Illinois Department of Human Services

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation -St. Louis Chapter (AAFA) is 501(c)(3), nonprofit, that provides programs and services to people with asthma, food allergies and other respiratory challenges with the goal of helping them to live lives without limits. The chapter is in the process of becoming a Mid-States chapter, expanding its reach across Illinois and other parts of the central United States, to provide its successful programming to more children and communities. AAFA will utilize the funds provided by this contract to provide an Illinois school-based asthma intervention program known as RESCUE Illinois Schools. RESCUE - Resources for Every School Confronting Unexpected Emergencies is a program that AAFA has been running for more than twelve years in the St. Louis metro area, which also includes several Southern Illinois counties. RESCUE Illinois Schools will support schools with Albuterol Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI), durable holding chambers, disposable holding chambers, peak flow meters, a storage bag, and training and instructional materials. The goals and economic benefits of the RESCUE Illinois Schools program are to keep children healthy and in class, reduce costs to the student's family and the State for those students who are on Medicaid and would cause the State to incur costs if they have to go to the emergency department. Additionally, the purpose is to reduce missed school days, reduce missed work time from parents and guardians, improve asthma control, help nurses identify chronic asthma issues in certain students, and assist school nurses in their difficult work. The services for RESCUE Illinois Schools include at a minimum: 1. Classification of schools for equitable distribution Schools have been classified to ensure that supplies and medication are dispersed in an equitable and efficient manner. The school classification has been determined by each school's enrollment size and the rate of emergency department pediatric visits with asthma as the primary diagnosis as reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health (Illinois Public Health Community Map / Asthma). There are 6 classes in the RESCUE Illinois Schools: 1. Class 1: Regular risk and 0-250 students 2. Class 2: Regular risk and 251-499 students 3. Class 3: Regular risk and 500+ students 4. Class 4: High risk and 0-250 students 5. Class 5: High risk and 251-500 students 6. Class 6: High risk and 500+ students Low to regular risk: <30 percent emergency rate for pediatric visits for asthma High risk: >30 percent emergency rate for pediatric visits for asthma The funding provided to the RESCUE Illinois Schools program will allow up to 1,600 schools to be served in the 3-6 class categories. This will serve approximately two-thirds of all public schools in Illinois. Any savings or unused funds will be allocated to serving Class 2 schools that currently are not slated to be served in this fiscal year. 2. Procurement - (P) To maximize funds and Illinois taxpayer dollars, AAFA has developed long time and deep relationships with multiple vendors of the necessary program materials. These relationships will be leveraged to insure the best possible cost for the right product, service, and delivery. Orders will be monitored fully, and Illinois vendors will be used whenever possible and competitive. Additionally, these relationships and internal expertise will enable us to select the best product for the needs of the schools, even as needs and products evolve. These vendors may include but may not be limited to, Monaghan Medical, Beverly Hills Pharmacy, OptiRX Pharmacy, Downtown Discount Pharmacy, and Thayer Medical. 3. Just in Time (JIT) Ordering To mitigate the cost of warehousing and related costs, a JIT process will be utilized with the intention of all products being in the warehouse no longer than two weeks. Medication will come directly from pharmacy partners, foregoing any additional warehouse costs. 4. Distribution - All participating schools will be provided materials ideally within a two-week period. The purpose of this is to ensure that all schools receive their materials within a reasonable time frame so measurement can be consistent and considered scientifically viable. Shipments have been designed to fulfill the RESCUE Illinois Schools' goal of equity and efficiency. Shipments will be provided in standardized packaging. There are three types of boxes: Box 1: Medication (shipped directly from pharmacy partners) Box 2: Medical Equipment Box 3: Educational Materials Schools in the high risk and/or high enrollment categories will get multiple sets of Box 1 and Box 2, depending how high the risk and/or size of the school population. This streamlined and consistent methodology minimizes assembly error, reduces costs, and allows AAFA to focus grant dollars on schools rather than burdensome logistical requirements. All shipments will be tracked and confirmed. Schools will each be provided with: Albuterol Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI), durable holding chambers, disposable holding chambers, peak flow meters, a storage bag, and training and instructional materials. 