IDPH: Office of Health Care Regulations

The Improving Quality of Life and Care (IQLC) for Long-Term Care Residents Grant Program provides grants to improve the quality of life or quality of care for residents of federally certified long term care facilities within the State of Illinois by equipping facility staff, administrators, and stakeholders with technical tools and assistance to enhance resident care. This program is funded through the Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment Program developed in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMMS). Projects and activities must align with CMMS guidance and in this funding, the opportunity addresses the focus area of oral health. The Social Security Act provides for the collection and use of CMPs imposed by CMMS when nursing homes do not meet federal regulations for long-term care facilities. CMP funds may be used to support activities that benefit residents, including assistance to support and protect residents of a facility that closes or is decertified, projects that support resident and family councils, and other consumer involvement in assuring quality care in facilities, and facility improvement initiatives. Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH or Department) intends to fund one grant-based training program using CMP funds for the fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023) that focuses on improving oral health status through training. The specific use of CMP funds collected from long-term care facilities because of federally imposed CMPs must be approved by CMMS.

N/A

210 ILCS 45/Nursing Home Care Act

pending

The Department is prioritizing training in oral health as the connection between systemic health, oral disease prevention, treatment, and quality of life are strongly connected. Oral bacteria, especially those associated with periodontitis, may increase the likelihood of systemic complications related to cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, and diabetes mellitus in older adults. In addition, many elderly people have impaired cognitive, and functional abilities, and are at higher risk of oral diseases due to diet, side-effects of medications and poor oral hygiene. During the COVID-19 health emergency, many facilities and residents were not able to carry out basic oral health functions resulting in un-met need, increased risk for infections and other negative sequelae. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides an avenue to improve oral health status of residents that will minimize negative consequences during this and other potential future infectious disease outbreaks. The Department views optimal oral health as fundamental to ensure the quality of care and quality of life of residents. The training program funded through this NOFO will increase knowledge and action by caregivers in ways that positively impact quality of life and quality of care of residents. Training and demonstrations will review daily oral care, arranging for timely care for oral infections, and decreasing the instances of urgent dental care thus improving mouth function, comfort, overall health, and quality of life. The competitive grant awarded under this NOFO will support a state-wide oral health training program to improve the oral health status of facility residents, oral health knowledge, infection control and actions of the facility’s direct care staff. The training will also review infection control concepts, use of PPE in the provision of daily oral health care and oral evaluations. The training program will reach 250 Illinois certified long-term care facilities. One grant applicant will be selected. The education and training program will focus on supporting good oral health practices, disease prevention, and establishing a provision for dental treatment for residents of long term care facilities. The selected Grantee will work with the Department to prioritize facilities, finalize training topics, develop and deliver a workplan, a training plan and determine outcome measures that meets all NOFO requirements. The Grantee will employ a subject matter expert who will create, or the Grantee will purchase an education and training program that meets the training topics in this NOFO. If the Grantee is a dental hygienist or dentist, the Grantee can conduct the in-person training himself/ herself. The Grantee has the option of developing or purchasing a “train-the-trainer program” directed to dental hygienists or dentists for the in-person training requirement of this NOFO. The trained dentists and/or dental hygienists will then conduct the in-person portion of the training for the facility direct care staff (such as Certified Nursing Assistants, Registered Nurses). Trainings may be offered to other facility staff such as dietary, facilities management/ housekeeping, pharmacy, therapy, or social workers employed by the facility. For the benefit of licensed professionals attending the training sessions, the Grantee will strive to offer continuing education credit for relevant coursework. The annual Oral Health Training Program will provide each participating facility 1) access to online modules prior to in-person training that cover all training topics listed in this NOFO, 2) in-person review and demonstration training with a contact time of at least 90 minutes of which up to 30 minutes may be reserved for a question and answer session, and 3) one or more follow-up virtual interaction(s) which may include distribution of a video on a requested oral health topic. Facility direct care staff need to be able to implement daily techniques for preventing oral disease and maintaining optimal oral health among residents, understand the relationship between oral health and systemic health, and the rules and regulations regarding mandatory oral evaluations and referral to care when indicated for residents in long term care facilities. Therefore, the training curriculum must cover at a minimum, the following topics: 1) Importance of good oral health and impact on systemic health. 2) Nutrition and diet control measures that promote optimal oral health. 3) Training on proper use of PPE during daily oral care events that conduct oral evaluations and mouth care. 4) Proper use of daily oral hygiene, tools, and methods for caregivers and direct care staff. 5) Proper use of and dispensing each residents an appropriate oral health kit as needed. 6) Proper marking, storage, and cleaning processes for dentures. 7) Information for family members on how they support the oral health program. 8) Detection and common oral problems and timely referral. 9) Establishment of a process to arrange for emergency and routine oral care. The training must cover all the above topic areas at least once per year in each facility. The training program must also include ways to measure the effectiveness of the training program such as a pre- and post-training assessments. These surveys will measure changes in direct care staff’s knowledge, attitude, and behaviors that yield improved oral health status of residents. The Grantee shall work with the Department to finalize flow of training. In general, the Oral Health Program training will occur as outlined below: 1. The Grantee shall produce (or purchase) 4-5 online modules (of varying length of 8-12 minutes each) that cover all required topics as listed in the NOFO. 2. Grantee shall develop a pre and post training survey that demonstrates increased knowledge and behavior change that supports improved oral health of residents. 3. The Grantee shall develop an abbreviated in-person training that reinforces concepts addressed in online modules and addresses frequently asked questions. The in-person session will have a simulation demonstration for common caring activities such as denture cleaning, daily mouth care, etc. 4. Grantee shall communicate with Facility lead and obtain site specific information such as the number of staff for training. The Grantee will send Facility lead links to online modules and pre-test to be completed by each facility’s staff member. For each facility, the Grantee will collect responses from facility’s staff registered for training. 5. Grantee shall schedule one or more in-person session with facility. Staff will be provided with the abbreviated training, demonstration, and address facility-specific questions. Number of in-person sessions may vary to ensure that at least 75% of professional and direct care staff attend each facility’s in-person training. 6. After the in-person training, the Grantee shall collect post training surveys from professional and direct care staff 7. By Grantee report and as noted below, the Grantee shall provide facility level measures and outcomes of completed training program. These can include the number of direct care staff trained, tabulated pre and post training survey results, number of in-person training events per facility, number of additional technical assistance contacts and other process and outcome measures, as needed. 8. Grantee shall provide free access to all training modules, recordings of in-person training sessions and FAQs developed under this NOFO for the use of the facility as they bring on new staff.

