June 20, 2008

News From The Commonwealth   

2008 SHIP Affiliated Partnership Awards

The Bureau of Health Planning has recognized seven partnerships with the 2008 SHIP Affiliated Partnership Award for outstanding or innovative initiatives.  SHIP Partnerships across the state were nominated and a review committee evaluated the initiatives based on specific criteria.  The recipients and their initiatives are: 

Carbon County Partners for Progress.  Purchased a Dental van and expanded Dental program with              800 enrolled; 1,249 visits through December 2007; started seeing children March 2007

Schuylkill County’s Vision.  Addressed high suicide rate in county: distributed holiday depression guides to
130 churches and conducted depression screenings; presented bullying initiative to school personnel

Tioga County Partnership for Community Health.  Partnered with Hershey Medical Center’s Department of
Psychiatry to increase availability of mental health services in county, including those incarcerated in Tioga       Prison

Healthy Communities Partnership of the Franklin County Area.  Devised initiative to build assets in             community: improving parenting skills; developing website & improving communications with local teens;          developing mentoring skills for partners; establishing activity calendar for teen involvement

PartnerSHIP for a Healthy Community.  Completed an Access-to-Care study of under- and un-insured in Erie
County, partnering with Edinboro University School of Nursing Graduate program

McKeesport Healthier Communities Partnership.  Designed a three year comprehensive Logic Model &
Sustainability Work Plan with electronic outcomes based database reporting system, thus providing
community access to multiple services & programs

Partners in Family and Community Development.  Sponsored a Nurse Family Partnership Program, a research
based home visiting program for first time, low income mothers

Upcoming events             

Free On Line Grant Writing Courses from the Foundation Center

Proposal Writing Short Course

The subject of this online course is proposal writing. The course takes organizations through key steps pertinent to proposal writing for grant funding, including gathering background information, writing statements of need and project descriptions, the budget, and organizational information. The suggested approach can be adapted to fit the needs of any nonprofit and the peculiarities of each situation. 

Proposal Budgeting Basics
This online course is designed to help with the basics of developing a project budget, and it is geared for those who have general knowledge of proposal development. (Beginners might want to take the Proposal Writing Short Course.) When you complete this course, you will know:

• ·         The basic components of a project budget
• ·         Different types of financial documents often required for proposals
• ·         How overhead costs and fringe benefits may be incorporated within the budget
• ·         How to access resources on the Web, which provide templates of project budgets

Resources and Tools  

The North Dakota Experience: Achieving High-Performance Health Care Through Rural Innovation and Cooperation
Explores how North Dakota has met the healthcare challenges of rural communities with support for primary care and the idea of a medical home, organization of care through coordination and cooperation networks, and the innovative use of technology.

Broadband Internet Use in Rural Pennsylvania
Uses case studies to provide a description of how healthcare, local government, education and business, in rural Pennsylvania are using broadband Internet technology.

Developing Effective Citizen Engagement: A How-To Guide for Community Leaders

From the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, this guide describes processes for meaningful citizen engagement by community leaders and assists organizations as they engage citizens and stakeholders in local decision-making and other community projects.

Funding Opportunities       

Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research Program Announces Rapid Response Grants Program

Deadline: Rolling (Letters of Intent)

Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research are national programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that support research to identify promising policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity, promoting healthy eating, and preventing obesity.

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants

Application deadline: Jun 27, 2008

The purpose of the SAFER grants is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination, and career fire
departments to help the departments increase their cadre of firefighters.

Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program

 Application deadline: Jul 10, 2008

Funding to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in private homes and rental units.  Eligibility: State,

Native American Tribe, city, county, or other unit of local government. Multiple units of a local government (or multiple local governments) may apply as part of a consortium.

  HeartRescue Grant Program
   Application deadline: Oct 15, 2008
Grants to increase awareness and education of sudden cardiac death, early defibrillation, and the need for
early intervention among community leaders, first responder organizations and the public.

Please contact the funder directly for the most complete and current information, including eligibility criteria.

Partnership Spotlight            

Tell us about your partnership accomplishments

We would like to use this section of our weekly bulletin to highlight your accomplishments and allow you to share them with other SHIP Partners. If you have news, successful programs, new plans, or other important milestones that you would like to share please send a condensed, print-ready article to Amy Rothenberger.

Comments? Suggestions?              

Please send any comments or suggestions for this and future Bulletins to Amy Rothenberger. Your input is valued and appreciated.

Disclaimer:

The information provided in this bulletin is intended to be of general information to the Pennsylvania's SHIP-affiliated partnerships.  It is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any specific process, service, product, company or funding source outside of the Department of Health auspices.  Further examination and research of information is recommended.