Specifications include, but are not limited to: The contractor shall provide community health worker initiative (CHWI) services for the Department of Health and Senior Services in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein and to the sole satisfaction of the state agency. The contractor shall provide CHWI efforts in all Missouri counties statewide. The contractor shall provide oversight and project management to increase the capacity and strengthen the CHW workforce in Missouri through hiring and training an additional ten percent (10%) of the current CHW workforce. The contractor shall assist with assuring CHWs are hired, trained, and deployed. The contractor shall assist with hiring CHWs using the state agency and its partners and stakeholders’ standard hiring process. a. The State of Missouri partners and stakeholders include, but are not limited to, Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and Missouri Pharmacy Association. The contractor shall assist with training CHWs utilizing the state agency’s curriculum providers to provide the training on the CHW curriculum and the pandemic preparedness training. a. The contractor shall provide the training in-person or virtually. b. The contractor shall utilize the state agency curriculum providers including, but not limited to, St. Louis Community College, Ozark Technical Community College, and State Fair Community College. Additional curriculum providers can be found at the following website address: https://health.mo.gov/professionals/community-health-workers/curriculum.php#C1. The contractor shall support the state agency in increasing collaboration with healthcare providers systems (e.g., community health centers, hospitals) to improve Community Health Workers (CHWs) capacity and their effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 risk in selected communities across the State of Missouri that are impacted by the social determinants of health (SDOH) and underlying health conditions. The contractor shall ensure that referrals based on SDOH and underlying health conditions are made to programs designated to ensure community resiliency, such as lifestyle change programs that focus on the reduction of chronic disease and other underlying health conditions, testing, and vaccination sites. The contractor shall work with the state agency and its partners and stakeholders to measure the achievement of the CHWs and/or Community Referral Coordinators (CRCs) working across the State of Missouri under this project in COVID-19 mitigation. The contractor shall develop a communication tool to maintain transparency and trust and to provide programmatic updates to partners. a. The contractor’s communication tool should be similar to Attachment 1, CHWI Communication Tool. The contractor shall coordinate activities by partners and stakeholders aimed at reducing risks, complications, and barriers to prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 in primarily underserved and at-risk populations. The contractor shall work with the state agency and its partners and stakeholders to identify and select communities with a high prevalence of risk factors (e.g. hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes) that are associated with severe outcomes of COVID-19. The contractor shall be a liaison between the state agency and their partners and stakeholders to convey information regarding deliverables, answer questions, and to review invoices for processing. The contractor shall facilitate bi-weekly meetings or conference calls with the state agency and designees for coordination of activities and alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) required performance measures. The contractor shall develop and implement a method for monthly tracking and reporting of services, deliverables, and CHWs and/or CRCs funded by the state agency. The contractor shall meet with the partners and stakeholders identified by the state agency individually each month to review project goals, track CDC required performance measures, and align activities with the overall work plan of the Enhancing Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant. The contractor shall submit written recommendations for quality improvement and adjustment of program activities to the state agency within ten (10) calendar days of the end of each quarter of the contract period. Contractor’s Obligation: Unless otherwise specified herein, the contractor shall furnish all material, labor, facilities, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the services required herein.
