Date: September 11, 2017 To: From: Administrators, Health Professional Training Programs, Other Interested Parties Darwin Flores Trujillo Workforce Grants Administrator Office of Rural Health & Primary Care Phone: 651-201-3850 Email: Subject: darwin.flores.trujillo@state.mn.us 2018 Request for Proposals Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program Application materials for the Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program will be posted on the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care (ORHPC) website September 13, 2017, or soon thereafter. Attached is the program s Grant Application Guidelines. Applications are due October 23, 2017. The website address for application forms and instructions is: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html. In 2017, the Legislature created a grant program to support educational programs that provide clinical training for health professionals. Eligible programs: Are or will be located in Minnesota Train or will train only the following health professions: o Advanced practice registered nurses; o Dental therapists and advanced dental therapists; o Mental health professionals, as defined under Minnesota Statute 245.462, Subdivision 18; 1
o Pharmacists, or; o Physician assistants Are accredited by the appropriate body for the profession or present a credible plan to obtain accreditation Eligible grant projects must plan and/or implement expanded clinical training in Minnesota for eligible health professions. Please feel free to call me with any questions about this grant program, or while you are working on your application. Contact: Darwin Flores Trujillo Office of Rural Health and Primary Care PO Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164-0882 (651) 201-38500 darwin.flores.trujillo@state.mn.us www.health.state.mn.us 2
2018 Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program Grant Application Guidelines Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Rural Health & Primary Care The purpose of this document is to help you prepare an application for funds to support the establishment and/or implementation of expanded clinical training for eligible health professional training programs in Minnesota with the Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program. This document has four sections: I. The first section explains the funding source and background for the program II. III. IV. The second section provides instructions on the preparation of the application The third section is a checklist to be used while preparing the application The final section is a description of the criteria to be used during the review process Questions regarding grant application guidelines should be directed to Darwin Flores Trujillo at darwin.flores.trujillo@state.mn.us or 651-201-3850. 3
Section I Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program BACKGROUND Minnesota Statutes Section 144.1505 authorizes the Commissioner of Health to award grants to support the establishment or expansion of clinical training for eligible health professional training programs. The grant program assists the planning and/or implementation of expanded clinical training by eligible health professional training programs in Minnesota by funding costs associated with creating new clinical training programs, and training eligible students in newly created slots. Funds will be awarded after a competitive review process. PROGRAM SUMMARY A. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants are programs that fulfill all of the following criteria: 1. Are located in Minnesota; and 2. Provide clinical training for students in the following health professions: a. Advanced practice registered nurses; b. Dental therapists and advanced dental therapists; c. Mental health professionals, as defined under Minnesota Statute 245.462, Subdivision 18; d. Pharmacists, or; e. Physician assistants, and 3. Train or propose to train students primarily within Minnesota; and 4. Can demonstrate accreditation and compliance with the following accrediting bodies: a. For advanced practice nurse programs, current accreditation as a master's, doctoral, or postgraduate level advanced practice registered nurse program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, or evidence that the program is a candidate for accreditation; b. For dental therapy and advanced dental therapy programs, Commission on Dental Accreditation, or approval by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry; c. For mental health professional programs, current accreditation by the appropriate accrediting body for clinical social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or licensed professional clinical counseling, or evidence that the program is a candidate for accreditation; 4
d. For pharmacy programs, current accreditation as a doctor of pharmacy program by the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education; e. For physician assistant programs, current accreditation as a physician assistant program by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, or is a candidate for accreditation. B. Grant Program Requirements Grant funds awarded may only be spent to cover the cost of: a. Establishing or expanding clinical training for physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, pharmacists, dental therapists, advanced dental therapists, and mental health professionals in Minnesota; b. Recruitment, training, and retention of students and faculty; c. Connecting students with appropriate clinical training sites, internships, practicums, or externship activities; d. Travel and lodging for students; e. Faculty, student, and preceptor salaries, incentives, or other financial support; f. Development and implementation of cultural competency training; g. Evaluations; h. Training site improvements, fees, equipment, and supplies required to establish, maintain, or expand a physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, pharmacy, dental therapy, or mental health professional training program; and i. Supporting clinical education in which trainees are part of a primary care team model. Grant funds may not be used to: 1. Supplant existing program funds; 2. Fund activities supported by other state grants, such as Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) funding. 3. Support administrative costs not directly related to clinical training, or obtaining accreditation. C. Total Available Funding The Minnesota Legislature has appropriated $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2018. D. Distribution of Funding Eligible clinical training programs may receive up to $75,000 for planning projects, and up to $300,000 for training projects over three-years, the maximum award for each new slot will be $150,000 in year 1, $100,000 in year 2, and $50,000 in year 3. 5
