SE/A Funding Opportunities Now Available

We are pleased to announce the availability of NN/LM SE/A award applications for the 2012-2013 year. The following RFPs and CFAs are now available on our website. Funding for these awards will begin May 1, 2012; however, the SE/A budget for 2012-2013 has yet to be determined, and all funding is dependent upon availability.

• Outreach to Health Professionals and Consumer Health Outreach Project
• Disaster Recovery Award
• Express Hospital Library Promotion Award
• Express Library Technology Improvement Award
• Express Training Award
• Express Library Digitization and Conservation Award
• Express Outreach Pilot Project Award
• Health Literacy Pilot Project Award
• Express Planning and Assessment Award
• Express Outreach Follow-up Award
• State and Regional Exhibiting Award
• Information Technology and Policy Awareness Award
• Express Mobile Technology Project Award

The due date for all applications (except exhibit, training, and disaster recovery awards, which will be awarded until allotted funds are spent) is March 9, 2012, close of business. All proposed projects must be completed by April 30, 2013.

In the meantime, anyone who anticipates applying for an Outreach to Health Professionals Project or Consumer Health Outreach Project should email J. Dale Prince (dprince@hshsl.umaryland.edu) with initial intent and estimated budget within the next two weeks (no later than Wednesday, February 17, 2012).

NN/LM SE/A award descriptions and applications are available at: http://nnlm.gov/sea/funding.

Model Practices applications are underway. You, too, can be a winner!

You and your local health department can be a winner. NACCHO is now accepting model practice applications Oct. 10 through Nov. 11.

NACCHO’s Model Practice Program nationally honors and recognizes outstanding local public health practice and shares the outstanding practices through the Model Practices Database. By submitting a practice, LHDs contribute to the overall improvement of public health through evidence-based practice methods.

Five Reasons to Apply

1.             Recognition for your LHD’s success and leading by example.

2.             Local and national recognition through press release templates and a spotlight in the 2012 fall issue of NACCHO Exchange.

3.             A listing in NACCHO’s online Model Practices Database.

4.             Receive a coveted award and public honors, and showcase a poster of your practice at the Model Practices Reception during the 2012 NACCHO Annual Conference.

5.             Be eligible to receive a stipend to attend the 2012 NACCHO Annual conference in Los Angeles, July 11-13. (The opportunity for a stipend is only available to dues paying members)

LHDs can submit a Model Practices application by logging into the NACCHO website at http://www.naccho.org and selecting NACCHO applications.  For more information about the Model Practices program, please visit www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices or contact the Model Practices team at practices@naccho.org or 202-507-4250.

We look forward to receiving your application.

NACCHO Model Practices Team

The MLA Research, Development, and Demonstration Project Grant is awarded annually to support projects that will promote excellence in the field of health sciences librarianship and information sciences.

Grants will not be given to support an activity that is operational in nature or has only local usefulness. Grants range up to $1,000 and more than one grant may be awarded in a year.  The deadline for applications is December 1, 2011. For questions, contact Ellie Bushhousen, Jury Chair, at ellieb@ufl.edu.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) announces a new funding opportunity for small pilot projects to improve access to disaster medicine and public health information for health care professionals, first responders and others that play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

NLM is soliciting proposals from partnerships that include at least one library and at least one non-library organization that has disaster-related responsibilities, such as a hospital, volunteer organization, public health department, public safety department, fire/rescue, or other local, regional or state agency. NLM encourages submission of innovative proposals that enhance mutually beneficial collaboration among libraries and disaster-related agencies. For example, projects may increase awareness of health information resources, demonstrate how libraries and librarians can assist planners and responders with disaster-related information needs, show ways in which disaster workers can educate librarians about disaster management, and/or include collaboration among partners in developing information resources that support planning and response to public health emergencies.

Contract awards will be offered for a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $30,000 each for a one-year project.

The deadline for proposals is Wednesday, August 31, 2011 September 6, 2011. Proposals are limited to six pages plus supplemental materials such as resumes, letters of support, and a budget.

For more information and instructions about the “Disaster Health Information Outreach and Collaboration Project 2011” (NLM-011-130-KDB), please visit

http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/2011disasteroutreachrfq.html.

The solicitation notice is on FedBizOpps.gov at

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=54495f6f78d46c7c5d6873a8f0825e88&tab=core&_cview=0.

The National Library of Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov) is the world’s largest biomedical library and provides extensive online health information resources. Visit the NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center site (http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov ) to learn more about disaster-related health information from WISER (hazardous materials information for emergency responders), REMM-Radiation Emergency Medical Management, CHEMM-Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management, and other resources.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) announces a new funding opportunity for small pilot projects to improve access to disaster medicine and public health information for health care professionals, first responders and others that play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

NLM is soliciting proposals from partnerships that include at least one library and at least one non-library organization that has disaster-related responsibilities, such as a hospital, volunteer organization, public health department, public safety department, fire/rescue, or other local, regional or state agency. NLM encourages submission of innovative proposals that enhance mutually beneficial collaboration among libraries and disaster-related agencies. For example, projects may increase awareness of health information resources, demonstrate how libraries and librarians can assist planners and responders with disaster-related information needs, show ways in which disaster workers can educate librarians about disaster management, and/or include collaboration among partners in developing information resources that support planning and response to public health emergencies.

