The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) within HRSA is accepting applications for a four year pilot grant program titled “Perinatal & Infant Oral Health Quality Improvement” (PIOHQI). The Pilot project is intended to integrate a successful community-based approach into a healthcare system with statewide reach to provide quality preventive dental care and restorative services to help pregnant women and infants.
Although evidence-based practice guidelines do exist, a statewide approach integrated into a comprehensive system of care providing for oral healthcare needs of both pregnant women and infants is not yet here.
To deal with the essential issues for delivering quality oral health to a specific population, the pilot will produce documentation on the successful outcomes and lessons learned. This data will be used to help develop a national strategic framework to provide effective and efficient approaches to serving the oral healthcare needs in the MCH population. This means that the PIOHQI Pilot will be responsible for developing a state data system to drive quality improvement.
The PIOHQI Pilot grant program is only the first phase of the three-phased initiative. The three phased program will be supported through three separate consecutive grant funding opportunities. All public or private entities including an Indian tribe or tribal organizations plus eligible faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply.
The maximum annual funding support for each grant funding opportunity will be $200,000 for Year 1 and $175,000 per year for years, two, three, and four. The funding will be provided from September 30, 2013 through September 29, 2017. Funding after the first year is dependent on the availability of appropriated funds and the satisfactory performance by the grantee,
The HRSA funding announcement (HRSA-13-283) released July 18, 2013 is due on August 19, 2013. For more information, go to www.grants.gov or email Pamella Vodicka pvodicka@hrsa.gov or call 301-443-2753.