Attachment 1 Statement of Work.pdf

Statement of Work Community Health Immunization Resources

SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing comprehensive health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN).

As the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for AI/AN people, the IHS mission is to raise AI/AN health status to the highest possible level.

Ensuring high levels of immunization protection is critical in AI/AN communities, considering disparities in infectious disease. For example, influenza and pneumonia rates are nearly twice as high in AI/AN populations than in all-U.S. populations. Recognizing the importance of continually strengthening immunization programs, the IHS Health Promotion Disease Prevention and Public Health programs promote building the capacity of tribes and communities by increasing immunization confidence, awareness, and preparedness through the sharing of effective solutions and assisting health care professionals to promote immunization uptake.

As of 2022, fewer AI/AN children were protected against diseases such as diphtheria, influenza, pneumococcus, and rotavirus, when compared to non-Hispanic white children. In response, the IHS has developed policies (e.g., E3 Strategy) and public health approaches to increase effective health messaging and partnerships with tribal health organizations, academic institutions, state health departments, and tribal epidemiology centers. To address other service barriers, this effort will focus on solutions for community health worker education.

For healthcare providers, evidence-based communication techniques such as the presumptive approach, personalized messaging, and motivational interviewing (MI) have been shown to support providers in facilitating health behavior change around immunization decision-making. BoostVax is a comprehensive health provider web-based training package that is community-driven and culturally grounded to increase immunization coverage. The BoostVax program will continue to encourage and train health care providers to engage with patients to improve the immunization rates of children and adults.

The Community Health Workers/Representatives (CHW/CHR) Program is a unique concept for providing health care, health promotion, and disease prevention services. CHWs/CHRs have demonstrated how they assist and connect with the community, and their work has become essential to the spectrum of Tribal community-oriented primary health care services. CHWs/CHRs are great advocates, in part because they come from the communities they serve and have tribal cultural competence. Their dedicated work has assisted many to meet their healthcare needs. By providing health education, CHWs/CHRs have contributed to lowering mortality rates. As trusted front line public health workers within tribal communities, CHWs/CHRs can enhance immunization efforts through culturally tailored education, outreach, and clinic support.

As trusted front-line public health workers, CHWs/CHRs play an important role in communicating health information and addressing community concerns regarding immunization. While healthcare provider and CHW/CHR training are important components of immunization programs, community members often require educational materials that are tailored to their specific questions, concerns, cultural perspectives, and preferred methods of receiving information. The development of culturally appropriate immunization resources can support CHWs/CHRs in conducting outreach, facilitating conversations about vaccine-preventable diseases, and promoting informed decision-making within AI/AN communities.

SECTION 2 – PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The IHS proposes to amplify current immunization efforts by developing community health resources for CHW/CHR to utilize and share with their communities to reduce the risk of preventable infectious diseases in communities by encouraging the uptake of immunizations. The resources will be formatted to the preference of the communities (e.g. educational toolkits, flyers, cut-outs, etc.) To accomplish this, the contractor will identify AI/AN community and individual concerns about vaccines including awareness of individual-decision making, typical vaccine side-effects, and other relevant community topics. They will propose, identify, and implement resource solutions to alleviate community and individual concerns about disease prevention through immunization. All activities and materials will be AI/AN culturally appropriate and address community concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy. This requirement is focused on development of community-facing immunization education resources for distribution to AI/AN community members.

SECTION 3 – SCOPE/TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

Community Health Immunization Resource Creation Objective 1: Design and Host Immunization Resources

a. Conduct interviews in geographically diverse AI/AN communities to assess community concerns and preference for resource types (flyers, handouts, radio, etc.). In-person interviews are preferable.

i. Conduct interviews in 3-5 different communities.

ii. Conduct 1-2 interviews with at least 5 community members. Community members should vary in age, gender, parental-status, occupation, etc.

b. Develop culturally appropriate resources that directly address community concerns identified in interviews.

i. 3-5 table top toolkits, depending on interview outcomes (for example, toolkits could be childhood, adolescent, adult, and elder vaccines. Or organized by vaccine types such as respiratory diseases and routine and high risk vaccines)

ii. 5-10 flyers that address community concerns

iii. 3-10 other types of community preferred communication tools

c. Translate resources into approximately 5 community languages as necessary.

d. Host and maintain resources on a website for CHW/CHRs to easily access.

e. Maintain a record of planning activities, meeting discussions, and attendees and debrief IHS on these.

f. The resources must be developed specifically for CHW/CHRs to distribute to the American

Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) population.

Objective 2: Disseminate materials within AI/AN-Serving CHW/CHR Networks

a. Work with IHS Immunization and CHW programs to create a material dissemination plan.

b. Attend in-person IHS CHW/CHR training (tentatively scheduled for March or April 2027) to review community resources, explain background (how interviews were conducted, method for developing resources, advice on how to use resources), where to find them, etc.

c. Conduct one webinar (recorded) for CHW/CHRs to review community resources, explain background (how interviews were conducted, method for developing resources, advice on how to use resources), where to find them, etc.