Contract awards will be offered for a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $30,000 each for a one-year project.

The deadline for proposals is Wednesday, August 31, 2011. Proposals are limited to six pages plus supplemental materials such as resumes, letters of support, and a budget.

For more information and instructions about the “Disaster Health Information Outreach and Collaboration Project 2011” (NLM-011-130-KDB), please visit

http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/2011disasteroutreachrfq.html.

The solicitation notice is on FedBizOpps.gov at

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=54495f6f78d46c7c5d6873a8f0825e88&tab=core&_cview=0.

The National Library of Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov) is the world’s largest biomedical library and provides extensive online health information resources. Visit the NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center site (http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov ) to learn more about disaster-related health information from WISER (hazardous materials information for emergency responders), REMM-Radiation Emergency Medical Management, CHEMM-Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management, and other resources.

Though we have been delayed in making an announcement, SE/A funding opportunities are now available. Included in the following list is a number of awards that we have offered before, as well as three new opportunities:

• Outreach to Health Professionals and Consumer Health Outreach Projects
• CTSA Infrastructure Pilot Projects – an award for up to $20,000 to prepare CTSA researchers for community engagement outreach through training, symposia, workshops or other avenues, and to promote the role of libraries/librarians in research and community engagement activities
• Disaster Recovery Award
• Express Hospital Library Promotion Award
• Express Library Technology Improvement Award
• Express Training Award
• Express Library Digitization and Conservation Award
• Express Outreach Project Award
• Health Literacy Pilot Project Award – an award for up to $10,000 to provide health literacy training and reliable health information resources for racial minorities, rural populations, speakers of ESOL (English as a Second Language), caretakers of children, senior citizens, and other underserved populations
• Community Technology Improvement Award – an award for up to $5,000 to provide the target audience with equipment or services that allows them to participate in the network and access electronic health information and to enhance connectivity for access to electronic health information for portals to access to culturally sensitive or resources and materials for specific populations
• Express Planning and Assessment Award
• Express Outreach Follow-Up Award
• State and Regional Exhibiting Award
• Information Technology and Policy Awareness Award
• Express Mobile Technology Project Award

The due date for all applications (except exhibit, training, and disaster recovery awards) is August 31, 2011. All proposed projects must be completed by April 30, 2012. We anticipate an October 1 start date for all projects to allow time for application review, clarification, and approval. Therefore, project scopes and work plans should cover no more than a six-to-seven month period.

We are aware that this abbreviated application and performance period may create some challenges. The restricted timeline is an unavoidable complication arising from new policies governing our contract with NLM. We we are working with NLM to ameliorate the problem for future funding cycles.

In the meantime, anyone who anticipates applying for awards this year, should email J. Dale Prince (dprince@hshsl.umaryland.edu), with intent and estimated budget within the next two weeks (no later than Friday, August 5, 2011) so that adequate funds can be put aside in September if the award is ultimately made.

NN/LM SE/A award descriptions and applications are available at: http://nnlm.gov/sea/funding.

The University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library is excited to have been awarded the new NN/LM contract for the Southeastern/Atlantic Region. However, the transition from one contract to another has not been completely smooth, especially when it comes to the way we will handle funding.

What this means is that we have been unavoidably slow in getting our funding announcements made. We appreciate your patience in the matter and will be working to get those announcements out as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will have an introduction of our new funding opportunities and discussion of our new funding structures in a BeyondtheSEA web seminar on Wednesday, July 20 at 12:00 PM ET. Please join us then and bring your questions.

Date: July 20, 2011
Title: BeyondtheSEA: Funding Opportunities with SE/A
Time: Noon – 1:00 pm ET

What do you need to join this conference?

• A computer (with Flash installed)
• A telephone

How do I connect?

• Go to this URL: http://webmeeting.nih.gov/beyondthesea/
• Enter as a Guest
• Sign in with your first and last name
• Follow the instructions in the meeting room to have Adobe Connect call your phone (this is the preferred way; however, if you have an extension or for some other reason cannot let Adobe connect call you phone, call 1-800-605-5167 and enter the participant code 816440 when prompted.)

Test your connection: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

List of previously presented web conferences on subjects such as marketing your library and NN/LM updates.

Authored by: Alisha Miles, Librarian, Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Columbus, Georgia

Over the last three years I have exhibited at several events to promote the library and its resources. One of the greatest benefits of exhibiting is the networking behind the scenes.

What do I mean?

On March 26, 2011, I exhibited Pet Disaster Preparedness at the Relay for Dogs event in Columbus, Georgia. It was the second time I had exhibited at this particular event; however, during this event I made it a point to network with other ‘vendors.’ While the Relay for Dogs event was successful at providing pet disaster preparedness information to 450 members of the general public, it pales in comparison to the effects of the collaboration formed during the event.

