The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) knowledge and practice in U.S. healthcare settings. IPC in healthcare stops the spread of infections, preventing illness and death and protecting patients and healthcare personnel. Through this opportunity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will establish and expand partnerships with academic, healthcare, and other organizations to address IPC failure modes; enhance correct implementation of IPC protocols and processes; and strengthen healthcare worker training and competency assessment. This opportunity supports activities to assess and remove barriers to success; improve communication of IPC information and instructions to healthcare workers; and understand how to optimize the layout and functional flow of healthcare environments and processes.

CDC seeks organizations uniquely positioned to advance the design, delivery, and effectiveness of IPC training, education, and competency assessment to improve healthcare worker IPC practice and increase health department ability to support healthcare IPC and outbreak response. The work conducted supports public health and healthcare practice by informing development of guidance and recommendations; translating guidance and recommendations into practices implementable in diverse healthcare settings; and improving how healthcare and public health personnel are trained and how competencies are assessed.

The opportunity will include two components:

• Component 1: improving the safety and quality of healthcare and protecting healthcare personnel and patients by strengthening IPC— Improve healthcare facility structure, design, and organization; optimize materials and equipment design and safe use across healthcare settings; improve IPC work processes, procedures, and practices; promote standard practices to ensure healthcare environments are safe for healthcare personnel and patients, including by optimizing the safety of the air, water, or surfaces in the healthcare environment; and strengthen healthcare IPC preparedness.
• Component 2: strengthening healthcare personnel IPC training, education, and competency assessment— Develop and evaluate innovative and effective IPC training and education approaches; and implement improved or novel approaches to healthcare personnel competency assessment. Component 2 also includes improving the ability of the U.S. public health workforce to support healthcare IPC and prevent and respond to healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antibiotic resistance (AR). See solicitation for details of expected strategies and activities.

By engaging a diverse set of partners and investing in work that supports a broad range of healthcare personnel populations and healthcare settings, this work supports CDC’s efforts to strengthen health equity, protect populations at increased risk for negative outcomes, and address disparities in IPC training and competencies. Implementation of components 1 and 2 should include approaches that are applicable to a variety of populations, including small; rural; tribal; populations with disabilities; non-English speaking populations; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations; people with limited health literacy; immunocompromised persons; and/or other at-risk populations. See solicitation for details.

Collaboration with other CDC programs and CDC-funded organizations is not required but is encouraged. Recipients of this award will be expected to collaborate/coordinate to amplify the goals of this program. Recipients are encouraged to work with CDC and other CDC implementing partners, including non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other entities that receive CDC funds.

Amount: $100,000,000 to make awards averaging $1,000,000 per year. An estimated 12 applicants will initially be awarded (6 for component 1 and 6 for component 2). Work proposed can be complementary to but must not be duplicative of work funded by CDC through any other mechanism.

Eligibility: Types of organizations that may be supported include, but are not limited to, private and state-controlled academic institutions, healthcare systems, clinicians and other healthcare professionals, non-governmental organizations, healthcare professional organizations, and other institutions with unique expertise that can improve healthcare IPC in the United States.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335995