Technical Support for the Neighborhood Health Status Improvement Grants (2014-15)

The following Scope of Work is based on discussions with grantees, the GRHF program officer, and observations by the technical support provider during six years of involvement with the NHSI. It represents the proposal for technical support for a period of one year and includes support for three original grantees, and three new grantees. Because grantees have developed in very different ways, the TA support will be targeted to the status and sophistication of each current/ongoing grantee, and tailored to the specific needs of the new grantees. The support provided will fall into three types: (1) Grantee Sessions that provide key grantee staff, residents, and partners with direct help with individual project needs, and which encourage them to new levels of performance as they progress along the GRHF model for health improvement; ongoing orientation support for staff of newer grants to ensure successful completion of year one and promotion to year two support. (2) Program Sessions that convene key staff from grantee organizations for discussion of topics and needs that apply to all grantees; some of these session with include the two groups of grantees separately (ongoing and new), while some will incorporate all of the grantees. (3) Other Program Support, which will include a limited amount of direct support to other foundation grantees or potential grantees, and other support as identified by the foundation. Grantee Sessions (key grantee staff, residents, and partners as appropriate) • Support all grantees individually: provide regular and ongoing assistance in plan implementation and achieving plan objectives; help create strategies and plans for addressing challenges, emerging opportunities, and the maintenance of the ABCD principles and approaches through the developing work; provide encouragement and support for the overall process; assist with strategic thinking around project growth and resource leveraging; assist in the development of relationships and activities that support policy change. • Continue regular face-to-face meetings with individual grantees in the Rochester area; maintain regular telephone and email contact with grantees between visits. • Provide newer grantees with a series of workshops/trainings to solidify their understanding of the NHSI approach, the principles and practices associated with Asset-Based Community Development, and the social determinants of health as the underlying framework guiding the NHSI grants. Help guide the teams in their understanding of how these elements fit together and how they translate into action in their community. • Support newer grantees individually: provide regular and ongoing assistance in the tasks associated with transitioning from the assessment phase of the project to the planning phase, including continued engagement of residents, understanding and working with the assets identified through assessment, and ensuring that all participants understand both the resident-drive, grassroots nature of the work, and the necessary focus on the social determinants of health for short-, medium-, and long-term health improvement. Help prepare the grantees for the Planning process in Phase II, and for eventual implementation of their plan. • Initiate regular face-to-face meetings with individual newer grantees in Rochester; maintain regular telephone and email contact with grantees between visits. • Continue occasional “qualitative” discussions to help extract the stories associated with the neighborhood-based activities that are producing the projects’ results. •