Yes

09/01/2023 - 07/31/2024

Government Organizations; Education Organizations; Public Housing Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Organizations; Small Businesses; Individuals; Foreign Applicants; Other;

CMP funds may be granted to any entity for proper use of CMMS approved projects to protect or improve the quality of life or quality of care for facility residents provided that the responsible receiving entity is: (1) qualified and capable of carrying out the intended project or use; (2) not in any conflict of interest relationship with the entity or entities that will benefit from the intended project or use; and (3) not paid by a State or federal source to perform the same function as the IQLC/CMP project or use. Examples of eligible organizations include, but are not limited to: Illinois facilities and their residents; Professional or state nursing home associations and advocacy groups; Consumer advocacy organizations; Resident or family councils; Quality improvement organizations; Private contractors; and State long-term care Ombudsman programs.

Illinois Nursing Home Facility Residents.

Project Grants

Healthcare

Regardless of the source of funding (federal pass-through or State), all grantees are required to register with the State of Illinois through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) website, www.grants.illinois.gov, complete a prequalification process, and be determined "qualified" as described in Section 7000.70. Registration and prequalification is required before an organization can apply for an award. The entity is "qualified" to be an awardee if it: 1) has an active DUNS number; 2) has an active SAM.gov account; 3) has an acceptable fiscal condition; 4) is in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. Governmental entities, school districts and select religious organizations are not required to be registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. Refer to the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services website: http://www. cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/business_services/home.html; 5) is not on the Illinois Stop Payment List; 6) is not on the SAM.gov Exclusion List; 7) is not on the Sanctioned Party List maintained by HFS.

Regardless of the source of funding (federal pass-through or State), all grantees are required to register with the State of Illinois through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) website, www.grants.illinois.gov, complete a prequalification process, and be determined "qualified" as described in Section 7000.70. Registration and prequalification is required before an organization can apply for an award. The entity is "qualified" to be an awardee if it: 1) has an active DUNS number; 2) has an active SAM.gov account; 3) has an acceptable fiscal condition; 4) is in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. Governmental entities, school districts and select religious organizations are not required to be registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. Refer to the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services website: http://www. cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/business_services/home.html; 5) is not on the Illinois Stop Payment List; 6) is not on the SAM.gov Exclusion List; 7) is not on the Sanctioned Party List maintained by HFS.

Applications must be submitted via the Illinois Department of Public Health's Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS), accessible at idphgrants.com. Since high-speed internet access is not yet universally available for downloading documents or accessing the electronic application, and applicants may have additional accessibility requirements, applicants may request paper copies of materials by contacting: Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Health Care Regulation, Bureau of Long Term Care 525 West Jefferson Street, 5th Floor Springfield, Illinois 62761 Telephone: 217-782-5180 Email: DPH.HCR.CMPGRANT@illinois.gov

