emergency operations planning resources via the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse to divert non-emergency patients from hospitals impacted by COVID-19.
  • Organize and facilitate a cohort of health centers to identify and address major issues impacting special and vulnerable populations during a public health emergency, such as individuals experiencing homelessness, migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, residents of public housing, patients experiencing intimate partner violence, and older adults.

Other

  • Develop learning modules on health consequences for people experiencing intimate partner violence who are sheltering in place with an abuser, as well as care coordination strategies.
  • Develop T/TA materials to support the purchase of high-demand products such as personal protective equipment, COVID-19 tests, mobile units, and/or vehicles to transport patients to testing locations.

1HRSA will send funding amount emails to the individuals registered as project director, business official, and authorizing official in the U30 grant folder in the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs).

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