FQHC New Access Points 2019

Health care providers throughout the country are readying to compete for the recently announced FQHC New Access Points (NAPs) funding opportunity. The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) set a due date of April 11, 2019, and applicants are looking to maximize their chances of being awarded.

New Access Points

New Access Point funding awards enable health centers to make their services accessible to underserved, often uninsured patients. The system of Federally Qualified Health Centers provides care for one in 10 people in the country, and serve as an important safety net for those in most need. Organizations seeking to be part of this network must meet the standards set forth by HRSA to be considered for funding. This year, HRSA “anticipates awarding approximately $50 million to support an estimated 75 NAP awards.” Each of these recipients has a maximum annual funding request of $650,000 depending on the needs within their service area. Due to the benefits awarded to recipients and the high need for quality healthcare, NAP applications are competitive. Organizations seeking to tap into these funds must consider their administrative capacity, community need, and level of competitiveness before committing resources to apply.

GBA

To help organizations invest their resources wisely, GBA created tools that gauge their competitiveness as the first consulting step. Upon release of the FQHC NAP opportunity, Warren Jensen, Director of Planning / Data Analytics / GIS, carefully reviewed the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Using the parameters set by the NOFO, and based on the Federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Unmet Need Score (UNS), Warren developed an interactive map of the Nation identifying service areas with the highest scores for unmet needs. This interactive tool offers a real-time review of potential service areas and eliminates the need for static map sharing, which could take up to two weeks to finalize the location of a service site. Warren and GBA Principals, Katie Strautman and Gary Bess, have reviewed possible geographic service areas for opening new health center sites with Interested health center applicants. This is the first step to preparing for the final submission of a fully written NAP application.

Impact

Gary Bess Associates believes in the tremendous health impact that FQHCs make in the communities they serve. Our commitment is to the health centers to which we provide consultation and to the people who receive their services. This is why we are proud that our assistance has resulted in success for many applicants. In the 2016 round of New Access Points, four of the seven California award recipients were written by GBA. In 2015, 24 of the 29 New Access Points written by GBA were awarded, as well. The success of these applications translates to more than funding for applicants; it translates to their increased capacity for delivering care.