DEPARTMENT: Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Dr. Thomas L. Schlenker
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Partnerships to Improve Community Health Grant
SUMMARY:
This ordinance ratifies the submission of a grant application by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) and authorizes the acceptance of grant funds upon award in an amount not to exceed $3,014,758.00 for year one of a three-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, for Partnerships to Improve Community Health-San Antonio (PICH-SA) for the period September 30, 2014 to September 29, 2015. This action also authorizes a proposed program budget and a personnel complement of 9 grant-funded positions.
Furthermore, this ordinance authorizes the Director of Metro Health to initiate, negotiate, and execute any and all necessary documents and grant contracts to effectuate the application and acceptance of the referenced grant, and to execute contract amendments pertaining to this contract, to include: a) carry-over funds, when ascertained and approved by the funding agency through a revised notice of award; b) line item budget revisions authorized by the funding agency; c) modifications to the performance measures authorized by the funding agency and listed in the contract so long as the terms of the amendment stay within the general parameters of the intent of the grant; d) no cost extensions; e) amendments which will provide supplemental grant funds to the grant by the funding agency in an amount up to 20% of the total amount initially awarded to the grant; f) amendments funding one-time equipment purchases or defined program services; and g) changes in federal regulations mandated by the funding agency.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and related risk factors (e.g., tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor diet), are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, accounting for 7 of every 10 deaths. Medical care costs for people with chronic diseases account for more than 75% of the nation's $2.6 trillion medical care costs each year.
Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) is a new 3-year initiative to improve health and reduce the burden of chronic diseases. Metro Health's proposed project entitled Partnership to Improve Community Health-San Antonio (PICH-SA) builds on a strong foundation of community support and momentum to implement meaningful and sustainable policy, systems and environmental (PSE) changes to increase access to environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. This proposal incorporates broad community wide strategies such as local government policy changes and mass media campaigns with neighborhood-based strategies to increase opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods in low income and traditionally underserved neighborhoods that experience high burdens of chronic disease. Guided by the 2014 Bexar County Community Health Improvement Plan objectives and the needs of the priority population, broad targets were refined into specific strategies utilizing recommendations from the Community Guide, the CDC Community Strategies to Prevent Obesity and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention reports.
Through multi-sectoral population-based strategies Metro Health expects to improve environments for healthy eating and physical activity that will ultimately result in long-term reductions in chronic disease (i.e. heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity) and associated reductions in chronic disease disparities among high risk populations in San Antonio. Expected short term outcomes to be achieved within the three years of PICH-SA include increased access to work and community sites that offer fresh produce and healthy foods, increased access to sites for physical activity, increased areas that have urban design features supportive of physical activity, and positive changes in attitudes and intentions regarding walking and biking for physical activity as well as reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
In order to effectively carry out the PICH-SA goals and objectives, Metro Health will implement strong infrastructure components within the work plan to effectively manage the project, communicate and promote the benefits of creating a healthier community, and monitor and evaluate the milestones and strategies. The San Antonio Mayor's Fitness Council (MFC) will serve as the PICH-SA coalition, and will utilize their broad membership, organizational capacity, successful track record and strong relationship with Metro Health to guide the development, implementation, evaluation and ultimate sustainability of the PICH-SA strategies.
Metro Health became aware of the grant in June and the deadline for submitting applications was July 22, 2014. Due to the timing and deadlines for this grant opportunity, Metro Health previously submitted a grant application prior to the grant deadline.
ISSUE:
Metro Health requests City Council ratify the submission of a grant application and further requests authorization to accept funds upon award in an amount not to exceed $3,014,758.00 for year one of a three-year grant from the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for the period September 30, 2014 to September 29, 2015 to increase access to environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. Authorization of this Ordinance will allow Metro Health to continue the important work of improving health and reducing the burden of chronic diseases.
ALTERNATIVES:
Due to the timing and deadlines for this grant opportunity, Metro Health previously submitted a grant application prior to the grant deadline. If submission of the grant application is not ratified, the funds will be awarded to other community health projects in the country. As a result, Metro Health would forgo funding to improve environments for healthy eating and physical activity that will ultimately result in long-term reductions in chronic disease (i.e. heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity) and associated reductions in chronic disease disparities among high risk populations in San Antonio.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Metro Health is requesting approval of a grant application submission and authorization to accept grant funds upon award in an amount not to exceed $3,014,758.00 for year one of a three-year grant from the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, for the period September 30, 2014 to September 29, 2015. This Ordinance also authorizes a proposed personnel complement of 9 positions which consists of (4) Senior Management Analysts, (4) Management Analysts, and (1) Senior Accountant.
This grant strongly encourages cost sharing funds for this project to facilitate sustainability. As result, Metro Health is also requesting authorization for a 15% match in the amount of $546,332.00 which will come from Metro Health's General Fund employees and external partners.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the submission of a grant application to the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the acceptance of grant funds upon award in an amount up to $3,014,758.00 for the period September 30, 2014 to September 29, 2015 for year one of a three-year grant to continue the important work of improving health and reducing the burden of chronic diseases.