5. Training Providing products and medication to the schools must be maximized by making sure all school officials administering the resources are prepared to do so proficiently. Training will be provided to every participating school. Training will take place in pre-scheduled school events, AAFA-hosted in-person trainings, and through digital on-demand course offerings. The training will be done in collaboration with our partner, Respiratory Health Association (RHA), who can speak to the component they provide with the highest level of expertise. Other valuable partners may include but may not be limited to, Monaghan Medical, Beverly Hills Pharmacy, OptiRX Pharmacy, Downtown Discount Pharmacy, and Thayer Medical. Training will follow all Illinois guidelines for such training according to Illinois HB 969 legislation. 6. Tracking - AAFA will provide a user-friendly platform, where nurses and school officials will log usage of equipment and asthma incidence. A robust live tracking system is important for two reasons. First, the state of Illinois also requires that school officials report asthma interventions in school within 72 hours of the incidents (Public Act 100-0726). Second, we must be able to track the efficacy of the program by monitoring and compiling school usage and affected student disposition. This will allow AAFA to make improvements in future school years. The user-friendly platform is an upgraded and customized version of "Apricot", a Client Resource Manager (CRM), specifically designed for nonprofit programs that AAFA has used for 10+ years. In a new section of our CRM, we will have a portal that allows school officials to log in and document interventions in a safe, simple, and confidential way. Moreover, Public Act 100-0726 requires that school interventions must be reported to the state of Illinois as well. Our CRM system on Apricot will collect the same state-required information, reducing the amount of data collection and reporting required by the school official. 7. Prescription Procurement - Schools are legally allowed to store and use undesignated albuterol in the state of Illinois per Public Act 100-0726. The statute stipulates that a standing undesignated prescription must be acquired by a school at least until there is a standing order across the entire state. Schools have been extremely forthcoming about two challenges in acquiring an undesignated prescription. First, schools and school districts are not adept in getting a prescription. The law is relatively new, and the educational entities do not often have established relationships with medical providers. Having a history in this liaison role, AAFA will call on our relationships with knowledgeable medical personnel to make sure that all participating schools have the required prescription. Second, when schools are able to procure prescriptions, they still often have difficulties finding pharmacies to fill the prescriptions. Again, the law is relatively new, and pharmacies are often unaware of the existing legislation and full allowances of the legislation, and instead, pharmacies expect the prescription to be in an individual student's name. Having run a smaller RESCUE program for the last 12 years, AAFA has extensive pharmacy relationships in the state of Illinois. We already have multiple pharmacies that will readily provide the prescription medication in safe and expedient ways because they already have full understanding of the legislation. Moreover, we have negotiated costs for these prescription medications that are almost always favorable to what an individual school or school district would be able to procure, ensuring we can serve more schools. 7. Evaluation - Using the Apricot system, we will digitally track activities and monitor school and district progress. Outputs that will be measured include: 1. Number of nurses and school officials trained 2. Number of trainings and technical assistance sessions provided 3. Number of medical incidents / RESCUE interventions 4. Number of unique students served by RESCUE materials 8. Ongoing support - AAFA will provide ongoing support for school officials, whether it is regarding the intervention, medication or technology related. Ongoing support will be provided by in-person training, virtual training, RESCUE platform digital resource library, email, AAFA office hours for all participating schools, as well as developing a sense of community among participating school nurses to each other.

