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Pregnancy Assistance Fund – Support for

Pregnant and Parenting Teens and Women

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Public Health and ScienceOffice of Adolescent Health

July 9, 2010 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

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Purpose of Today’s Call Review the Pregnancy Assistance Fund:

Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens and Women Created by the Affordable Care Act

Learn about the new program

Funding opportunity announcement (FOA) available to States, Territories, and Tribes

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Office of Adolescent Health (OAH)

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 directed that the new OAH be established

Implements and administers new grant program to support evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention approaches

Administers the new Pregnancy Assistance Fund Program

Coordinates adolescent health programs and initiatives across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Pregnancy Assistance Fund Patient Protection and Affordable Care

Act (Public Law 111-148) sections 10211- 10214 Authorizes $25 million for each of fiscal

years 2010 through 2019 Authorizes the Secretary of HHS, in

collaboration and coordination with the Secretary of Education, to establish and administer a Pregnancy Assistance Fund to award competitive grants to States to assist pregnant and parenting teens and women

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Pregnancy Assistance Fund Purpose

To develop and implement programs to assist pregnant and parenting teens and women

Provide needed services to pregnant teens and women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term, and those who are parenting

Linking families to supportive services focusing on important outcomes (e.g., graduation rates, maternal and child health outcomes, and parenting skills)

Address violence against pregnant women

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Award Information Type of Award: State Competitive Grant Number of awards: Up to 25 Project Period: 3 years Funding Range: $500,000 - $2,000,000 Start Date: September, 2010 States (including Tribes, Reservations and

Territories ) may only submit one application for consideration

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Who is eligible to apply? Any State which includes the District of Columbia,

any commonwealth possession, or other territory of the United States, and any Indian tribe or reservation.

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Pregnancy Assistance Fund: Use of Funds

States may propose to use grant funds to carry out any or all of the following activities:

1. Support for Pregnant and Parenting Student Services at Institutions of Higher Education

2. Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens at High Schools and Community Service Centers

3. Improving Services for Pregnant Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking

4. Increasing Public Awareness and Education

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Pregnancy Assistance Fund: Use of Funds

Program expectations laid out in the legislation and the FOA

States can use funds to work with a wide range of stakeholders to provide needed services and to link with existing services in the community

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Cost-Sharing or Matching Institutions of Higher Education receiving

funds from a State must provide 25 percent match (cash or in kind)

High schools, community service centers and State Attorneys General receiving funds from a State, and entities that provide public awareness and education activities, are not required to provide matching or cost sharing

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Support for Pregnant and Parenting Student Services at

Institutions of Higher Education Establish, maintain, or operate pregnant and parenting

student services at eligible institutions of higher education May conduct program on the campus and/or sub-grant with

service providers in the local community Must supplement, not supplant, existing funding for such

services Propose strong linkages and referrals with existing service

providers 25 percent cash or in-kind match required All educational programs and activities must be in

compliance with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.

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Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens at High Schools and Community Service Centers

Establish, maintain or operate pregnant and parenting services to eligible high schools and community service centers that serve eligible youth

High Schools and Community Service Centers may operate in the same general manner and in accordance with all conditions and requirements described for Institutions of Higher Education, except that the 25 percent matching requirement does not apply Community service centers funded under this FOA may serve

out of school youth All education programs and activities must be in

compliance with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.

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Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens (IHEs, High Schools, and Community Service Centers) Program Activities

Conduct a needs assessment and set goals Conduct an annual assessment of the

performance of the institution Identify public and private service providers,

located on campus or within the local community, that are qualified, and culturally competent and establish programs with qualified and culturally competent providers to meet such needs

Assist participants in locating and obtaining services

Provide referrals for prenatal care and delivery, postnatal care, enrollment assistance for health coverage under Medicaid and CHIP, infant or foster care, or adoption

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Improving Services for Pregnant Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, and

Stalking Make funding available to the State Attorney

General to assist statewide offices in providing one or more of the following: Intervention services, accompaniment, and supportive

social services for eligible pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Technical assistance and training relating to violence against eligible pregnant women to be made available to the following:

Federal, State, tribal, territorial, and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and courts

Professionals working in legal, social service and health care settings

Nonprofit organizations Faith-based organizations

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Increasing Public Awareness and Education

Increase public awareness and education concerning any services or resources available to pregnant and parenting teens and women

Activities related to public awareness and education may include the development of user-friendly websites and new media tools to increase such awareness and access to appropriate services

HHS encourages programs that are not solely focused on such activities, but rather are supportive of a broader set of activities supporting pregnant and parenting teens and women

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Program Expectations Program activities emphasize health, education, and social

services for pregnant and parenting adolescents and women

Programs may also serve fathers or spouses A strong emphasis on linking to existing services is

expected HHS encourages applications that demonstrate

collaboration among relevant State agencies and that leverage other resources or links to existing support services

Utilize evidence-based programs or practices and include data supporting the effectiveness of the proposed evidence-based strategies

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Performance and Reporting Criteria

Performance Criteria Performance criteria should be established by the State and

should reflect the specific activities or programs being implemented. Program outcomes may include, but are not limited to: Graduation rates, school retention and reduction in drop out

rates, access to prenatal care, parenting skills, infant mortality rate, subsequent pregnancy rates, and other maternal and child health outcomes.

States shall identify the format of the report. The State will share the performance criteria and the report format with the funded institution of higher education, high school or community service center.

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Medical Accuracy & Age-Appropriateness States are expected to ensure that

materials used in any activities funded under this announcement are medically accurate and complete. “medically accurate and complete” means verified or

supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods; and published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable or comprising information that leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete.

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Receipt Deadlines Application deadline - August 2, 2010

Awards to States, Indian Tribes or Reservations to be made September, 2010

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The Application Review Process: Review Criteria

Eligible competing grant applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary panel comprised of independent reviewers and federal staff, and subsequently reviewed by OAH staff

Applications will be assessed and scored by the panel of independent reviewers according to the following criteria:   Description of Problem and Need Project Goals and Objectives Implementation Plan Work plan and Monitoring Budget Stakeholder Participation

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Final Award Decision Criteria

Scores, recommendations, and comments from the Objective Review Committee panels;

Geographic distribution of projects; Geographic area to be served, particularly

services to underserved areas and populations; Extent to which there are a broad range of

programs both in size and scope; and Reasonableness of the estimated cost of the

proposed project

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Any Questions?

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Thank you! Office of Adolescent Health

Website - www.hhs.gov/ophs/oah Email – oah.gov@hhs.gov Phone – (240) 453-8128