SOW for gift card reimbursement SBSS.pdf

Statement of Work Compensating Survey Respondents to Online Mental Health and Wellbeing

Survey for Healthcare Support Workers

I. BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health and injury risks for all essential workers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded both burdens among essential workers who provide healthcare support in residences, nursing homes and healthcare institutions.

Nursing aides, psychiatric aides and home health aides who comprise healthcare support occupations have had to continue to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Many may not have health insurance or government-based coverage through a partner nor consistent income due to the non-standard work arrangements typical of their occupation.

Nursing assistants experienced one of the highest incidence rates of days away from work in 2018 and 2019. In 2011, the American Nurses Association survey of nurses, nursing managers, directors and supervisors found that 74% of respondents were concerned about the effects of stress and overwork, 24% of respondents identified risk of a fatigue-related crash after a shift as one of their top 3 safety and health concerns and over half (53%) worked mandatory or unplanned overtime each month. A 2019 study found healthcare access differentially distributed among patient care aides in different settings. Additionally, the wide range of state requirements for training and work activities make it especially difficult to identify specific interventions to reach these occupations.

As a group, approximately 21% of healthcare support occupations are foreign born. This includes 38% or 492,000 home health aides. Accordingly, immigrant women were more likely to work as home health aides characterized for its low wages. The concomitant mental health and socio-economic burdens experienced among healthcare support occupations were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The wide range of nursing, home health and hospital aides in varying work settings complicates any attempt to develop specific interventions. Silver et al. (2019) found that among patient care aides (home health aides and hospital aides) health-related metrics differed where home health aides experienced the most adverse multiple health-related metrics when compared to nursing aides and hospital aides. The study authors call for additional research on patient care aides and more specifically home health aides, identifying this subgroup as a vulnerable segment of the healthcare sector.

NIOSH is uniquely positioned to conduct this study among healthcare support occupations.

NIOSH has experience conducting a national survey among healthcare occupations. A recent study authored by NIOSH researchers Silver et al., assessed healthcare coverage, health-related behaviors, and health outcomes among patient care aides in 2019. Additionally, NIOSH has identified healthcare support occupations as a disproportionally affected worker population requiring more research, with recently published blog posts as the Home Healthcare Workers: A Growing and Diverse Workforce at High Risk for Workplace Violence, addressing issues facing this worker group. Other intra-agency collaborations include the Occupational Health Equity Program, Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector program, and Healthy Work Design, where representatives have reviewed and provided input on the proposal, survey design and will comment on any follow-up interventions that may result from the data analysis.

Silver et al., 2019 also found low prevalence of healthy behaviors among this population when compared to clerical workers, and Sterling et al., 2021 found increased association with suboptimal health among home healthcare workers who were significantly characterized by low household income, inability to see a doctor due to cost and a history of depression.

The proposed survey of healthcare support occupations has not been previously administered to this worker population. This study addresses a critical knowledge gap among this population of workers. It will increase understanding of the following: (1) work arrangements (contract, temporary, shift) that contribute to increased stress among healthcare support occupations; (2) self-reported mental health factors (e.g. work-related stress, burnout, substance use disorders) that contribute to adverse mental health outcomes; and (3) improve understanding on how to elucidate issues and gather data from healthcare support occupations. The study the cognitive testing will inform was funded through a Just In Time funding mechanism that requires all research to be done in a short time frame to be able to take advantage of conducting a timely research study during the pandemic and provide actionable findings. Additionally, the quick turnaround is required to be eligible for waivers for the timely conduct of research during a public health emergency.

II. PURPOSE

The primary goal of this contract is to compensate survey respondents for participating in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey for Healthcare Professionals study. The primary purpose of this contract is to work with an automatic payment platform, to compensate survey respondents completing a REDCap survey with a $15 gift card of their choosing. The vendor will provide an electronic platform in which NIOSH study personnel will embed an electronic link into REDCap at the end of the survey where respondents can claim a $15 gift card through email or text. The platform will generate and maintain a log of all disbursed gift cards.

The vendor will be expected to provide access to the payment platform within 7 days of award. The vendor will be responsible for maintaining participant names and email/text contacts in a secure location. This information should not be stored or provided to NIOSH with the disbursement log. NIOSH will accept only a unique study ID assigned to each respondent with the date and time of gift card disbursement. NIOSH project staff will not be following up with any of the survey respondents.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The vendor shall provide all labor, materials, and equipment required to complete the tasks outlined below. This includes technical service within one business day in the event the payment platform malfunctions. The vendor shall be the point of contact for customer service to the respondent regarding any questions or issues with the gift cards.

IV. TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

The vendor shall perform the following tasks to distribute an estimated 1,000 gift cards to respondents who complete the survey, “Mental Health and Wellbeing of Healthcare

Support Professionals”.

A. Provide link to NIOSH study personnel that can be used to access the automatic payment platform with choice of a $15 gift card once the survey is completed.

B. Automatically (using platform) send access of selected $15 gift card to the user’s email or text as provided by the respondent.

C. Automatically (using platform) generate and maintain a log of date, time and contact information used for respondent, with a study ID generated to provide documentation to NIOSH with no PII included (no email or phone numbers included).

D. Any unused balance of funds will be deobligated from the contract.

E. Once the vendor disperses gift cards in increments of $2,500, the vendor will submit an invoice to NIOSH for payment/reimbursement.

V. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS

N/A

VI. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance shall commence upon award and shall continue through the next 12 months.

VII. DELIVERABLES

The vendor shall provide the following deliverables to the Project Officer by the dates reflected below.

Deliverables Date Required Link to NIOSH study personnel that can be used to access the automatic payment platform

Seven (7) days after contract award

Invoice for gift card reimbursements in $2,500 increments. Once $2,500 of gift cards have been issued.

Log list of cards dispersed, PII removed. After 133 gift cards dispersed

Final log for gift card reimbursements. One business day after 1,000 gift cards are distributed or the last gift card has been provided to a respondent (as determined by project personnel).

VIII. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice

(a) Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194), require that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

(b) Accordingly, any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508. The complete text of the Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm.

(c) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract are: 1194.

205 WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA Success Criteria 302 Functional Performance Criteria 502 Inoperability with Assistive Technology 503 Applications 504 Authoring Tools 602 Support Documentation 603 Support Services

In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed EIT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance with its completion instructions. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed EIT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows offerors or developers to self-evaluate their supplies and documentation detail - whether they conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard, and any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template are available under Section 508 policy on the HHS Web site http://hhs.gov/web/508.

(d) Respondents to this solicitation must identify any exception to Section 508 requirements. If a offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies or services delivered do not conform to the accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(e) Electronic content must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria. Checklist for various formats is available at http://508.hhs.gov/, or from the Section 508 Coordinator listed at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html.

http://www.hhs.gov/web/508 http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm http://hhs.gov/web/508 http://508.hhs.gov/ https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html

Materials that are final items for delivery should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist, except upon approval of the Contracting Officer or Representative.

IX. PROJECT OFFICER

The Project Officer for this procurement is:

Vidisha Parasram, PhD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Safety Research 1095 Willowdale Road Morgantown, WV 26505

Contracting Officer Representative:

Cammie Chaumont Menendez, PhD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Safety Research 1095 Willowdale Road Morgantown, WV 26505