However, due to limited available funds, it is unlikely that any program will receive the full amount available for training projects. Applicants are encouraged to focus on shorter-term, targeted planning and training projects with clear goals and objectives, rather than longer-term projects. Programs are eligible to receive only one grant at a time. Payments will be distributed quarterly, upon receipt of a progress report that includes certifying the number of students under contract, an invoice, and an expenditure report. MDH reserves the right to deny future participation in this grant program due to poor performance as grantees during the grant period. Examples of poor performance include insufficient documentation, missed deadlines, inappropriate expenditures, or inability to meet objectives defined in the grant agreement. For selected grantees, the anticipated date of the contract is January 2, 2018, and the first available quarterly invoice may be submitted March 1, 2018. E. Timeline Application due to MDH: October 23, 2017 Grant distribution announcement: November 13, 2017 Grant Agreements begin (est.): January 2, 2018 6
Section II - Preparing the Application 2018 Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health and Primary Care The following outline and instructions should be used to prepare the grant application, and be submitted in the prescribed order. Proposals must be typewritten, double-spaced, and all pages consecutively numbered. While additional documentation may be submitted, such material should be relevant to the specific scope of the grant. Required Forms and Documents A. Grant Application Form. Applicants are required to complete and submit this form (Available on the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care website). Complete all items. B. Due Diligence Review and Financial Questionnaire. All applicants are required to complete and submit this form (Available on the Office of Rural Health & Primary Care website). C. Program Financial Statement Applicants must include the most current financial statement of the program. This can be a recent 990 form, an audit, a balance sheet, or an income statement that at least shows annual revenue and expenses. Attached financial documentation must be specific to the clinical training program, not documentation of a larger organization. D. Proof of Accreditation (attach only relevant documentation) Applications must include documentation of current accreditation from the appropriate body for the profession, or a detailed plan to obtain accreditation. E. Program Description (10 pages maximum). Write a summary of the existing or proposed clinical training program, which includes the following: Description of the program s history, location, staff and faculty, administrative structure, organizational partnerships, and budget; Description of the program s focus or emphasis while training students, including any current or planned training sites, cultural competencies, primary care teambased training, populations served including underserved populations and rural areas, and unique characteristics; 7
Description of existing recruitment and selection efforts, graduation rates graduate job placement outcomes from recent years,, and plans to fill all available student positions in the program; Description of plans for sustaining the proposed expansion beyond the grant period; Statement of need for state grant funds. Applicants are encouraged to submit information about their program costs, other funding sources and other information on the need for state support. Applicants are strongly encouraged to request less than the maximums allowed; awards may be made for reduced amounts than requested, especially if more competitive applications are received than can be funded at their full requests. F. Description of the Program Expansion (5 pages maximum). Planning proposals for programs are not required to complete this step. Applications requesting funding for program expansion must complete and attach this step. In order to verify that a project will expand the program, applicants must: Define, justify, and certify a baseline of the program s capacity for the upcoming three years, by year. Include a detailed description of the number of current students and graduates in the previous five years, or maximum years available if fewer than five years, and include a clear description of any recent reductions in the number of students or any existing plans to add students. Over the three years of the grant, the baseline capacity of the program cannot decrease. Completeness of information and data defining the baseline will be assessed closely in the review process. Define clearly the proposed expansion, above the baseline to be supported and maintained using grant funds. Include a description of the program s capacity to manage the proposed expansion, or a plan to obtain adequate capacity. Include a description of plans to maintain the expansion after the grant period. Include any relevant research or analysis of the future demand for additional professionals from the program s focus or specialty. D. Grant Budget A. Grant Budget Form 8
