OpportunityTitle: Replication of a Public Health Information Exchange to Support Engagement in HIV Care Initiative
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to Ryan White Part B funded State health department grantees of record (to include their lead administrative agencies).  State Health Departments are responsible for managing the state HIV/AIDS surveillance and care systems and conducting critical HIV/AIDS surveillance, investigation, and epidemiologic activities, core requirements of this replication project.  Eligible State health departments must be in States and territories where racial/ethnic minorities comprise 65 percent or more of the people living with HIV/AIDS. According to the CDC,[1] these are Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and the Virgin Islands.  (Louisiana, where the original LaPHIE demonstration project was conducted, is not eligible to apply).
Description: This announcement solicits applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2012 Replication of a Public Health Information Exchange to Support Engagement in HIV Care Initiative. Supported through funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary&apos;s Minority AIDS Initiative, the purpose of this 3-year non-research capacity building demonstration project initiative is to increase rates of linkage, engagement and retention in care among people of color living with HIV/AIDS. The primary target population of this initiative is people of color who have tested positive but are unaware of their status, and those with confirmed HIV diagnoses who have never been engaged in care; have refused referral to care; or have dropped out of care. The goal of this project is to improve the health of uninsured and underinsured people of color living with HIV through applied public health informatics. This initiative will use a community-level, public health approach to support the development of statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE) demonstration projects that ensure the timely transfer of HIV surveillance data to health care providers. More specifically, this initiative will support the replication of the Louisiana Public Health Information Exchange (LaPHIE) funded previously in part by HRSA/HAB&apos;s Special Projects of National Significance Electronic Networks of Care Initiative. Applicants must propose plans to design, develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive statewide public health information exchange (HIE) among collaborating organizations representing HIV surveillance units of State Health Departments and inpatient, outpatient and emergency health care settings such as hospitals and community-based clinics. Applicants must have the cooperation of their State HIV surveillance units and should identify at least three (3) collaborating health care provider partners established through formal agreements. Funds are to be used for Health Information Technology (HIT) capacity building to improve interconnectivity and interoperability between state HIV surveillance data systems and the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems of hospitals and outpatient clinics, to include acquisition and implementation of network, hardware and software components. Proposed plans must describe the capacity and procedures used to protect patient privacy and electronic protected health information (PHI), and adherence to Security and Confidentiality Guidelines that govern protection of HIV surveillance data.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Contact HRSA Contact Center at 877-Go4-HRSA/877-464-4772 or email
GrantorContactText: CallCenter@HRSA.GOV&lt;br/&gt;CallCenter@HRSA.GOV&lt;br/&gt;