Healthy Neighborhoods- New Orleans Request for Information (RFI) I. Introduction and Background The Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) was awarded a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention REACH-Core funding opportunity for the submission of “Healthy Neighborhoods New Orleans (HNNO)”. As a primary aspect of the HNNO Project, LPHI is seeking to select two New Orleans neighborhoods to serve to address Type II Diabetes and the drivers of that condition, especially obesity, nutrition and physical activity. HNNO will build upon the infrastructure and technical assistance from the Orleans Neighborhood Health Implementation Plan (ONHIP), to facilitate the development of community action plans in the two New Orleans neighborhoods to be selected to address Type II Diabetes. The project’s health focus will be the prevention and improved management of Type II Diabetes and the priority population will be African-American residents. Organizations eligible to apply for selection must be: A neighborhood-based organization that represents residents of a defined, geographic jurisdiction of New Orleans. An eligible organization can be considered a neighborhood association, community organization, or other entity that is made of and represents residents from a specific neighborhood. NPN Members are encouraged to apply. ***Do not hesitate to forward any questions or concerns to the HNNO Program Coordinator: Ashley Burg 504-301-9811 aburg@lphi.org Program Description: The proposed project, Healthy Neighborhoods New Orleans (HNNO), will build upon the success of the Orleans Neighborhood Health Implementation Plan (ONHIP), a collaboration of the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN), and Concordia, LLC, to improve neighborhood health through cross-sector engagement of residents in New Orleans. The goal of ONHIP is to help neighborhood residents improve neighborhood health by providing open access to community information and planning tools to support action and tracking. By promoting accurate data and best practices to decision makers at all levels— city, community, and neighborhood—a primary goal of ONHIP is to engage and empower neighborhood residents to become more actively involved in the health of their neighborhoods. Using community and neighborhood level data and a participatory process, ONHIP supports planning for the built environment; neighborhood assets, such as health and preventive services, urban gardens and bike and pedestrians planning; planning for location of services and programs; and policy changes in order to promote health equity. HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 1 REACH CORE funding would give two neighborhood-based groups the opportunity to participate in ONHIP. With professional support and resources they will have the opportunity to affect change by developing and implementing community action plans (CAPs) for Type II Diabetes control through environmental, systems and policy changes. Diabetes Program Goals: The 2006 mortality rate for African-Americans in Louisiana is almost 43% higher than for African-Americans in the rest of the United States. In addition to excess mortality from diabetes, many New Orleanians live with the disease. Diabetes is the third most common diagnosis in adults. Almost 11% of New Orleans residents were told they had diabetes in 2009 compared to 8% in the US as a whole. In addition, New Orleans has high prevalence of two important risk factors for developing diabetes: obesity and lack of exercise. The overarching goal of HNNO is to prevent and improve management of Type II Diabetes among African-Americans living in New Orleans. The four goals of Healthy Neighborhoods New Orleans are: Goal 1: Identify two specific New Orleans’ neighborhoods to participate in the development of Community Action Plans focusing on diabetes prevention and management. Goal 2: Garner support for policy, system, and environmental changes that lead to reducing the incidence of Type II Diabetes as selected by REACH Core neighborhood. Goal 3: Develop an optimal linkage between the two REACH CORE neighborhoods and their organizational structures to the products and services of ONHIP to support community health and prevent Type II Diabetes. Goal 4: Develop a Community Action Plan for each of the REACH CORE neighborhoods. HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 2 Role and Commitment of HNNO Project staff: Manage the project and partnership Provide coaching and technical assistance Provide Type II diabetes disease and risk factor information Help organizations assess their neighborhoods Assist in MAPP Process (Mobilizing for Action through Participation and Partnerships) Confirm that neighborhoods are adequately convening Assist two neighborhoods in identifying strategic issues that affect the shared vision (including barriers central to promoting health and preventing and controlling Type II diabetes in their neighborhoods). Assist in development of Community Action Plans (CAPs)- specific goals and objectives Administration of resource allocations to partner neighborhoods (up to $15,000/year) Facilitate implementation of CAPs Role and Commitment of Selected neighborhood partners: Understand the disease, the risk factors, and the burden of Type II Diabetes Work with program coordinator and neighborhood liaisons Support engagement of African-American residents within your geographic neighborhood Organization leaders must convene on a regular basis Partner with cross-sectored entities including, such as: clinics, grocery stores, faithbased organizations, non-profits, residents, etc. Plan for and apply resource allocations for use in neighborhood assessment and planning. Develop goals and objectives for control and prevention of Type II Diabetes Physical Activity Safer street designs Examples of Possible Interventions: Nutrition Increased incentives for healthy grocers Increase access to facilities for Physical Activity Space for weekly farmers market Improved lighting and neighborhood visibility Creation of community gardens Creation of neighborhood Playground Better communication with city government to decrease prevalence of fast food zones Fresh fruits and vegetables in corner stores Introduction of bicycle lanes HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 3 II. Application Submission This RFI seeks responses from lead organizations of coalitions in neighborhoods that meet the “neighborhood-based organization” definition (p.1). The response to this RFI must be received by LPHI no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 24, 2011 to be considered. LPHI intends to select the two communities by January 31, 2011. Application format: Font size: 12 unreduced New Times Roman Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches Page margins: One inch Application may be submitted electronically, by fax, mail (postmarked by due date) or hand delivery to: HNNO RFI