Mississippi Primary Health Care Association CHC Growth and Capacity Building Symposium July 22, 2010

330 Grant Writing: Needs Assessment and Narrative Most critical sections of application, especially competing application Must be thorough but concise Use accurate tables, and also refer to data in other sections Present case for funding: sell the needs

Needs Assessment Most critical section in application ← Actually guides all other sections of application, including health care plan and budget Must include strong and verifiable data Must present solid evidence of needs Must identify all data sources

Service Area Be specific, using county names and census tract numbers if full county is not included Mention Public Health District location since some data is available only by Public Health District Include full demographic data, including estimated population, with race and ethnicity shown

Service Area, Continued Charts are most concise method of showing lots of demographic information Include income indicators as well as population, race and ethnicity Median income and percentage below poverty are strong indicators of need Compare the service area data to Mississippi data and to national data

More on Service Area Deficiencies show greatest need Include infant mortality rate, broken down by race and ethnicity Include teen pregnancy rate, broken down by race and ethnicity Include educational achievement levels and literacy rates, broken down by race and ethnicity

Target Population Give details about the population most in need Specify the race, ethnicity and income and poverty data of the potential center patients Age can also be specified. Good examples: children, the elderly on fixed incomes, women of child bearing age Mention disparities in target population

Target Population, continued Include specific areas of crisis, such as unemployment rate, increase in unemployment rate over past year, recently closed plants and industries Mention natural disasters such as hurricane or tornado damage, or oil spills that have impacted population

More on Target Population Mississippi unfortunately had serious problems with health status indicators, placing most of CHC target populations in critical need Diabetes, hypertension, immunizations, low birth weight babies : data shows serious need Also include smoking and obesity

Data Collection Use Census Data when possible for demographic and income data for service area and target population Census Data also includes percentages of population with and without health insurance, a major indicator of need for each Mississippi county Disease specific data shows severe need and documents health disparities

Data Collection, Continued Be careful with health status indicators / disease data; compare rates to rates and prevalence to prevalence State source and year on each health status indicator and item of disease data Mississippi State Department of Health web site has major data; www.msdh.state.ms.us Compare patient data to county and state data

Summary of Needs and Priority Setting Restate the serious needs that a community health center can address Refer to goals and objectives and health care plan to provide further information on each need and how the CHC can make an impact Add any barriers that have not been mentioned previously, such as transportation

Response Discuss Strategic Planning Process and how it has assisted the community health center Discuss UDS data and trends, explaining any unusual trends Refer to attachments, such as services provided, sliding fee scale Answer every question, and use the outline and numbers or letters from the guidance for each question

Evaluation Measures Include health care goals and objectives, but refer to attached Health Care Plan for more specific information about each of the indicators Include business goals and objectives, but refer to attached Business Plan for specifics Contributing and Restricting factors will be important

Impact BRAG. And Brag some more. This can be your section to show how good you have been and will continue to be; only you can tell your story! Use key words from guidance and throw in Sustainability and Green as many times as possible and practical Mention all cooperating and coordinating organizations within the community and state

Resources and Capabilities BRAG, BRAG, BRAG! This is your chance and your story! Full compliance with all regulations Point out achievements and awards and staff recognition Refer to required attachments, even if they do not apply. State which are not applicable

Support Requested Refer to the Budget forms and Budget Narrative and justification of each line item request Compare the business plan indicators such as cost per patient and federal cost per patient over several year period Refer to Increased Demand for Services funds and other ARRA awards

Support Requested, continued Point out changes that have occurred in past few years Discuss anticipated changes in reimbursement and coverage in county, state, and country Refer to Income Analysis Forms, included later in application

Governance Basic information about Board of Directors Refer to the grant forms and attachments that include information on the Board of Directors Include information about Key Management Staff and refer to Bio Sketches included later

Wrapping Up the Narrative Stop writing when you think you have answered all of the questions that are asked in the guidance Have another person read the needs assessment and narrative along with the guidance Remove yourself and your ego from process; accept criticism gladly; this is not a novel

Thanks for listening! Everyone can have a part in the grant writing process Don’t worry too much about large teams. Sometimes small teams are all that is possible. One additional team member is most critical, someone who knows enough to catch errors in fact or errors in type

Good Luck Last advice: Start early enough to finish without panic Or at least without much panic! Thanks, Ella Tardy