Objective Review Process for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Application Department of Health and Human Services Heath Resources and.

Objective Review Processfor the Scholarships for

Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Application

Department of Health and Human ServicesHeath Resources and Services Administration

Bureau of Health ProfessionsDivision of Student Loans and Scholarships

Campus Based Branch

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Purpose

To provide funds to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure their education and graduation

To increase diversity in the health professions

To increase service in primary care and medically underserved communities

Eligible SDS Disciplines

Health Professions

Nursing

Allied Health

Public Health

Behavioral and Mental Health

Physician Assistant

SDS Performance-based Eligibility Criteria

Schools are eligible if they can demonstrate:

20% disadvantaged enrollment in Academic Year

And

20% disadvantaged graduates in Academic Year

Peer Review – maximum of 100 points

Criterion 1 – Need (30 points)

Degree to which applicant demonstrates its commitment to the education of disadvantaged students, especially underrepresented minorities (10 points).

Peer Review (continued)

Degree to which applicant demonstrates its commitment to increasing primary care practitioners (10 points).

Degree to which applicant demonstrates its commitment to increasing graduates working in medically underserved communities (MUCs) (10 points).

Peer Review (continued)

Criterion 2 – Response, Methodology, and Workplan (70 points)

Level of achievements and successes in educating disadvantaged students, including underrepresented minorities, in a way that eliminates barriers along the educational pipeline for disadvantaged students and assures graduates practice in primary care and serve in MUCs (30 points).

Peer Review (continued)

Level of adequacy of proposed plan to increase and educate disadvantaged students, including underrepresented minorities, and retain students in their academic programs, and encourage them to enter primary care and serve in MUCs (40 points).

Tips for Determining a Rating

The checklist has been broken down into sub-criteria for each criterion. The reviewer should rate each item as either strength, met or weakness.

Additional information has been added under each sub-criteria to help the reviewers determine a rating. For example, value should be given to those applicants that have demonstrated diversity in their strategies, spent a large amount of funds and/or dedicated a significant amount of resources.

Tips for Determining a Rating

The checklist follows the order of the review criteria – Need and Response. However, the narrative instructions in the FOA are in a slightly different order – Needs Assessment, Methodology and Workplan. Please review the entire application before rating to ensure that information is not missed.

AY 2012 New SDS Program- Priority Points (11 points max)

Funding priority is given to health professions and nursing schools with certain percentages of:

Full-time underrepresented minoritiesGraduates practicing in primary careGraduates working in medically underserved communities

*Informational slide only – Priority points are computer generated - *

Primary Care Disciplines

Disciplines eligible for primary care priority points: Allopathic Medicine Osteopathic Medicine Dentistry Physician Assistant Nursing Graduate (Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner) Dental Hygiene – Baccalaureate & Graduate Mental and Behavioral Health (includes):

Graduate – Clinical Psychology Graduate - Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate - Clinical Social Work Graduate - Rehabilitation counseling Graduate - Gerontological counseling Graduate - Mental Health counseling

*Informational slide only – Priority points are computer generated - *

Primary Care Definition

In addition to being used to identify primary care service for the primary care priority within the eligible primary care disciplines, this definition should also be used when rating primary care criteria within the checklist.

Institute of Medicine definition:

Primary Care is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care need, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.

Disadvantaged Background Definitions

Comes from an environment that has inhibited an individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions schools or from a program providing education or training in an allied health professions;OR:Comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low income thresholds according to family size published in the Federal Register and adjusted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for adaptation to the program.

Refer to the Federal Register Notice dated March 26, 2011 for income levels to be used for FY 2012-13 application.

Environmentally Disadvantaged

The department expects that eligible students who meet the environmentally disadvantaged criteria will have the abilities needed to succeed in a health career.

Medically Underserved Community Definition

According to Section 799B (6) of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, a “medically underserved community” means an urban or rural area or population that: (A) is eligible for designation under Section 332 of the PHS Act as a

health professional shortage area (HPSA); (B) is eligible to be served by a migrant health center under Section

329 [now 330(g)] of the PHS Act, a community health center under Section 330 of the PHS Act, a grantee under Section 330(h) of the PHS Act, (relating to homeless individuals), or a grantee under Section 340A [now 330(i)] of the PHS Act (relating to residents of public housing);

(C) has a shortage of personal health services, as determined under criteria issued by the Secretary under Section 1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act (relating to rural health clinics); or

(D) is designated by a State Governor (in consultation with the medical community) as a shortage area or medically underserved community.

SDS Awards

Proposed range of awards to schools are approximately $15,000 to $650,000 per program/discipline

Requested ceiling amount of $650,000

per year/per discipline

Budget Instructions

Budget justification must support estimated funding - if not, propose a new reduced amount in “additional comment” section with the basis for change along with the dollar amount of the reduced line item(s) and the new total amount requested for that year. The reduction cannot impede the applicant from performing the scope of work proposed in the application.  

Grantees may use the funds for: Scholarship tuition Other reasonable education expenses Reasonable living expenses

Special Circumstances

If the Narrative speaks to more than one discipline, please refer to the Program Specific form to determine the applying discipline Only one discipline may apply per

application Please rate the application based on the

discipline selected on the Program Specific form

Contact Information

DIR Contact,

Andreina Stampone, Project Officer, SDS [email protected] – 301-443-1173

Hai Le, Co-Project Officer, [email protected] – 301-443-1173

Thank You!