Recovery Assistance for Public Health Organizations

Table of Contents

Early Intervention – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C Formula Grants

Recovery Funds

  • $250 million nationwide

NYS Share

  • $26.4 million

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates significant new funding for programs under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C of the IDEA provides funds through the US Department of Education to the NYS Department of Health to implement statewide systems of coordinated, comprehensive, multidisciplinary interagency programs and make early intervention services available to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

The Department of Education (Department) awarded 50 percent of the IDEA, Part C Grants for Infants and Families program ARRA funds to lead agencies on April 1, 2009. The other 50 percent, plus amounts reallocated, was awarded August 31, 2009.

The NYS Early Intervention Program provides speech, hearing, and other therapies to developmentally delayed children from birth to the age of 3. It is run by the Department of Health and local health departments. New York City and counties across the State will have their Early Intervention administration funds increased by a total of $8 million. Services are provided by agencies and individuals in local communities who have been approved by the Department. Over 70,000 children and their families are served by the Early Intervention Program.

NY Recovery Act Handbook

WIC (Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children)

Recovery Funds

  • $ 500 million, nationwide
    • $400 million for cost due to increased caseload or food costs over budgeted levels
    • $100 million for competitive management information system improvement grants

NYS Share

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides coupons for nutritious food for lower-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five. WIC is run by the NYS Department of Health in partnership with over 100 local agencies, such as county health departments, clinics, and hospitals. Recovery funds help cover the costs of food and administering the program for a larger number of people.

It's expected that more women and children will become eligible for WIC as more families face unemployment. The increase in federal funding through the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will help cover the costs of food and of administering the program for a larger number of people.

In October, 2009, statethe Department rececived $8.2 million in miscellaneous technology grants to upgrade and enchance the WIC management information system, resulting in more efficient processing of benefits.

NY Recovery Act Handbook

Health Research – National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Recovery Funds

  • $10.4 billion nationwide
    • $1.8 billion is targeted for infrastructure, both at NIH buildings and other research facilities, for construction projects and equipment purchases,
    • $400 million for comparative effectiveness research (to AHRQ),
    • $8.2 billion for research ($7.4 billion to common fund for percentage formula distribution, and $.8 billion to Director's discretion, for example, Challenge Grants).

New York State's Share

  • NIH lists the over 1,100 awards, totaling over $384 million, that have been made directly to research facilities in New York State on its web site. Specific details about the nature of the research and the amount of each award are also posted. In addition, NIH has granted New York State over $3 million in supplements to employ about 250 students and teachers in summer research projects.

The Recovery Act provides funds for health research to focus on specific knowledge gaps, scientific opportunities, new technologies, data generation, or research methods and to improve the facilities to accommodate accelerated research. Grant opportunities continue to be announced.

On September 18, 2009, NIH announced a new program: Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research, or the Infrastructure Grants program.

  • $30 million to be awarded to support the development, expansion, or reconfiguration of infrastructure needed to facilitate collaboration between academic health centers and community-based organizations for health science research, to accelerate the pace, productivity, dissemination and implementation of health research.
  • Eligible applicants include: institutions of higher education; independent school districts; state, county, municipal and tribal governments; both for profit and non-profit businesses; and regional organizations.
  • NIH expects to award 30 or more grants. Applications are due December 11, 2009.

On September 25, AHRQ two new limited competitive grants for comparative effectiveness:

  • Clinical and Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness (CHOICE) Grants
    • $100 million expected to be awarded to 10 large projects aimed at generating new knowledge to help inform decision making in priority areas of clinical care; specifically, arthritis and non-traumatic joint disorders; cancer; cardiovascular disease, including stroke and hypertension; dementia, including Alzheimer's disease; depression and other mental health disorders; developmental delays, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism; diabetes mellitus; functional limitations and disability; infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS; obesity; peptic ulcer disease and dyspepsia; pregnancy including pre-term birth; pulmonary disease/asthma; and substance abuse.
    • Eligibles include State, local and tribal governments, institutions of higher education, and faith-based and community-based organizations.
    • Letters of intent due November 18; applications, December 16, 2009
  • Innovative Adaption and Dissemination of AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Research Products (iADAPT) Grants
    • $29.5 million to be awarded, with a grant ceiling of $1.5 million for innovative customizations or adaptations to the content presentation and/or delivery mechanisms to increase their use, implementation and impact among difficult-to-reach populations, including the elderly, those with limited English proficiency, limited education or insurance coverage, minority or immigrant status, health literacy problems, or other underserved populations.
    • Eligibles include State, county and tribal governments, institutions of higher education, and faith-based and community-based organizations.
    • Applications due December 16, 2009.