All applications will be scored using the weighted evaluation criteria below and the application’s attainment of the Health Equity based review components. (1) Need (20 points): identification of stakeholders, data, facts, and evidence that demonstrate how the proposed project will protect or improve the quality of care or quality of life for residents; a. include which disparately impacted communities of residents and inequities are most affected by the project; (2) Capacity (20 points): the ability of a grant applicant to execute the proposed project according to program requirements; a. include the accountability and reporting capabilities of the applicant to ensure the training project yields best results; b. include tools and methodology the applicant will use to increase accessibility to the training project; (3) Quality (10 points): the totality of features and characteristics of the proposed project that indicates its ability to protect or improve the quality of care or quality of life for residents; a. include strategies and plans to incorporate and support workforce equity in the compilation, development, and execution of the project; b. include projected impact of the project’s deliverables to promulgate health equity for residents; (4) Sustainability (5 points): the continuation of benefits from the project after it is completed. The probability of continued long-term benefits and the resilience to risk of the net benefit over time; a. include plans, methods, and metrics to be utilized to ensure health equity goals are met. (5) Duplication of Effort (5 points): the extent to which the objectives of the project does not duplicate existing requirements or other federal or state services; and where duplication of said project is outweighed by creating future improvement to the quality of care and/or quality of life for resident; (6) Cost Effectiveness (5 points): productiveness relative to cost and ability to utilize and optimize resources, measure the results of strategies, objectives and outcomes where benefits are non-financial; (7) Feasibility (15 points): likelihood the project can be accomplished by the applicant within the proposed time and budget given their experience, expertise, and available resources; a. include projected timeline for major deliverables and milestones of the project; b. include strategy, methodology, and capabilities to be employed in order to ensure the greatest impact and reach of the training project; and (8) Objectives (20 points): applicant shall list objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic. a. include effective and clearly defined learning objectives which outline deliverables. Cost share requirements will not be considered as evaluation criteria. Health-Equity Based Review A significant portion of the application review will be based on how the application abides with the following areas: A) Addressing all components of the IDPH Health Equity Checklist B) Reference the Health Equity Definition C) Incorporation of key definitions from the IDPH Health Equity Checklist D) Reference to culturally and linguistically appropriate services E) Focus on the Social Determinants of Health

This grant is competitive. Multiple reviewers will assess the application and score based on the evaluation criteria listed above. Applicants must use the health equity checklist questions to identify both the short and long-term impacts to health equity, health inequalities and health inequities of the proposed intervention strategy.

May 31, 2022

30 days

Merit-Based Review Appeal Process For competitive grants, only the evaluation process is subject to appeal. Evaluation scores or funding determinations/outcomes may not be contested and will not be considered by the Department's Appeals Review Officer. To submit an appeal, the appealing party must: o Submit the appeal in writing and in accordance with the grant application document through IDPH's Merit-Based Review Appeal Request Form available in the GATA section of the IDPH website (www.dph.illinois.gov/GATA). o Appeals must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice was published. o Appeals must include the following information: § The name and address of the appealing party § Identification of the grant § A statement of reasons for the appeal § If applicable, documents or exhibits to support statement of reason. The IDPH Appeals Review Officer (ARO) will consider the grant-related appeals and make a recommendation to the appropriate Deputy Director as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. o The ARO must review the submitted Appeal Request Form for completeness and acknowledge receipt of the appeal within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received. o The ARO will utilize an Appeal Review Tool to consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation. o The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by the agency within the time period set in the request. o The ARO shall respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. Documentation of the appeal determination shall be sent to the appealing party and must include the following: o Standard description of the appeal review process and criteria o Review of the appeal o Appeal determination o Rationale for the determination In addition to providing the written determination, the grant-making office may do the following: o Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and re-review all submitted applications. o Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and implement improvements into the following year's grant evaluation process. o Provide written notice to the appealing party as to how the identified actions will be remedied. Appeals resolutions may be deferred pending a judicial or administrative determination when actions concerning the appeal have commenced in a court of administrative body.

None

Applicants shall cost share 5% of the grant award or $1,000, whichever is less.

Not allowable for $3,000 CMP communications grants.

Quarterly progress reports and a final report shall be submitted to the Department (schedule below). The Grantee shall keep adequate records relating to its administration of a project, particularly relating to all incurred costs. These records shall be available for audit by the Department and the State Auditor General. The Department reserves the right to conduct on-site visits with the purpose of reviewing or auditing a project. All records shall be retained in accordance with the State Records Act [5 ILCS 160]. Grantees are subject to the record retention requirements and auditing standards stipulated by GATU (see GATA Rules Section 7000.430(a) and Section 7000.90). 1st Quarter Report due by September 30 2nd Quarter Report due by December 31 3rd Quarter Report due by March 31 4th Quarter Report due by June 30

Audit requirements per JCAR Title 44 Illinois Administrative Code7000.90 or alternative audit requirements specific to program.

3 years per GATA 7000.430.

371-48240-4400-0000

$250,000.00

Twelve or more awards of up to $20,000.00 each.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

4/15/2022

FY 2022 : $1
FY 2024 : $249,750