Cooperative Agreement ASTWH210099

TEXAS STRATEGIC ACTION PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE VIOLENT PREGNANCY-ASSOCIATED DEATHS - THE POPULATION FOCUS FOR THE TEXAS STRATEGIC ACTION PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE VIOLENT PREGNANCY-ASSOCIATED DEATHS (TSAP-RVPD) PROGRAM IS PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN, INCLUDING SUBPOPULATIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY VIOLENT PREGNANCY-ASSOCIATED DEATHS (VPDS) DUE TO HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE IN TEXAS. WHILE THERE ARE PROGRAM EFFORTS ACROSS TEXAS WORKING GENERALLY ON HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE PREVENTION, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SPECIFIC STATE-LEVEL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS VPDS. ENHANCING PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS TO REDUCE VPDS REQUIRES INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON BRINGING TOGETHER PARTNERS FROM ACROSS TEXAS TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTOR COORDINATION AND PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP FOR ADDRESSING THE ISSUE. TSAP-RVPD PROGRAM ACTIVITIES WILL LEVERAGE, ENHANCE, AND EXPAND ON EFFORTS OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES' MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH UNIT, HEALTHY TEXAS MOTHERS AND BABIES (HTMB) BRANCH, TEXAS MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY REVIEW COMMITTEE, AND TEXAS VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM (TVDRS) TO REDUCE VPDS. FUNDING WILL (A) BOLSTER DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROCESSES TO SUPPORT REVIEWING, IDENTIFYING, AND TRACKING VPDS IN TEXAS AND (B) INCREASE EFFICIENCIES BETWEEN MATERNAL HEALTH AND SAFETY INITIATIVES AND PARTNERS TO ADDRESS GAPS IN THE PROGRAMS' SCOPES. ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE INTERAGENCY COLLABORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES WILL CENTER ON: - DEVELOPING METHODS AND STRUCTURES FOR COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF VPDS; - DEVELOPING AND SUSTAINING A TSAP-RVPD CORE WORKGROUP TO STUDY VPD FINDINGS AND USE STRATEGIC PLANNING AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TO MOVE DATA INTO ACTION; - FACILITATING DESIGN OF A SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) STRATEGY TO EFFECTIVELY RAISE AWARENESS AND SPREAD EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO VPDS; - LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPLEMENT EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS THROUGH EXISTING STRUCTURES TO SUPPORT PREVENTION OF VPDS. ONE CONTRACT WILL BE SOUGHT IN PROJECT YEAR 1 OF THE GRANT TO DEVELOP AN EVALUATION PLAN AND SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING FRAMEWORK. INDEPENDENT EVALUATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN THE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY UNIT (MCHE) THROUGHOUT THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD. FUNDING WILL SUPPORT THREE NEW MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SECTION STAFF: - THE PROGRAM SPECIALIST V (PSV) WILL COORDINATE DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR LEADING PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND MONITORING THE PROJECT'S ON-GOING PROGRESS. THE PSV WILL PREPARE REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS (IN COORDINATION WITH GRANT-FUNDED INFORMATION SPECIALIST III) WITH AND FOR PARTNERS AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES' OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH (DHHS/OASH). - THE INFORMATION SPECIALIST III WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND DEVELOP COMMUNICATION, OUTREACH AND DISSEMINATION EFFORTS. - THE EPIDEMIOLOGIST II WILL PROVIDE COORDINATION WITH THE TVDRS EPIDEMIOLOGIST, SUPPORT DATA ANALYSIS FOR THE GRANT, AND HAVE CROSS-UNIT ACCESS TO SYSTEMS WITHIN MCHE AND TVDRS.