2012 Healthy Eyes Healthy People® State Association Grants

January 27, 2012: Announcement and forms available
March 9, 2012: Applications must be submitted.
April 27, 2012: State Associations notified

The American Optometric Association (AOA) and Optometry Cares® – The AOA Foundation, through a generous grant from Luxottica is pleased to announce the Healthy Eyes Healthy People® State Association Grants. These grants provide funding for activities which address the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy People® objectives while simultaneously encouraging a more comprehensive approach to the vision and eye health care needs of America’s infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors. Doctors of optometry, as physician providers of essential primary vision and eye health services, should seek to use these grants to help leverage challenges and opportunities in community health to address disparities in visual health and contribute to improved overall community health status. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/howtouse.aspx

What is supported? In the past, the AOA has elected to directly link HEHP grants to DHHS Healthy People® vision objectives. This year, in an effort to challenge the status quo of no change in children’s vision objectives from HP-2010 to HP-2020 and confront a lack of progress in meeting these vision objectives, this latest round of HEHP grants will seek expanded community-based solutions to tackle the public health emergency of prevalent undiagnosed children’s vision disorders.

The AOA believes that this public health emergency in children’s vision and eye health must be resolved and that targeted efforts and new data from carefully selected 2012 HEHP grant applicants will be helpful in steering a course of action to more fully address the vision and eye health needs of America’s children.

Potential grantees should develop and clearly describe pathways to increase access to comprehensive vision and eye health care for children while also providing the AOA with non-identified data collected; including but not limited to patient demographics, vision /eye health diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, any secondary prevention efforts that aim to find vision and eye health problems early in their course so that action can be taken to minimize the risk of progression of eye diseases or vision disorders should include a detailed description of programmatic elements, be targeted and use sufficiently sensitive methodologies.

Grantees should be aware that despite the current efforts to provide vision care for children, there is considerable evidence of disparities in both the access and utilization of professional vision care among children. Sadly, appropriate assurance of access to early and timely comprehensive vision care services by a professional eye care provider is often being sidetracked by low sensitivity vision screenings that produce an inordinate number of “false negatives” and /or symptomatic children simply not being referred to professional eye care services directly.

To be responsive to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), applicants should address one of the following two objectives*:

V-1 Increase the proportion of children age 5 years and under who have visited
(had an eye examination by) an eye care provider in the preceding 12 months.

V-2 Reduce visual impairment in children and adolescents.

*Note: We will also provide greater consideration to those grants that involve UV (Sun) protection.

Who may apply? All state optometric associations. Collaborations, which indicate broad-based sponsorship with other state health associations and/or public agencies, are required. These letters of support for collaboration must accompany all grant application forms. Faculty from schools and colleges of optometry may apply through their state optometric association.

How much? An award is worth up to $5,000. The AOA Foundation’s Community Grants Committee will score the proposals and make funding decisions.

What is the intent of these grants? The Healthy Eyes Healthy People® Grant Program is intended to stimulate community initiatives in health promotion and disease prevention that address the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy People® objectives while simultaneously encouraging a more comprehensive approach to the vision and eye health care needs of America’s infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors. The AOA recognizes the importance of strengthening the outreach of community-based organizations by providing “seed money” to begin or continue these vision and eye health-related projects.

What is Healthy People 2020? Healthy People 2020 is an initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over the past three decades to establish 10 year objectives to improve the health of Americans. For more information on Healthy People 2020, visit http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx. Healthy People 2020 provides the opportunity for improving the visual health and well being of neighborhoods and communities through local, state and national programs.

What is Healthy Eyes Healthy People® (HEHP)? Healthy Eyes Healthy People® is an initiative by the American Optometric Association, now administered by Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation, to improve the vision and health of all Americans. The goal of HEHP is for optometrists to change community health programs so that vision services are recognized as vital to the health care system and to improving the qualify of life for all Americans. The programs activities seek alignment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy People® objectives while simultaneously encouraging a more comprehensive approach to the vision and eye health care needs of America’s infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors.

This goal could be accomplished by partnering with key stakeholders to develop collaborative health promotion and disease prevention projects at the state and local community level. HEHP National Eye Institute resource materials may be helpful as well as those of the American Optometric Association (AOA) in determining vision and eye health needs of your community. HEHP encourages working with health care decision makers at the national, state and local levels.

How do I apply? The online application form must be received by March 9, 2012. In addition to the completed application form, letters of support and a letter of approval from the State Optometric Association are required. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

How will my application be reviewed? Applications will be evaluated according to these criteria:

(1) Project Approach and Activities (40 points): a statement of how your project relates to the Healthy Vision objectives (V-1, V-2), a summary of your project’s key elements, a clear description of the target audience or population to be served, state who will be responsible for carrying out each phase of the project with a specific timetable;

(2) Project Effectiveness (20 points): a description of how you will document project activities and measure your success, such as news coverage or number of participants;

(3) Project Director/ Organizational Capabilities/Collaborations (20 points): a description of activities which demonstrate your commitment to conduct the proposed, work and a brief discussion of the skills and experience of your proposed project director; and

(4) Budget (20 points): a listing of the line items for the award amount you are requesting, along with a brief justification. A description of in-kind matching of funds is encouraged. Please indicate the resources available to your association for matching (for example, personnel and labor hours, facilities, other equipment) in the budget justification. Funds can be allocated for case or project managers.

What is not supported with HEHP grant funds? Funding is not available for:

• Continuing education courses for optometrists.
• Research projects.
• Fund raising.
• Direct grants to individuals.
• Commercial (for-profit) enterprises or activities.
• Cash reserves and endowments.
• Underwriting of ongoing costs construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities.
• Subgranting or regranting.
• Promoting religious activity, lobbying, or political support.
• Any activity that violates local, State, or Federal laws.

Where do I submit my application? You must submit your application electronically with letters of support and approval from the state optometric association no later than March 9, 2012. For additional information, contact the AOA Foundation at Foundation@aoa.org.