On November 2, 2009, NIH announced a limited competitive grant opportunity: Administrative Supplements to Support Core Consolidation.

  • Approximately $15 million available nationwide to encourage such activities as:
    • Merging two core facilities from different departments or campuses into a single core;
    • Moving equipment to make it accessible to a much larger group of investigators;
    • Consolidating two different technologies; or
    • Combining core facilities at different institutions into a single facility.
  • Applications are due January 13, 2010 and may contain requests for no more than $500,000 for equipment, no more than $500,000 for alteration and renovation, and no more than $200,000 for direct costs such as personnel and supplies.

National Institute of Health(NIH) / National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) make awards directly to successful applicants, including public or private institutions of higher education.

New York Recovery Act Handbook

Prevention and Wellness Fund

Recovery Funds

  • $1 billion nationwide

New York State's Share

  • To be determined; $47.75 million, estimated - based on per capita allotment

The Recovery Act provides funding for public health programs through the Prevention and Wellness Fund. Of this amount,

  • $300 million will be transferred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the immunization program,
  • $50 million for healthcare-associated infection reduction, and
  • $650 million will be used for evidence based clinical and community-based prevention and wellness strategies with measurable outcomes that address chronic disease rates.

Immunization Program

  • $50 million for noncompetitive operational grants and vaccine distribution.
  • $18 million for competitive grants for innovative approaches increasing the number of Americans who receive childhood vaccines and for improving reimbursement practices,
  • $200 million to purchase vaccines.
    • NYS grant for vaccines is $12.1 million, which includes $4.6 million for New York City.
    • NYS also received $3.8 million to administer the immunization program, both at the State and local health department levels. Excluding New York City, the other 57 counties received $1,7 of this award as additional funds for operational costs.
  • $32 million retained by CDC for internal use - CDC announced a competitive grant opportunity, open to public and private nonprofit organizations, for immunization cooperative agreement partnerships, total of $2.5 million, with applications due July 6, 2009, for three different purposes:
    • Provide Technical Assistance and Training for Immunization Coalitions and Health Departments
    • Develop and Implement Materials and Programs to Educate Nurses about Immunization Issues
    • Develop Vaccine Safety Communication Materials and Curriculum for Medical Residents.

Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Reduction

  • CDC will award funding ($40 million) to eligible state health departments to support efforts to prevent HAIs. Existing Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) and the Emerging Infections Programs (EIP) competitive cooperative agreement programs will be utilized to make competitive supplemental awards to eligible state health departments to carry out HAI activities.
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide funding ($10 million) to significantly expand the awareness of proper infection control technique among Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) and State Survey Agency (SA), increase the extent to which infection control deficiencies are both identified and remedied, and prevent future serious infections in ASCs
  • Payments will be made to States separate from but in the same manner as operation of the Survey and Certification program using Federal Hospital and Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds.

Prevention and Wellness Strategies

  • On September 17, 2009, CDC announced a new ARRA-funded public health initiative, Communities Putting Prevention to Work. $373 million, or over 57% of the $650 million contained in the Recovery Act for this purpose, will be awarded competitively to local communities to address to risk factors:
    • Obesity/Physical Activity/Nutrition: Category A Grants
    • Tobacco Prevention and Control: Category B Grants
    • Between 30-40 grants will be awarded; applications are due December 1, 2009.
  • The balance, $277 million will be awarded as grants to states (more information will be released at a later date by CDC).

NY Recovery Act Handbook