Community Health Grant FY 2023 RFA

DHHS Division/Office issuing this notice: Office of Rural Health

Date of this notice: October 29, 2021

Grant Applications will be accepted beginning November 1, 2021
Application Deadline: January 14, 2022

Working title of the funding program: Community Health Grants

Purpose: Description of function of the program and reason why it was created:

These grant funds, supported through the North Carolina General Assembly, are for assuring access to primary and preventive care to meet the health needs of vulnerable, underserved and medically indigent patients, with emphasis on providing primary and preventative medical services to uninsured or medically indigent patients. An important component of this work is to strengthen the safety net through increased levels of collaboration and integration of services to sustain and meet the needs of those served more effectively. When an eligible primary care medical home safety net organization provides integrated care, grant funding may also support dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services.

Primary care safety net organizations who care for underserved and medically indigent patients in North Carolina are eligible to apply for this funding to pay for patient care through encounter-based reimbursement (Track A) or through reimbursement for eligible expenses (Track B). Telehealth services and equipment are eligible expenses in both tracks. Applicants must select ONE track.

Track A: Encounter-based reimbursement. Payment per patient encounter for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents, who do not have health care coverage or access to primary health care services. Visits are reimbursable for medically necessary, on-site, face-to-face provider encounters. Face-to-face encounters may also include telehealth patient encounters with a provider. Indirect costs are not eligible.

NOTE - Per the Free Clinics Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Program Policy Guide, grant funding that applies to reimbursement, payment, or compensation for the delivery of health services to patients falls within the statutory prohibition, while grant funding that is not intended for or applied to this purpose does not. Free clinics who are FTCA recipients that choose a “per encounter’ reimbursement methodology may void their FTCA liability protection.

Track B: Reimbursement for eligible expenses. Payment may include salary/fringe for clinical staff, medical/office supplies and equipment, and capital expenses, including equipment for telehealth services. Indirect costs are not eligible.

Regardless of track selected, applicant organizations must ensure that Community Health Grant funding does not duplicate or supplant any other funding, including Federal COVID funds.

Maximum Award Amount: 
Applicants may request up to $150,000 per year of the grant.

Funding Availability:  
Funding requests are contingent upon availability of program funding. Highest scoring applicants may receive a three-year award OR a one-year award, based on applicant scores. ORH anticipates that approximately 30 applicants will receive three-year funding and another 12 applicants will receive one-year funding. 

Proposed Project Period or Contract Term:
State Fiscal Year 2023: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023

Eligibility:
All primary care safety net organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive care and serve as a medical home are eligible to apply. This includes:

  • Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-Alikes (FQHCs), 
  • Free and Charitable Clinics, 
  • Health Departments, 
  • Non-Profit, Hospital-Owned Primary Care Clinics, 
  • Rural Health Centers, 
  • School-Based and School-Linked Health Centers, 
  • AHEC Clinics,
  • Other Non-Profit Community Organizations that provide direct primary and preventive patient care to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and medically vulnerable populations.

Eligible organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive care may use these funds to support any of the following:

  • Health promotion, health maintenance, health counseling,
  • Disease prevention,
  • Patient education, 
  • Diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses,
  • Integrated care services (dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, care coordination/care management by a primary care entity), 
  • Women’s health, maternal and child health that supports health care services in a primary care setting,
  • Collaborative, community-based, whole person-centered health care delivery models,
  • Telehealth patient care,
  • Community health workers.

As a condition of receiving a grant award, successful applicants must: 

  • Complete the contract process. 
  • Submit a monthly expense report in a specified format for reimbursement. 
  • Submit performance measures and reports, established by the Office of Rural Health, throughout the grant term.  Awardee will have an opportunity to share additional project specific quality measures to demonstrate health improvements.
  • Use an electronic financial software application (EXCEL spreadsheets are not an acceptable format)
  • Document collaborations among safety net and social support organizations specifying the distinct roles of each organization and the designated fiscal responsibilities. 
  • Connect to NC HealthConnex (To meet the state’s mandate, a provider is “connected” when its clinical and demographic information is being sent to NC HealthConnex at least twice daily.) For further information, please see the HIEA website: https://hiea.nc.gov)

Deadline for Submission:   
Grant applications must be received electronically using the on-line application link provided by the Office of Rural Health. All applications are due by January 14, 2022. Only electronic applications will be accepted. Incomplete applications, or applications not completed in accordance with the following instructions, will not be reviewed.

How to Apply:  
Access to the electronic application is a two-step process:

  • Step One: Use the Office of Rural Health application link to submit the organization name and contact information. The link opens on November 1, 2021 and closes on January 13, 2022. Office of Rural Health Application Link: https://ncruralhealth.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b3dUODMYHn7MRud
  • Step Two: Upon submitting the required information to the Office of Rural Health Application Link, an email with a personalized link specific to your organization will be sent. The link in the email will provide access to the electronic application. The application closes January 14, 2022. Please begin the application process in time to ensure completion on or before January 14, 2022. No new application links will be sent after January 13, 2022.

Applications must be complete, and agencies must respond to all application requirements. Incomplete applications, or applications not completed in accordance with the instructions, will not be reviewed.

All applicants will receive a confirmation notice after an application has been successfully submitted.

For assistance with the application link contact: Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov

Technical Assistance Webinars: 
Webinars by Medicaid Regions (Appendix A) will be held on the following dates:
Organizations are invited to participate in any or all the webinars.

Technical Assistance Webinar Slides

November 1, 2021 at 10:00 am – Regions 1 and 2

Monday, Nov 1, 2021 at 10:00 am | 1 hour | (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Meeting number: 2348 201 2056
Password: community

November 4, 2021 at 2:30 pm – Regions 3 and 5

Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 at 2:30 pm | 1 hour | (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Meeting number: 2349 252 2840
Password: community

November 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm – Regions 4 and 6

To obtain further information: Funding Agency Contact/Inquiry Information:
Stephanie Nantz: stephanie.nantz@dhhs.nc.gov

For assistance with the application link:
Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov

Supporting Grant Documents

CHG RFA SFY 2023 Final October 29 2021
CHG Budget Template v6
CHG RFA Application Project Narrative Section Template