Project Grant FPHPA006607

PROVISION OF FAMILY PLANNING AND RELATED PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES TO ELIGIBLE CLIENTS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. - ESSENTIAL ACCESS HEALTH (ESSENTIAL ACCESS) CHAMPIONS AND PROMOTES QUALITY SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL. FOR OVER 50 YEARS, ESSENTIAL ACCESS HAS SUCCESSFULLY PARTNERED WITH THE OFFICE OF POPULATION AFFAIRS (OPA) TO PROMOTE AND EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, CLIENT-CENTERED, EQUITABLE, AND AFFORDABLE FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES AND TEENS, AND HAS RECEIVED TITLE X FUNDING IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SINCE 1970. SINCE 2016, ESSENTIAL ACCESS HAS BEEN MEETING WITH HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF HAWAII TO IDENTIFY GAPS IN ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES AND ESTABLISH PLANS TO ADDRESS THEM. WITH FUNDING FROM OPA, ESSENTIAL ACCESS WILL REINTRODUCE THE TITLE X FEDERAL FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM TO HAWAII AND REBUILD A ROBUST, DIVERSE TITLE X NETWORK THROUGHOUT THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THE PROPOSED TITLE X NETWORK SERVICE AREA INCLUDES HAWAII'S FOUR COUNTIES, ENCOMPASSING 16 SUBRECIPIENTS TO PROVIDE FAMILY PLANNING AND RELATED PREVENTIVE HEALTH SERVICES AT 41 CLINICAL SITES. SUBRECIPIENTS INCLUDE FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS (FQHCS), THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN HEALTH SYSTEM, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEM, AND A FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES AFFILIATE THAT WILL EXTEND THE REACH OF TITLE X SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS WITH LOWER INCOMES, ADOLESCENTS, PEOPLE IN RURAL REGIONS WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO CARE, AND PEOPLE WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP). AMID THESE PROGRAMMATIC DEVELOPMENTS, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS RESULTED IN TELEHEALTH BECOMING A CRITICAL PATHWAY FOR CARE FOR MANY HAWAIIANS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH LOW INCOMES, LIVING IN RURAL REGIONS WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO CARE, AND ADOLESCENTS. APPROXIMATELY 15% OF ALL VISITS ACROSS THE NETWORK ARE BEING CONDUCTED THROUGH TELEHEALTH. ESSENTIAL ACCESS IS SUBMITTING A FAMILY PLANNING TELEHEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION GRANT PROPOSAL OF $700,000 TO ENHANCE AND EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF TITLE X SUBRECIPIENTS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, CLIENT-CENTERED, AND EQUITABLE CARE THROUGH TELEHEALTH. ESSENTIAL ACCESS WILL UTILIZE PROJECT FUNDS TO: 1) ESTABLISH, ENHANCE AND EXPAND TELEHEALTH TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES AND SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, CLIENT-CENTERED AND EQUITABLE TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES THROUGH TELEHEALTH MODALITIES. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED PRIMARILY THROUGH DIRECT FUNDING OF AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUBRECIPIENT TELEHEALTH PROJECTS. 2) BUILD, ENHANCE AND EXPAND CAPACITY OF TITLE X HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY, CLIENT-CENTERED, AND EQUITABLE TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES THROUGH TELEHEALTH MODALITIES. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE PROVISION OF TRAINING AND/OR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 3) EXPAND AND IMPROVE OUTREACH TO PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDERSERVED BY TELEHEALTH SERVICES AND PROMOTE TITLE X FAMILY PLANNING TELEHEALTH SERVICES TO THESE POPULATIONS TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, CLIENT-CENTERED, AND EQUITABLE CARE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH DIRECT FUNDING OF SUBRECIPIENT TELEHEALTH OUTREACH PROJECTS. THE PROJECT WILL HAVE TWO PRIMARY STAGES: 1) A NEEDS ASSESSMENT STAGE WHERE A NETWORK SURVEY WILL BE CONDUCTED AND A DISPARITY IMPACT STATEMENT WILL BE DEVELOPED TO GAIN A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF SUBRECIPIENT NEEDS ACROSS THE STATE FOR FUNDING, TRAINING, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 2) AN INTERVENTION STAGE FUNDING, TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT RESULTS, AND THEN PROGRESS MADE AND PROJECT IMPACTS WILL BE EVALUATED.