N/A

Public Act 102-1122, FY23 Legislative Add-on; Public Act 103-0006, FY24 Legislative Add-on; Public Act 103-0589, FY25 Legislative Add-on; Public Act 104-0003, FY26 Legislative Add-on

N/A

Funds shall be used in accordance with the Uniform Grant Agreement. AAFA will utilize the funds provided by this contract to provide an Illinois school-based asthma intervention program known as RESCUE Illinois Schools. RESCUE - Resources for Every School Confronting Unexpected Emergencies is a program that AAFA has been running for more than twelve years in the St. Louis metro area, which also includes several Southern Illinois counties. RESCUE Illinois Schools will support schools with Albuterol Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI), durable holding chambers, disposable holding chambers, peak flow meters, a storage bag, and training and instructional materials. The goals and economic benefits of the RESCUE Illinois Schools program are to keep children healthy and in class, reduce costs to the student's family and the State for those students who are on Medicaid and would cause the State to incur costs if they have to go to the emergency department. Additionally, the purpose is to reduce missed school days, reduce missed work time from parents and guardians, improve asthma control, help nurses identify chronic asthma issues in certain students, and assist school nurses in their difficult work.

Yes

Funds shall be used in accordance with the Uniform Grant Agreement

Nonprofit Organizations;

Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, St. Louis Chapter $898,416.14

AAFA will utilize the funds provided by this contract to provide an Illinois school-based asthma intervention program known as RESCUE Illinois Schools. RESCUE Illinois Schools will support schools with Albuterol Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI), durable holding chambers, disposable holding chambers, peak flow meters, a storage bag, and training and instructional materials. The goals and economic benefits of the RESCUE Illinois Schools program are to keep children healthy and in class, reduce costs to the student's family and the State for those students who are on Medicaid and would cause the State to incur costs if they have to go to the emergency department. Additionally, the purpose is to reduce missed school days, reduce missed work time from parents and guardians, improve asthma control, help nurses identify chronic asthma issues in certain students, and assist school nurses in their difficult work.

Non-competitive

Human Services

2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.

N/A

1. Complete the Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance. The Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance is a three-page document used to formalize organization's request to apply for funding. The document requires the signature and email address of the organization's authorized representative. This email address will be used for official communication between the Department and the applicant organization for matters regarding this application. The application will be provided by the Contract Project Officer. 2. Complete Uniform Grant Budget in CSA. a) Applicants must enter a budget electronically in the CSA system. The Budget entered into the CSA system must include a narrative or detailed description/justification for each line in the budget and will describe why each expenditure is necessary for program implementation and how the applicant arrived at the particular amount. The CSA budget and included narrative should express and support the submitted program narrative. b) Please include cost allocations as necessary. This narrative must clearly identify indirect costs, direct program costs, direct administrative costs, and match within each line item as appropriate. The Budget (including MTDC base exclusions as appropriate) should clearly describe how the specified resources and personnel have been allocated for the tasks and activities described in your plan. Attach a copy of your current approved Federal or State negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement if applicable. c) The budget should be prepared to reflect the full 12-month grant cycle and be consistent with the total amount requested. d) The Budget must be electronically signed and submitted in the CSA system. The Budget must be signed by the Provider's Chief Executive Officer and/or Chief Financial Officer. e) IMPORTANT: Please be sure the budget status in CSA says "GATA Budget signed and submitted to program review." This status will appear after the budget is electronically signed by the agency CEO or CFO and submitted to IDHS. See IDHS CSA Tracking System webpage for additional information on CSA at IDHS: CSA Tracking System (state.il.us) f) The budget and narrative must tie fiscal activity to program objectives and deliverables and demonstrate that all proposed costs are: • Reasonable and necessary • Allocable, and • Allowable as defined herein and by program regulatory requirements and the Uniform Guidance (2CFR 200), as applicable. 3. Complete Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure form. The grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure is a required for all grant award programs. The document requires agencies to identify actual or potential conflicts of interest. The form must be signed by a representative of the organization. The form will be provided by the Contract Project Officer. 5. Federal Form W-9. A completed federal form W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification is required for all applicants. 6. Each applicant must: a. Be registered in SAM.gov before submitting its application. b. Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application; and c. Continue to maintain an active registration in SAM.gov with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration. d. The Department may not make an award until applicant has fully complied to all UEI and SAM requirements. e. Applicants must be registered with the State of Illinois and Pre-qualified in the GATA portal prior to applying for Illinois awards. Instructions for creating an account and registering are located at the following link: Illinois GATA Grantee Portal. Additionally, detailed instructions for registration and prequalification requirements, including the expected amount of time for completion are located here: IDHS: Pre-Qualification Instructions and Resources