Objective 3: Evaluate the CHW/CHR Immunization Resources

a. Track which resources are performing best.

b. Evaluate and improve resources that are identified as needing improvement.

Objective 4: Coordinate with IHS and other BoostVax Partners

a. Attend virtual coordination meeting with relevant IHS partners to coordinate CHR/CHW dissemination activities.

b. Provide relevant updates on tasks progress and follow up on relevant meeting action items

SECTION 4 – GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

No Government-Furnished Property (GFP) will be provided under this contract

SECTION 5 – PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Estimated Period of Performance: October 21, 2026 – July 31, 2027

Contract may be performed entirely off site at the contractor’s facility or other (with necessary travel as outlined in Section 3). All work performed must take place within the United States.

SECTION 6 – TRAVEL

Travel will be required for in-person interviews and in-person community health worker training. Travel under this contract shall be in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and must be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer and COR before any costs are incurred. Detailed receipts must be provided outlining the travel that was conducted in conjunction with this contract and provided with the invoice to the government.

SECTION 7 – DELIVERABLES/REPORTING SCHEDULE

Task Deliverable Format Due Date/Frequency Deliver To Objective 1 Present to IHS compiled community interview summary

Electronic January 15, 2027 COR & IHS

POC

Objective 1 Present to IHS culturally appropriate resources directly addressing community concerns

Electronic March 12, 2027 COR & IHS

POC

Objective 1 Translated community resources

Electronic March 31, 2027 COR & Program Manager

Objective 1 Continue to host and maintain online resources

Electronic Launch by March 31, 2027; maintain through July 31, 2027 (then transitioning to IHS for maintenance)

COR &

Program Manager

Objective 1 Debrief IHS on progress Electronic Quarterly (per quarterly report schedule below and as requested)

COR &

Program Manager

Objective 2 Present to IHS Completed Dissemination Plan and begin dissemination

Electronic February 19, 2027 COR & Program Manager

Task Deliverable Format Due Date/Frequency Deliver To Objective 2 Attend -in person IHS

CHW/CHR training In-person March or April 2027, as directed by IHS

COR &

Program Manager

Objective 2 Conduct recorded on-line webinar for CHW/CHR

Electronic May 14, 2027 COR & Program Manager

Objective 3 Review material performance; Report on utilization and plans for improvement

Electronic April 16, 2027 July 16, 2027

COR &

Program Manager

All Objectives

Final overall project report and complete and final resource package (contractor will transition to IHS all final materials, files, and supporting documentation necessary to enable IHS to independently maintain, update, reproduce, and distribute the resources following completion of the contract)

Electronic July 26, 2027 COR & Program Manager

All Objectives

Quarterly reports on progress of overall requirement

Electronic January 15, 2027 April 16, 2027 August 20, 2027 (reference section F of solicitation/order)

COR &

Program Manager

All invoices must be submitted within 60 days of July 31, 2027.

All deliverables must be delivered electronically or in person, as applicable, to the Program Manager and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Deliverables will be accepted upon review and approval by project stakeholders, with final approval resting with the COR.

The Contractor shall ensure:

Deliverables are accurate, complete, and actionable.

Stakeholder feedback is incorporated appropriately.

Deliverables are completed within established timelines.

The Contractor shall deliver all final products in formats that enable the Government to use, modify, and distribute the materials independently, including but not limited to:

Editable source files (e.g., PowerPoint, Word, design files) SCORM packages and source files for e-learning modules Video source files and caption files Documentation sufficient for future maintenance and updates

The Government shall have unlimited rights to all materials produced as deliverables under this contract (including but not limited to training modules, multimedia content, videos, written materials, job aids, evaluation tools, reports, and supporting documentation). Unlimited rights include the right to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose the data, in whole or in part, in any manner and for any purpose whatsoever, and to authorize others to do so.

The Contractor shall not include any third-party proprietary materials in deliverables unless such materials are licensed to the Government with rights consistent with unlimited rights, or unless prior written approval is obtained from the Contracting Officer.

SECTION 8 – SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Contractor System Access Contractor access to IHS information systems and IHS-provided software development environments is subject to applicable IHS security, onboarding, and access requirements. Contractor personnel shall promptly complete all required access documentation and requirements following award. IHS system access may require approximately 30–60 calendar days following initiation of the applicable access process.

Section 508 and Accessibility Standards The included standards that must be met for this contract are taken from the following two resources. Compliance with these standards is mandatory for Federal agencies subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d).

Section 508 Standards and Guidelines: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21

Electronic Content Accessibility - Web Based

602 Support Documentation 603 Support Services All WCAG A & AA Success Criteria