Department of Health Grant: National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT)

The NCCPHT supports the goals of the Regional PHTCs through the activities of this cooperative agreement.  Regional PHTCs are required to fulfill the following statutory requirements:
Establish or strengthen field placements for students in public or nonprofit private health agencies or organizations;
Involve faculty members and students in collaborative projects to enhance public health services to medically underserved communities;
Specifically designate a geographic area or medically underserved population to be served by the center that shall be in a location removed from the main location of the teaching facility of the school that is participating in the program with such center; and,
Assess the health personnel needs of the area to be served by the center and assist in the planning and development of training programs to meet such needs.

Further information about the Regional PHTC Program funding and activities is located in the Background section, as well as in the concurrent program announcement, which can be found at  www.grants.gov, CFDA Number: 93.516, Announcement Number: HRSA-14-076.

The NCCPHT will conduct the following major activities:
Develop a formal PHTC Network to ensure a shared vision and mission across all Regional PHTCs and find creative ways to convene the PHTC Network on a regular basis;
Develop a technical assistance plan and provide technical assistance to all Regional PHTCs on their HRSA funded project plans;
Spearhead and coordinate the development and standardization of Regional PHTC evaluation plans and needs assessments nationally, including the customization of data collection tools to meet local needs;
Conduct data analysis and performance activities to monitor the impact of PHTCs, and inform and support PHTCs to perform continuous quality improvement of their efforts;
Develop and implement a communications strategy to expand the reach of the PHTCs nationally;
Lead the standardization and vetting of public health core competency continuing education (CE) and/or continuing education unit (CEU) courses across all PHTCs;
Coordinate the development, implementation and standardization of PHTC student field placements and faculty student collaborative projects nationally;
Work with Regional PHTCs to achieve economies of scale and reduce duplication of all training, including the development of cross-cutting course content; and,
Work with Regional PHTCs to enhance collaboration with other Federal agency programs, and local, state, Tribal and national partners.

Applicants should have:
Significant experience providing capacity building and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, schools of public health, governmental public health, etc.;
Demonstrated expertise in public health workforce development modalities and developing public health training courses within the framework of the Council on Linkages Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals and the Ten Essential Public Health Services;
Experience providing academic support and resources for the public health practice community;
Experience conducting evaluations and needs assessments; and
Experience developing resource inventories.

Applicants should have knowledge of the public health systems, research and evaluation, as well as established connections with key national and Federal organizations.  Instructions for documenting these capabilities as well as plans for implementing the required activities of the NCCPHT are provided in Section IV.2 of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).  The criteria that will be used to assess applicants¿ responses are provided in Section V.1 of this FOA.

The NCCPHT will be committed to increasing diversity in health professions programs and the health workforce.  This commitment extends to ensuring that the workforce reflects the diversity of the nation; training programs address all levels of the health workforce from pre-professional to professional; training programs develop the competencies and skills needed for intercultural understanding and expand cultural fluency; and recognizing that bringing people of diverse backgrounds and experiences together facilitates innovative and strategic practices that enhance the health of all people.