N/A non-competitive

Payment: Reimbursement Method A. IDHS will disburse payments to Grantee based on actual allowable costs incurred as reported in the monthly financial invoice submitted for the respective month, as described below. B. Grantees must submit monthly invoices in a format prescribed by Grantor. Invoices must include all allowable incurred costs for the first and each subsequent month of operations until the end of the Award term. Invoices must be submitted no later than 15 days following the end of any respective monthly invoice period, or as indicated in their UGA Exhibit F - Payments. As practicable, Grantor shall process payment within 30 calendar days after receipt of the invoice, unless the State awarding agency reasonably believes the request to be improper. C. Grantees may be required to submit supporting documentation for their requests at the request of and in a manner prescribed by the Grantor. All meeting or conference materials or publicity of any nature paid for with these funds must include appropriate disclaimers that identify the Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services as the sponsoring agency and must not be released without prior written approval from the State's Authorized Representative. A Monthly Grant Invoice (MGI), or alternate format provided by the Division, is required monthly to initiate payment. The MGI, or alternate format, will be provided by the DRS Contract Project Officer at the beginning of the contract period. Training and technical assistance on the completion of the form is available from the DRS Contract Project Officer. MGIs are to be sent by email to the DRS Contract Project Officer within 15 days following the end of any respective monthly invoice period, or as indicated in their UGA Exhibit F - Payments. Financial documentation to support the MGI must be submitted when requested by the DRS Contract Project Officer. Failure to provide financial documentation when requested will suspend payment for services. Payments will be made in accordance with an approved Uniform Grant Budget, completion of all reporting requirements, and adherence to the minimum threshold for acceptable performance as outlined in the contract. All publicity and/or public action must also include a provision that the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services nor is it an endorsement. For purposes of this provision, publicity includes notices, informational pamphlets, press releases, research, reports, signs, and similar public notices prepared by or for the Grantee individually or jointly with others, with respect to the program, publications, or services provided resulting from the grant agreement or subsequent amendments.

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30 business days

N/A

N/A

N/A

Funds shall be used in accordance with the Uniform Grant Agreement

Monthly Financial Report: A Monthly Grant Invoice (MGI) is required initiate payment Quarterly Periodic Financial Report / Periodic Performance Report Yearly Final Reconciliation Form

JCAR Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code 7000.90 Auditing Standards

JCAR Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code 7000.430 Record Retention. Generally, States and subgrantees, as well as the training and technical assistance grantee, must retain records related to grant funds and compliance for a period of 3 years

06114449944003725

Estimated FY26 amount: 898,416.14

N/A

AAFA utilized the funds provided by this contract to provide an Illinois school-based asthma intervention program known as RESCUE Illinois Schools. RESCUE Illinois Schools will support schools with Albuterol Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI), durable holding chambers, disposable holding chambers, peak flow meters, a storage bag, and training and instructional materials. The goals and economic benefits of the RESCUE Illinois Schools program are to keep children healthy and in class, reduce costs to the student's family and the State for those students who are on Medicaid and would cause the State to incur costs if they have to go to the emergency department. Additionally, the purpose is to reduce missed school days, reduce missed work time from parents and guardians, improve asthma control, help nurses identify chronic asthma issues in certain students, and assist school nurses in their difficult work.

N/A

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation -St. Louis Chapter (AAFA) is 501(c)(3), nonprofit, that provides programs and services to people with asthma, food allergies and other respiratory challenges with the goal of helping them to live lives without limits. The chapter is in the process of becoming a Mid-States chapter, expanding its reach across Illinois and other parts of the central United States, to provide its successful programming to more children and communities.

Department of Human Services - Division of Rehabilitation Services Bureau of Home and Community Based Supports - Independent Living 100 South Grand Ave E Springfield, Illinois 62704

https://aafastl.org/

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N/A

2/7/2023

FY 2023 : $1,041,544
FY 2024 : $1,345,174
FY 2025 : $1,851,584
FY 2026 : $898,416