Partnership for Disaster Health Response | EP HIT 20 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for EP HIT 20 002

The Partnership for Disaster Health Response is a cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), to strengthen how patients are managed and moved through the healthcare system during disasters. The opportunity centers on developing and maturing a Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS), which is meant to close persistent gaps in coordinated clinical care when emergencies overwhelm normal healthcare operations. Rather than replacing day-to-day referral networks, the RDHRS concept is designed for the moment when routine systems break down under catastrophic demand and the response requires large-scale redistribution of patients, rapid importation of resources, or the use of crisis-oriented resource guidance.

The grant focuses on three core goals. First, it aims to improve two-way communication and situational awareness so healthcare organizations and government partners at the local, state, regional, and federal levels can share timely, actionable information about clinical needs, capacity, and evolving conditions. Second, it seeks to better leverage and expand access to highly specialized clinical capabilities that are essential in unusual hazards or rare but high-impact events, such as pediatric critical care, trauma and burn expertise, infectious disease support, and other specialty services that may not be readily available across all communities. Third, it is intended to strengthen “horizontal” integration across the whole community of response stakeholders already connected through healthcare coalitions, while also adding “vertical” integration that links coalitions to expert clinical assets that are often missing or not fully embedded in current coalition structures, such as trauma centers, pediatric centers, and poison control centers.

Structurally, RDHRS is described as a tiered system that builds on the Medical Surge Capacity and Capability (MSCC) foundation and existing local response elements, including trauma systems and healthcare coalitions. The emphasis is on improving coordination mechanisms and adding specific clinical and administrative capabilities at the state and regional levels. Across all tiers, the work is meant to optimize clinical surge capacity, embed clinical expertise into surge planning, and ensure specialists have a defined, empowered role in emergency planning and response decision-making.

At the state level, the opportunity highlights several practical outcomes: stronger real-time awareness of healthcare system capacity and capability, clearer mechanisms to coordinate and prioritize patient transfers, defined processes and policies for managing scarce resources, and reliable access to clinical specialists in high-need domains like pediatrics, trauma/burn care, and infectious disease. These improvements are intended to help a state manage crises within its borders more effectively and to better support other states when interstate assistance is needed.

At the multi-state regional level, the RDHRS approach is intended to create workable mechanisms for sharing clinical expertise and coordinating care for low-probability, high-risk threats, including chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. A major theme is patient movement and care coordination across jurisdictional boundaries, which is often one of the hardest challenges in large-scale events. The system is also expected to align with and draw on established national and specialty networks, such as the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center for biological threats, the Radiation Injury Treatment Network for radiation events, and existing trauma-system infrastructure for mass casualty incidents.

This specific Notice of Funding Opportunity does not attempt to stand up the entire national RDHRS at once. Instead, it funds a single demonstration site meant to advance the nationwide vision by identifying implementation issues, developing best practices, and showing whether the model is effective and sustainable. The funded partnership is expected to concentrate on building and strengthening the relationships and operational pathways needed to expand surge capacity quickly, coordinate patient and resource movement, and rapidly bring in the right clinical specialists during a disaster. The work builds on lessons from two earlier demonstration sites launched in 2018 and is meant to enhance readiness for both smaller emergencies and large, complex disasters.

Eligibility is aimed primarily at state governments (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice). ASPR plans to fund one partnership that brings together required members consistent with statutory requirements under Section 319C-2(b)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act. Applicants are expected to propose a governance model that can coordinate healthcare assets statewide while also being positioned to share information and medical assets with other states in the same HHS region. The program is framed as complementary to existing Health Care Preparedness and Response capabilities, but with a more explicit focus on clinical coordination during disaster response.

Key administrative details include: Funding Opportunity Number EP HIT 20 002, CFDA 93.817, activity category Disaster Prevention and Relief, and funding instrument Cooperative Agreement. The award ceiling is $3,000,000, with one expected award. The opportunity was posted August 12, 2020, with an original application deadline of September 11, 2020.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Partnership for Disaster Health Response" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.817.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 12, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 11, 2020 No Explanation. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EP HIT 20 002

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: