The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is offering funding for the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program for fiscal year 2013.  The purpose of the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) is to increase the number of innovative community initiated programs that promote access to health care for children, youth  and their families nationwide, and employ preventive health strategies.  This program most closely supports HRSA’s goals tho improve access to quality health care and services, to build healthy communities, and the improve health equate.  HTPCP funding supports direct service projects, not research projects.  The intent of this funding is:

• To support the development of family-centered, comity-based initiatives that plan and implement innovative and cost-effective approaches for vulnerable children and their families, especially those with limited access to quality health services
• Foster/promote collaboration among community organizations, individuals, agencies, businesses and families
• Involve pediatricians and other pediatric health professionals in community-based service programs
• Build community and statewide partnerships among professionals in health, education, social services, government, and business to achieve self-sustaining programs.

HTPCP encourages the use of innovative health information technology to increase access to a wide variety of stakeholders in communities.

Application deadline: September 21, 2012

Click here to access the full announcement and eligibility information: http://1.usa.gov/Ok1he5

Small Research Grant to Improve Healthcare Quality through Health Information Technology (R03)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – Funding to support a wide variety of research designs in order to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care through the implementation and use of health information technology.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline: November 16, 2013

For more information: http://bit.ly/NnWNS6

Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services – Grants to support alternative financing programs that help individuals with disabilities purchase assistive technology devices.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline: September 7, 2012

For more information: http://bit.ly/RhbU4T

Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program

Office of Rural Health Policy  – Funding for needs related to planning and establishing community health networks.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline: October 15, 2012

For more information: http://bit.ly/Pf5cIU

Ambrose Monell Foundation Grants

Ambrose Monell Foundation  – Provides grants for projects related to religious, charitable, scientific, medical, literary, and educational uses and purposes.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline:  Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

For more information: http://bit.ly/Qvo999

Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program

Bureau of Health Professions  – Provides graduate medical education payments to support community-based training. Payments will cover the costs of new residency programs in community-based ambulatory primary care settings.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline: September 28, 2012

For more information: http://bit.ly/NnXjzn

American Honda Foundation

American Honda Foundation  – Awards grants to nonprofits working in the areas of youth and scientific education.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide

Deadline:  Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

For more information: http://bit.ly/RGRFjw

Submit an Abstract to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice About Your Experiences with Academic Health Departments 

“In partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), PHF is calling for abstracts for an upcoming Academic Health Department (AHD)-themed issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Scheduled to appear in November/December 2013, this issue will highlight partnerships between academic health professions institutions and public health practice organizations, such as state or local health departments, which are designed to enhance public health education and training, research, and service.”  bit.ly/NHrtyU [Public Health Foundation]

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is soliciting applications from networks of three or separately owned health care providers that come together to develop strategies for improving health services delivery systems in a community.

From the funding announcement:

“The purpose of the Network Planning Program is to promote the development of integrated healthcare networks in order to: (i) achieve efficiencies; (ii) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (iii) strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.  This program brings together key parts of a rural health care delivery system, particularly those entities that may not have collaborated in the past, to work together to establish or improve local capacity and coordination of care.  The grant program supports one year of planning to develop and assist health care networks in becoming operational.  These networks can include a wide range of community partners including social service agencies, faith-based organizations, mental health agencies, charitable organizations, educational institutions, employers, local government agencies or other entities with an interest in a community’s health care system.”

Applications are due October 15, 2012.

For more information: http://1.usa.gov/TUjimp

The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services to better address the needs of individuals with mental health and substance use condition.  The Center has regular webinars for health center and behavioral staff.  Registration is required and limited to 1,000 participants.

Upcoming webinars:

Integrating Behavioral Health in Community and Migrant Health Centers:  Motivation, Readiness, & Cultural Challenges
When: August 23, 2012, 12:00–1:30 pm (Eastern)

Understanding the Disease of Addiction and the Recovery Process in Health Center Settings
When: Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 12:00-1:30pm Eastern Time

To see upcoming webinars and archived recordings of previous webinars: http://1.usa.gov/O5pHKK

The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, National Drought Mitigation Center

This document is intended for communities throughout the U.S. that can use it to understand and reduce their drought risk.  The process outlined in the Guide is broad-based, recognizing that drought created problems that go beyond the scope of what whiter supplier alone can address. Worksheets and other exercises can help communities see how drought has affected water supplies and overall community well-being in the past. The Guide can also help communities identify their drought monitoring resources, so they can spot emerging drought. A planning section helps communities determine steps they can take to reduce their drought risk ahead of time. It also recommends planning responses to drought before the next one happens. The Guide includes case studies and an extensive resource collection on how other municipalities have planned for drought, including both processes and solutions.

See the full Guide here: http://go.usa.gov/7na

The National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center has created a new topic page on Droughts and Health.  Resources include information on droughts in the United States and Internationally, as well as resources for the public health workforce and the public on dealing with the human health effects of droughts.

Droughts and Health Topic Page: http://bit.ly/P9G4ai

August 5-11, 2012, is National Health Center Week. According to HRSA, in 2011, community health centers provided care to more than 20 million patients in every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin.

Learn more about community health centers: http://1.usa.gov/ObqfA2

Read the Presidential Proclamation on National Health Center Week: http://1.usa.gov/NnPXOa

July 25, 2o12 – 11:00am – 12:00pm Pacific Time

This webinar will feature representatives from three USDA agencies who will share information about how to access funding opportunities geared to rural areas.  The three USDA agencies highlighted will be: Rural Housing Service, which administers the Community Facilities Program that funds critical infrastructure in rural areas; Rural Business service, which administers multiple loan and grant programs that finance renewable energy and small business ventures in rural areas; and Rural Utilities Service, which administers loan and grant programs that finance rural electric, telecommunications and broadband infrastructure.

Register here: http://bit.ly/QfFpFN

To submit questions in advance for the speakers, or if you have additional questions regarding the webinar, please email here: KHanson@ntia.doc.gov

The summer is a great time to try new fruits and vegetables, but it can be a challenge to find locally grown food, especially for us city-dwellers.  The US Department of Agriculture makes it easy to find Farmers Markets nearby.  You can search for farmers markets by zip code and limit by products available and payment accepted (including WIC and SNAP).

Find a farmers market near you: http://bit.ly/Nz1Y63