NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, is requesting applications for funding to strengthen LHD capacity for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) prevention and response through the Building Up Infection Prevention & Control in Local Departments in Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (BUILD HAIAR) Project.

The goal of the BUILD HAIAR project is to use the CDC (Interim) Local Health Department Strategy for HAI/AR as the foundation to increase LHD capacity in the following areas:

• Support LHD capacity for HAI prevention and response;
• Advance LHD engagement in AR-related initiatives and activities, including promoting antibiotic stewardship (AS);
• Enhance coordination and connection with the State Health Department HAI/AR programs;
• Develop and identify resources, lessons learned, and best practices for other LHDs; and
• Build strategic approaches to HAI/AR, including addressing health equity.

The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, September 22, 2023, at 11:59 PM PDT. NACCHO will share notice of award with LHDs by Tuesday, October 3, 2023. NACCHO will issue awards to LHDs in the form of fixed-price contracts. LHDs that elect to complete the required activities may receive up to $60,000; LHDs that elect to conduct the required activities in addition to supplemental activities may receive up to $80,000.

Eligibility Requirements

LHDs that apply for the BUILD HAIAR project should meet the following requirements:

• Have interest in strengthening their capacity in HAIs and AR prevention and response.
• Have at least one person who works at the LHD who will:
  • Participate in a monthly community of practice with other LHDs;
  • Coordinate with local, state, and regional partners;
  • Leverage the CDC LHD HAI/AR strategy; and
  • Attend at least one conference or NACCHO convening to share lessons learned.
• Have the capacity to execute a contract and complete the project within the required time frames.

Expectations

LHDs awarded funding through the BUILD HAIAR project must complete required activities during the project period. The project period starts on October 17, 2023, and is expected to end on June 30, 2024. The required activities for LHDs are noted below, and are described in more detail in the Application Instructions.

LHDs will have the ability to select the activities that work best for them to achieve the project aim.

The CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy consists of three goals – 1) Grow Networks and Collaboration, 2) Build Operational Capacity, and 3) Expand Programmatic Activities. Each goal area has designated objectives, and each objective has key activities that span 3 levels based on existing HAI/AR infrastructure. The CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy uses three levels of activities for each objective:

• Level 1 activities form the foundational components for each objective and may be more suited for LHDs with little to no experience leading HAI/AR activities.
• Level 2 activities build upon level 1 and may be more suited for LHDs with previous experience leading HAI/AR activities.
• Level 3 activities build upon levels 1 and 2 and may be more suited for LHDs with extensive experience leading HAI/AR activities.

The level of engagement and the selection of the goals, objectives and associated activities can be determined based on the LHD’s current HAI/AR capacity and priorities.

LHDs who are new to this work should convene a strategy planning meeting that leverages the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy Planning Tool to develop an action plan for implementation. Awarded recipients must convene the strategy planning meeting no later than November 30, 2023. LHDs who have already completed the strategy planning should focus on implementation.

LHDs who already have an established HAI/AR program, and may not have used the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy but have identified focus areas that need improvement, can choose different activities that would address these gaps. Applicants are required to leverage the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy when identifying activities for their project plan but are welcome to mix and match activities from it with preexisting HAI/AR IPC plans or activities to create a local strategy and implementation plan that will address their focus areas.

All awarded LHDs will:

• Implement a local strategy for response, control, and prevention of HAIs and AR leveraging the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy throughout project implementation;
• Attend peer-to-peer learning/sharing opportunities (e.g., Community of Practice calls); and
• Provide feedback on successes and challenges to NACCHO about project implementation.

Interested in participating?

Start now by reviewing the Application Instructions. The application instructions include greater detail about expectations, timeline, and how to submit a proposal for funding. You can also view the recording of the optional informational webinar, which was held on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, here. The slides from this webinar can be downloaded here.

Important Dates

• Optional informational webinar to be held on Wednesday, September 6, 2023
• Application submission deadline: 11:59 pm PDT on Friday, September 22, 2023
• Anticipated notice of award: Tuesday, October 3, 2023
• Anticipated start of project period: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
• Anticipated end of project period: Sunday, July 30, 2024

Questions?

For more information or questions, please email NACCHO at [email protected] and check this webpage for a regularly updated FAQ document here.

To learn more about NACCHO’s HAI/AR work, visit this webpage.