OpportunityTitle: Namibia Mechanism for Public Health Assistance, Capacity, and Technical Support (NAM-PHACTS) under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: The only eligible entity for this supplemental award is the University of Washington&apos;s International Education and Training Center for Health (I-TECH).ITECH is the only provider in Namibia that has the capacity to provide not only clinical services, but also technical assistance to Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) staff in the treatment and management of patients living with HIV/AIDS.  Since 2002, the University of Washington&apos;s International Education and Training Center for Health (I-TECH) has provided technical assistance (TA) to the MOHSS to increase access to quality HIV care and treatment via rapid implementation and scale-up of new programs, including: antiretroviral therapy (ART) and management of opportunistic infections (OIs), voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), HIV testing and counselling (HTC), early infant diagnosis (EID), Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and the development of an innovative pediatric HIV disclosure program. ITECH currently has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the MOHSS that was first signed in 2010 for the delivery of these health services.  This MOU allows ITECH to operate in MOHSS facilities by providing clinical mentors to existing MOHSS staff and also additional staff for expanded service delivery. Any organization providing the delivery of services would need to have an established MOU with the MOHSS. These staff work alongside government staff in MOHSS facilities.  Presently, there are no other partners in Namibia (with this capacity or level of collaboration with the MOHSS and integration into their existing healthcare facilities) that can conduct the activities under this supplement.  ITECH has been working successfully with the MOHSS for the past 15 years to fill these critical gaps in Namibia and scale up HIV Care and Treatment.  ITECH scope of work under Program Area B the of the current award (CDC-RFA-GH15-1615) which in its original intent applies to any geographic part of Namibia, includes among other tasks (1) providing technical assistance to the MOHSS to plan and implement a national clinical mentoring program (2) Supporting regions to conduct regional reviews of programmatic data and performance, and (3) providing TA and implementation support for new service delivery models, including for the pillars of combination prevention. The proposed geographic expansion falls within and is consistent with the already approved SOW under the existing ITECH award .Given the available current portfolio of CDC Namibia partners, ITECH is the only eligible and capable agency with an active  award that already includes the required tasks to carry out the proposed program expansion within the specified time frame.  They presently provide on-the-job, and mentorship training/support to MOHSS health care workers and managers.  First, in order to achieve epidemic control, ITECH will be required to expand technical assistance and service delivery in the Kavango and Khomas regions.  Secondly, they will be responsible for the implementation of the VACS survey in Namibia, as the MOHSS currently does not have the capacity to implement a survey of this magnitude.  There is not sufficient time to develop, publish, and compete a funding opportunity announcement that will allow implementation of activities within this time line. Clinical service delivery and implementation of the VACS survey need to begin by October 1, 2017.  The proposed program expansion supplement funds for ITECH will build and expand upon existing award activities currently being implemented in other geographic regions. Because ITECH is on an April 1 award cycle, supplemental funds are needed by October 1 for the implementation of these activities.  If the funds are not awarded, ITECH (in collaboration with MOHSS) would not be able to expand services in these priority areas and thus not meet its increased targets for COP17.
Description: The goal and objectives of the program is to solicit comprehensive and cost-effective technical assistance, capacity building and program implementation expertise for PEPFAR and Global Fund-supported global health activities (with emphasis on but not limited to HIV/AIDS) in the five programmatic areas listed under the purpose section of this FOA. This announcement will also support Global Fund implementing partners in assessing HIV service delivery and will develop technical assistance plans and strategies. This FOA will not provide direct program implementation. Rather, it will provide technical assistance support to PEPFAR and Global Fund implementing partners engaged in program implementation and scale-up activities.This FOA will support HHS/CDC&#8217;s efforts to provide high-quality, targeted technical assistance to ensure that the PEPFAR and Global Fund-supported countries have the capacity and necessary technical expertise to assume responsibility for service delivery and adequately respond to their HIV epidemics. While this announcement will address several of the overall program goals and objectives, it will primarily focus on five critical PEPFAR-supported technical areas. Applicants are expected to respond to one or more of the following program areas:Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT);HIV Care and Treatment Clinical Services for adults and children;HIV Pediatric Care and Treatment (PEDs);Surveillance and Strategic Information (SI); andLaboratory
GrantorContactEmailDescription: OGSTIMS
GrantorContactText: If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: &lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Technical Information Management Section  &lt;br/&gt;CDC Office of Financial Resources  &lt;br/&gt;Office of Grants Services  &lt;br/&gt;2920 Brandywine Road, MS E-14  &lt;br/&gt;Atlanta, GA 30341  &lt;br/&gt;Telephone: 770-488-2700  &lt;br/&gt;E-mail: ogstims@cdc.gov
CloseDateExplanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.