Funding | Hep C Learning Collaborative for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs (Deadline February 27, 2024)

Solicitation of Interest: Hep C Learning Collaborative for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs 

Application Deadline: February 27, 2024 @ 4:00 PM ET

Contract Time Frame: April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2026

Award: Up to 10 awards (Awards will not exceed $50,000 per year)

Description:

The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI) and Health Research, Inc. (HRI) announce the opportunity for opioid treatment programs and outpatient programs, certified by New York State (NYS) Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and located throughout New York State (NYS) to receive support to participate in a two-year Hep C Learning Collaborative aimed at building capacity to provide onsite Hep C testing (antibody screening and Hep C RNA testing) and linkage to care activities for clients living with Hep C.

To achieve the World Health Organization (WHO) goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030, concerted efforts are needed to ensure access to timely Hep C screening, diagnosis, and treatment for all people with Hep C. The NYS Hep C Elimination Task Force identified people who use drugs (PWUD) and substance use disorder treatment programs as a priority population and key setting in the work towards eliminating Hep C in NYS. Substance use disorder treatment programs play an important role in the elimination of Hep C in NYS, by providing addiction treatment services to thousands of individuals each year. Many people infected with
Hep C have co-occurring substance use disorders (i.e., injection drug use-IDU). Among new Hep C cases reported in 2021, in NYS (excluding NYC), 74% of those with known risk factors indicated injection drug use and 73% indicated other non-injection drug use. The increase in opioid use in NYS has resulted in an increase in the number of new Hep C cases reported. Discharge data (2021) from NYS OASAS shows that 47% and 11% of clients discharged from opioid treatment programs and outpatient programs, respectively, were current or former people who inject drugs (PWID).

While highly effective Hep C treatment is available, uptake in PWUD and patients on medications for opioid use disorder remains low despite clinical guidelines recommending treatment for all patients. A 2018 survey of the Hep C infrastructure in NYS OASAS licensed facilities found most programs do not provide Hep C testing onsite and very few offered Hep C treatment onsite

Minimum Requirements 

Organizations applying for this funding must meet all the following criteria:

• Applicant must be a not-for-profit 501(c)(3);
• Applicant must be certified by New York State (NYS) Office of Addiction Services and Supports
  (OASAS) to provide outpatient and/or opioid treatment services as listed on the OASAS website:
• Applicant should not be currently providing HCV treatment onsite or via telehealth.
• Applicant must operate an outpatient or opioid treatment program in NYS.
• Applicant must meet the minimum number of unique clients served in 2022 based on program
  type:
  • Outpatient treatment programs must have served at least 400 unique clients in 2022.
  • Opioid treatment programs must have served at least 250 unique clients in 2022; and
• Applicant must submit a signed Agency Executive Director Attestation

Expected Activities

Funded organizations will actively participate in a two-year learning collaborative aimed at building capacity to provide onsite Hep C testing (antibody screening and Hep C RNA testing) and linkage to care activities for clients living with HCV. Funded programs will be expected to:

• Establish a process to identify clients in need of Hep C testing and/or linkage to care;
• Develop policies and procedures for Hep C testing;
• Implement universal Hep C testing onsite;
• Provide appropriate counseling based on Hep C testing results;
• Establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with at least one Hep C provider for the purposes of linking clients to Hep C treatment;
• Develop policies and procedures to effectively link clients to Hep C treatment;
• Conduct linkage to care activities for clients diagnosed with Hep C and track outcomes; and
• Evaluate and report the outcomes of Hep C testing and linkage to care activities
• Participate in an in-person launch meeting of the collaborative;
• Establish a Hep C implementation team to champion integration of Hep C services;
• Ensure participation of the implementation team in a Hep C training within the first two months of the contract;
• Assess organizational infrastructure to support Hep C services (e.g., policies, practices, services, etc.) within the first three months of the contract;
• Assess staff knowledge of Hep C at the start and end of the contract;
• Participate in monthly learning collaborative calls;
• Participate in individual technical assistance calls;
• Submit monthly narrative reports;
• Collect and submit monthly data through the NYS Learning Collaborative data portal on Hep C testing and other key measures for all new admissions to monitor and evaluate the success of the collaborative;
• Actively share resources and lessons learned with other participants of the learning collaborative; and
• Participate in a closing meeting to share overall and program specific successes, challenges, and final data outcomes

How to apply

Interested eligible organizations should submit the following information:

1. SOI Cover Sheet
2. Completed Project Proposal form
3. Completed Project Checklist
4. Agency Executive Director Attestation signed by organization leadership
5. Agency Organizational Chart
6. Current Financial Audit Report. The Project Proposal is limited to seven
7. Double-spaced pages with one-inch margins.

If possible, submit all required documentation together in one pdf file. If you need to send separate documents, please make sure the project title is listed in the header/name of each file.

Please submit these documents to:

NYS Department of Health AIDS Institute
Administration and Contract Management
Michele Kerwin, Associate Director
Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237
518-473-7238
Email: AIGPU@health.ny.gov

Resources

View and download Project Checklist here
View and download Project Proposal Form here
View and download Organization Attestation here

For questions or assistance, email AIGPU@health.ny.gov

Last Updated on January 18, 2024 by HepFree NYC