Required from all applicants. The budget form should include funding requested for all years of the grant. B. Grant Budget Justification Narrative (3 pages max) Applicants must attach a narrative describing the detail of the proposed grant budget, with sufficient detail for each requested year of the grant. Also include detail of any non-state funds that will be used to maintain the proposed expansion during the grant period. For each of the cost items on the budget form for which grant funds are requested, provide a rationale and details regarding how the budgeted cost items were calculated, by year. Label this concise narrative Budget Justification and follow the order of the budget form in your narrative. Salary For this line describe all salaries to be paid to students, faculty, and/or preceptors using grant funds. Include a description of the proportion of salary to be paid using grant funds for each individual. Fringe For this line describe all fringe benefits to be paid to students, faculty, and/or preceptors using grant funds. Include a description of the proportion of fringe to be paid using grant funds for each individual. Personnel For this line, describe all grant funds used to pay for program (administrative) staff. Include a description of all salary and fringe to be paid out of grant funds. Travel and Lodging Include a detailed description of the proposed travel and/or lodging students as it relates to the direct operation of the program. Provide the number of miles planned for program activities as well as the rate of reimbursement per mile to be paid from grant funds. Supplies Include a description of any supplies necessary for the operation of the training program. Contracted Services 9
Include any grant funding to be used for consultant fees, or any costs associated with training sites on this line. Equipment and Capital Improvements Include any grant funding to be used to purchase equipment, or to make capital improvements. Other Expenses Whenever possible, include proposed expenditures in the categories listed above. If it is necessary to include expenditures in this general category, include a detailed description of the activities as they relate to the direct operation of the program. If possible, include a separate line-item budget and budget narrative. Submission: Applications must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., October 23, 2017. Submit the application, Budget Form with original signature, the Budget Narrative, and one copy of each to: Darwin Flores Trujillo Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health & Primary Care P.O. Box 64882 St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0882 Courier Address: Golden Rule Building, Suite 220 85 E. 7th Place St. Paul, MN 55101 Questions regarding these grant application guidelines should be directed to Darwin Flores Trujillo at darwin.flores.trujillo@state.mn.us or 651-201-3850. 10
Section III - Application Checklist 2018 Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health and Primary Care I. Required Forms in Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) website: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html. Grant Application Form Due Diligence Review and Financial Questionnaire Grant Budget Form II. III. IV. Program Financial Statement Attach financial documentation specific to the clinical training program Proof of Accreditation Attach documentation of current accreditation from the appropriate body for the profession, or a plan to obtain accreditation Program Description (10 pages max) Attach a description of the program s history, structure, emphasis, and recent outcomes V. Description of the Program Expansion(5 pages max) Attach documentation of the number of students to be sustained throughout the grant period VI. Grant Budget Justification Narrative (3 pages max) Attach this narrative detailing the individual lines of the budget Grant awards will be announced on or near November 13, 2017. Contracts will be prepared and available for signature during December, 2017, with an estimated contract start date of January 2, 2018. Invoices can be submitted quarterly, upon execution of the contract and once work is started. Upon selection and announcement of grant recipients, all submitted application information and documentation will become public data. 11
Section IV Review Criteria 2018 Health Professional Clinical Training Expansion Grant Program Minnesota Department of Health Office of Rural Health and Primary Care A. Review Process After the submission deadline, MDH will review all submitted applications for eligibility and completeness. Complete applications from eligible applicants will move forward to a review committee process. Applications will be scored by a grant review committee, using the criteria listed below. The review committee will also discuss other relevant factors. Review committee recommendations will be transmitted to the Commissioner for final funding decisions and subsequent contracting. B. Review Criteria All complete applications from eligible applicants will be scored on a 100-point scale. Below is a breakdown of that scale, and the component of the application where the information must be present 40 points: Program Description Is the program description complete? Does the description adequately explain the program s administrative structure, organizational structure, and budget? Does the description provide sufficient information about the program s emphasis and training sites? Does the program serve underserved populations and/or rural areas? 30 points: Description of the Program Expansion Is the description complete? Does the description adequately define a program baseline for the upcoming three years? Will the expansion have a positive impact on the state s health professional workforce? Has the applicant demonstrated the capability to implement the expansion? 10 points: Sustainability Is there sufficient evidence that the proposed expansion supported by grant funds will be sustained after the grant period? 20 points: Proposed budget and proposed use of funds Is the proposed budget clear? Does the budget narrative give adequate detail in how funds will be accounted for and spent? Is the budget reasonable? 12