During the event I was able to form a relationship with the staff from the Columbus Public Health Department. The staff informed me of an upcoming event, the Columbus Baby Expo, and asked if I could provide information on disaster preparedness to distribute at the event. While I could not personally attend the event, I quickly agreed to provide information and a disaster preparedness kit as a door prize.

The Baby Expo was a huge success! The Public Health Department had over 2,800 people visit the booth—quickly exhausting the information resources I provided. It still amazes me how one conversation could lead to reaching over 2,800 people! None of this would have been possible without funds from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine – Southeastern/Atlantic Region’s Community Day Award. Thank you!

For more information about the Community Day Award please contact PJ Grier, Outreach and Access Coordinator.

The National Institutes of Health has announced five new Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) to accelerate scientific discoveries into treatments for patients.

Administered by the National Center for Research Resources, these 2011 grants extend the CTSA consortium to 30 states and the District of Columbia. With these most recent awards, the NIH is funding 60 CTSA institutions. The five new institutions are the Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City; University of Kentucky, Lexington; and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

The NIH news release about the 2011 awards is available at www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2011/ncrr-14.htm, and more information about the CTSAs and related science advances can be viewed at www.ncrr.nih.gov/ctsa.

In addition, NIH has awarded the Vanderbilt University Medical Center with a grant to encourage and facilitate collaboration, sharing and interaction among the CTSAs, as well as with other NIH-funded institutions and organizations. For more information after 11 a.m., view the Vanderbilt news release at www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases.php.

To learn more, visit HealthResearchFunding.Org or write to healthresearchfunding@nhcouncil.org.

Each year, there are numerous research proposals for promising new treatments that make their way through a peer-review process but do not receive funding, although they have the potential to make significant contribution to scientific discovery. The National Health Council (NHC), with input from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has developed a web database designed to bring researchers together with patient advocacy organizations and other funding sources. It’s called HealthResearchFunding.Org.

We seek to execute new and better ways to advance the development of solutions to the health care concerns faced by the more than 133 million Americans living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. Working together, we want to foster the funding of new research that will provide hope to patients and their families for years to come.

The NIH receives more than 50,000 grant applications each year. Each application is peer reviewed, and about half are deemed to have scientific merit and could be considered for funding. These applications are then scored and ranked. Of these grant applications that the NIH deems worthy, fewer than half receive funding. NHC member patient organizations that fund research also receive numerous proposals that they peer review, deem meritorious, but are unable to support.

Our Response

By using this database, potential research supporters among NHC membership and those outside the NHC community can avoid duplication of effort and more efficiently identify and evaluate NIH-reviewed research proposals. During the testing phase of the database, the NHC received feedback from its member patient advocacy organizations regarding the lack of a standardized mechanism to filter proposals.

By utilizing the HealthReserachFunding.Org database, researchers gain an organized and unvarying environment in which to exhibit their proposals alongside their peers. Their respective research institutions could spend less time, effort, and resources looking for financial support and more time conducting research to aid in the development of new treatments for patients.

The HealthResearchFunding.Org database has been tested by the chief scientific/medical officers and research directors from NHC member patient advocacy organizations. We will eventually expand its availability to corporations and private investors.

Our Objectives

• Expedite the process by which participating non-government funding organizations (i.e., patient advocacy organizations, corporations, venture capitalists, etc.) underwrite health research and behavioral research by linking them with researchers whose proposals to NIH have been deemed meritorious and worthwhile.

• Help participating funding organizations avoid duplication of effort as they seek to fund research by making use of the significant public investment of intellectual capital, time, and funds in the NIH peer-review process.

• Help investigators who have developed specific research proposals obtain a broad audience of potential funding sources from the nonprofit sector for their proposed research by offering them the opportunity to promote their peer-reviewed research proposals to these and other potential funding sources.

• Help NHC members fulfill their missions to support research for prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases and disabilities by brokering a user-friendly, reliable information exchange among interested parties.

How It Works

Researchers whose proposals have been peer reviewed by either the NIH or by an NHC member patient advocacy organization will be invited to register with HealthReserachFunding.Org and add an abstract. They will have the ability to also search for NHC member organizations that fund research. NHC member organizations will be able to search for research proposals, search for individual researchers, and search and view other funding organizations. They will also be able to upload requests for proposals, including posting ideas for collaboration with other funding sources. The site will eventually expand to include corporations and private investors.

To learn more, visit HealthResearchFunding.Org or write to healthresearchfunding@nhcouncil.org.

The National Health Council is the only organization of its kind that brings together all segments of the health care community to provide a united voice for the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. Made up of more than 100 national health-related organizations and businesses, its core membership includes approximately 50 of the nation’s leading patient advocacy groups, which control its governance. To learn more, visit www.nationalhealthcouncil.org.