Louisiana Public Health Institute 1515 Poydras St., Suite 1200 New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 301-9801 fax Email: aburg@lphi.org Applications must be received by the published due date or they will not be considered. Please submit any questions regarding this RFI to Ashley Burg, aburg@lphi.org (504-301-9811). Any changes in the RFI process will be posted in the HNNO section of www.lphi.org. Note that funding is contingent upon Louisiana being awarded REACH-Core funds from CDC. TENTATIVE HNNO TIMELINE RFI released December 7, 2010 RFI response due to LPHI 4:00 Central Time January 24, 2011 Review Panel assesses and scores Proposals Jan. 24, 2011-Jan 31, 2011 Selected communities notified January 31, 2011 HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 4 Healthy Neighborhoods New Orleans Application - Applications must be received by LPHI no later than 4:00 pm CST January 24, 2011 APPLICANT ORGANIZATION (i.e. Lead Agent / Fiduciary Agent) Organization Name _______________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________ Telephone _______________ Fax______________ Website_______________________ Name of Executive Director ________________________________________________ Telephone _______________ Fax _______________ Email _______________________ APPLICANT PRIMARY CONTACT Primary Contact Name _____________________________________________________ Title/Organization_________________________________________________________ Telephone _______________ Fax ___________Email____________________________ Telephone _______________ Fax _____________Email__________________________ APPLICANT SIGNATURE LINE _____________________________________________ Date _________ NEIGHBORHOOD Please indicate if the following entities are located in your Neighborhood: ___Community Centers ___ Sr. Citizen Centers ___ Hospitals ___ Community Clinics (Health Centers) ___ Exercise Facilities ___ Parks and Playgrounds ___ Neutral Grounds ___ Greenspaces ___ Walking Paths ___ Community Gardens ___Grocery Stores ___ Farmers’ Markets Others (please list): ______________________________________________________________ HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 5 Application Checklist Does the applicant Neighborhood have the following? YES NO _____ _____ 2. Will your Neighborhood Organization work with HNNO partner organizations to best serve the goals of HNNO/ONHIP in your neighborhood? _____ _____ 3. Does your organization have a committed Leadership Team to attend a variety of required trainings and meetings (including ONHIP & MAPP)? _____ _____ 4. Does your organization have the ability to serve the entire neighborhood jurisdiction proposed? _____ _____ 5. Does your organization have commitment to assure health equity in the neighborhood? _____ _____ 1. Does your organization represent an existing neighborhood of New Orleans? Short Answer Questions Font size: 12 unreduced New Times Roman Double spaced Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches Page margins: One inch (Please limit response to short answer section to no more than 5 pages) 1) Describe your organization: What neighborhood does your organization represent? What is the makeup of this neighborhood- How many households or people do you represent? Do you already have formal meetings? How many active members, if any, do you have? What is the mission or purpose of your organization? 2) Demonstrate the neighborhood’s need for this Diabetes Control Project and how the neighborhood will benefit. 3) Please describe your organization’s commitment in support of the HNNO initiative. What is your community’s state of readiness to focus attention, energy, and resources on improving Type II Diabetes in your neighborhood? HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 6 4) What resources, strengths or assets do you think your neighborhood possesses that will help you succeed in sustainable change? What barriers or weaknesses do you believe are present? 5) Describe your existing organization’s successes in working together in the past in collaboration with neighborhood leaders and residents. Leadership Team Members The leadership team should have broad influence in the community to successfully implement initiatives. The leadership team should demonstrate a high-level commitment to the HNNO Initiative, including a commitment of time and other resources. The leadership team should exhibit the potential for successful collaboration with neighborhood leaders to implement interventions that eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in chronic diseases. 1) Name _______________________________Title_____________________________ Role in the neighborhood _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact Information ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2) Name _______________________________Title_____________________________ Role in the neighborhood _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact Information ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3) Name _______________________________Title_____________________________ Role in the neighborhood _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact Information ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4) Name _______________________________Title_____________________________ Role in the neighborhood _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact Information ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5) Name _______________________________Title_____________________________ Role in the neighborhood _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact Information ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 7 IV. RFI Response Review Process All complete RFI responses received in proper format by the deadline by LPHI will be reviewed by a review panel convened by HNNO partners, LPHI, NPN, and Concordia. Eligible responses will be scored objectively according to panel’s assessment of the strength of responses as relates to the following criteria (each of the 5 items below will receive a score between 0 and 20 for a total of 100 points possible): 1) Demonstrate the neighborhood’s need for this project and how the neighborhood will benefit. 2) Evidence of history of effective collaborative efforts or community planning. 3) Evidence of commitment or support for activities of key leaders List of proposed Leadership Team. 4) Evidence willingness to fully participate in HNNO including the development of a Community Action Plan (CAP). 5) Willingness of the coalition to carry out the Community Action Plan in partnership with LPHI and partners. LPHI intends to notify all eligible responders of selected communities by January 31, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR OFFICE USE ONLY __________ DATE APPLICATION RECEIVED __________ DATE APPLICANT NOTIFIED __________ APPROVED __________ NOT APPROVED __________ APPROVED FOR ALTERNATE HNNO RFI 12-07-2010 8