NNPTC FOA Frequently Asked Questions
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This web page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being updated.
Applicants for the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC) funding opportunity announcement can find answers to questions submitted via webinars, or the nnptcfoa@cdc.gov mailbox below. Questions which were received and were similar in nature were combined and/or edited for clarity.
The deadline to submit application questions is April 4, 2014. The application period for this FOA closes on May 6, 2014.
General
1. To be awarded a Component B National Center, do you need to have also been awarded a Component A Regional PTC?
No. To clarify, you may apply for Component A only or for Component B only or for both components. You may apply for up to three strategies under Component B.
2. What is a Level III STD site? Can you give examples and provide more specific detail than what is in the definition provided? Further, what is, “complex STD care,” as stated in the Level III definition?
Level III STD sites offer Level I (basic screening and treatment) and Level II care, which encompasses onsite point-of-care diagnostic testing for symptomatic individuals, same day empiric treatment (including injectable antimicrobials) for those with symptoms suggestive of an STD, or for contacts to a partner with an STD. Providers have expertise in serving the needs of vulnerable or stigmatized high-risk individuals, such as MSM and transgender people, or those concerned about confidentiality, such as minors. Level III providers also have the ability to diagnose, treat, and provide follow-up for complex STD cases, such as HIV/STD coinfection (e.g., syphilis case coinfected with HIV, with rising titers and prior LP), rare clinical syndromes (e.g., persistent genital ulcers, syphilis in PCN-allergic pregnant patient), and persistent or resistant infections (such as gonorrhea). At a Level III site, clinicians have extensive training/experience in complex STD care. In addition to providing complex STD care, Level III sites are those that provide training to medical and nursing students, residents, and fellows, and may conduct research. Level III sites are viewed by their peers as the experts in the community.
3. Page 14 states, “For the purposes of the application only, each Component A applicant should define its regional coverage areas as the HHS region in which it is located.” In the previous funding cycle, the CDC assigned additional states outside of HHS regions to the training territories of some PTCs. While this initially created (not insignificant) programmatic challenges, over the past three years these centers have spent considerable effort making inroads, building relationships, delivering training, and building capacity in those states. Restricting applications in such a way that doesn’t allow those centers to expand (and expound) upon current projects, ongoing relationships, and opportunities presented by those efforts creates potential challenges in writing and in equitable evaluation. Is it possible to redefine this statement to say that centers may opt to include additional states currently assigned to their training territory?
Asking each applicant to describe their plan for the HHS region (http://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/staff-divisions/iea/regional-offices/index.html) in which they are located provides an even playing field for new and experienced applicants. Therefore, all applicants should describe their plans for year one based on the HHS region in which they are located. Current PTC awardees can include work in states outside their region in the organizational capacity section. In this new FOA, the CDC will award funding based on the quality of each applicant, available funding, geography, and programmatic needs. Thus, the exact coverage area (and number of states) for each regional PTC will be determined after the awardees are chosen.
4. Should Category A Regional Centers expect to assist with staffing a national STD Warmline as proposed in the Category B Coordination Strategy?
We expect that the Regional PTC faculty will provide some expertise for the warm-line, but the regional PTCs will not provide direct funding.
5. Is the national coordination center expected to provide CEs for all regional activities, or just national activities or nationally standardized curriculum?
All CEs should be coordinated through the national center, as this will conserve resources.
6. Will each regional center be expected to have a learning management system of some type, in addition to the registration system included in the National Coordination Center?
No. The National Coordination Center is expected to develop/maintain a system that all regional centers can easily work with.
7. For the National Center on Technological Innovation, are the expectations solely based on developing new technology and its dissemination, or could the focus be on coaching healthcare settings on how to use technology to improve the delivery of STD clinical care?
The Technological Innovation center is expected to focus on developing new technology. While there is some overlap, disseminating and coaching healthcare settings on how to use technology to improve the delivery of STD clinical care would be a Quality Improvement Center Activity coordinated with the regional level.
8. Should Regional PTCs describe how they will work with all national centers in their work plan?
The national and regional centers are required to work collaboratively. Thus, each regional PTC should describe a high-level plan to collaborate with each national center.
9. If Regional PTCs only need to identify how they will work with the curriculum and evaluation centers, then who is the customer for the QI and TI centers and what is the nature of the relationship between these centers and the Regional PTCs? This will affect the work plan.
The national and regional centers are required to work collaboratively. Thus each regional PTC should describe a high level plan to collaborate with each national center.
10. Will the national evaluation center be charged with development of a database or using a system at CDC?
The national evaluation center could propose developing an independent database or could use an existing system.
11. If we are already working with safety net providers who are not part of our region, but are part of a current state AAPPS grant for our area, can we discuss these activities to show capacity?
Yes, any current activities outside your HHS area can be included under organizational capacity.
12. With regard to the Component B National Technology Center, could tools developed include patient-focused tools that help the provider, ultimately leading to better STD clinical care?
Yes, this is acceptable.
13. In Component B for Quality Improvement, it is stated that, "Quality Improvement experts are required to promote the development of a national ‘learning network’ for the provision of STD clinical preventive services." Can you please clarify how you would define a national "learning network?"
A learning network connects STD prevention stakeholders (e.g. individuals, facilities, states, regions, etc.) in communities of, and opportunities for, structured learning that focuses on large-scale behavior change. This allows for the rapid and synergistic transmission of wisdom, energies, resources, and advancements in the field.
The article Learning Networks for Sustainable, Large-Scale Improvement by C. Joseph McCannon and Rocco J. Perla, EdD, MA, offers a detailed description of learning networks, their characteristics, and examples of their use.
- Page last reviewed: April 10, 2014 (archived document)
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