The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention State/Territory Program from the Health Resources & Services Administration‘s Maternal & Child Health Bureau supports state/territory-wide programs for disagnosing and serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This is a five-year grant for a two phase project.
The HRSA expect to have $13,865,000 annually to fund up to 59 grantees. Applicants may request up to $235,000 per year for five years to complete the program. Applications are due through Grants.gov by November 6, 2023.
Eligibility
This grant is open to:
- State governments
- U.S. Territory governments
- Federally recognized Tribal governments
- Community-based, public or private nonprofit organizations
- Native American Tribal organizations
Program Goals
This five year process should be undertaken with the goal of implementing the following measures.
- Screen newborns by 1 month old
- Diagnose hearing impairment by 3 months old
- Enroll in Early Intervention by 6 months old
- Provide hearing screenings for children up to age 3
- Support and engage with families with deaf or hard of hearing children or adults
- Educate and train health professionals in the need for early screenings and interventions
Project Phases
Phase I: Planning
Phase I is a year-long process of assessing the state or territory’s existing infrastructure to support an Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program and achieve the above goals. At the end of Phase I, grantees will provide their statewide infrastructure plan to the EHDI National Network.
Phase II: Implementation and Building Sustainable Practices
Phase II will take place over four years as the activities in the statewide plan are implemented and made sustainable. Expected benchmarks over these four years include:
- Increase by 1 percentage point per year, or achieve at least a 95% screening rate, whichever is lower, the number of infants that completed a newborn hearing screen by 1 month old.
- Increase by 10 percentage points, or achieve a minimum rate of 85%, whichever is lower, the number of infants that completed a diagnostic hearing screen by 3 months old.
- Increase by 15 percentage points, or achieve a minimum rate of 80%, whichever is lower, the number of infants identified as deaf or hard of hearing that are enrolled in early intervetion services by 6 months old.
Review Criteria
All applications will be reviewed based on:
- Need (10 points)
- Response (40 points) – the degree to which the proposed project, including goals, objectives, and work plan, respond to the goals of the EHDI Program
- Evaluative measures (20 points) – the strength and effectiveness of the proposed performance measurement and evaluation plan
- Impact (15 points) – the extent to which the proposed project has a public health impact and the project will be effective
- Resources/Capabilites (5 points) – the extent to which the project personnel are qualified to implement and carry out the project
- Support requested (10 points) – the reasonableness of the proposed budget for each year of the period of performance
