07.10.20 Office Hours - USDA/Tufts Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC

Do you by chance have a Word version of the full proposal?

We have provided Word templates for each aspect of the full proposal component on the SurveyMonkey Apply platform. To log in, you will need to use the username and password you created for the brief proposal application process. Once logged in, for each task other than the Cover Sheet, you will need to click on the individual task to download the Word templates.

Here is a helpful video that explains how to download the templates and upload them to the platform once they are completed.

In reference to the following bullet under the telehealth solution section of the proposal, are there specific WIC regulations, requirements, or policies you are expecting applicants to respond to? One could take this bullet in a number of directions because there are extensive regulations and policies in WIC.

Explain how the telehealth solution will comply with Federal Program Regulations for all proposed strategies/solutions, particularly WIC Federal Requirements and Policies

We can’t, through our MIS, determine whether participants come from rural (or suburban or urban) communities. Our MIS doesn’t collect or assign this information. When addressing the extent to which rural communities are included in the project under the Problem Statement section, we are limited to indicating simply that the clinics partially or completely serve rural communities. We would use the Census Bureau’s definitions to determine whether a geographic area is rural, suburban, or urban. Knowing this, do you have any additional guidance or clarification to provide to ensure we are providing the information needed/requested?

Applicants should have a standard definition that they are using for rural, suburban, or urban, and should be clear in the proposal what the source of that definition is. The Census Bureau definition would be an acceptable source. Another source State Agencies might consider is the National Center for Education Statistics, which designates geographic locale at the school level. THIS-WIC does not require use of a particular source, so SAs may use these or another similar source to define rural populations if that information is not available through already collected sources.

As a reminder, a goal of THIS-WIC is to engage telehealth solutions to decrease barriers to access to WIC services, particularly in rural communities and for other populations facing barriers to accessing support (i.e. high risk). Applicants should speak to the extent to which their proposed solutions target rural and/or high-risk populations.

Will you accept local agency survey responses expressing willingness to participate in the study instead of Letters of Support?

As part of our effort to support our local agencies in these kinds of innovation efforts, we are also considering providing LAs with stipends to account for their contributions on this project. Are stipends to local agencies an allowable use of part of the grant funding? If not, are there other ways we could incorporate LAs time/effort into our proposed budget?

Depending on their involvement in the project, should telehealth vendors be listed in key personnel and provide a biosketch, or should that be limited to state/local WIC staff?

For the evaluation, sites (health clinics) for the proposed project will not be randomly assigned but we do plan to randomize individuals within clinics to treatment or comparison groups. Would this evaluation design be randomized, non-randomized, or both (quasi)?

Do you by chance have a Word version of the full proposal?

Will you accept local agency survey responses expressing willingness to participate in the study instead of Letters of Support?

Depending on their involvement in the project, should telehealth vendors be listed in key personnel and provide a biosketch, or should that be limited to state/local WIC staff?

For the evaluation, sites (health clinics) for the proposed project will not be randomly assigned but we do plan to randomize individuals within clinics to treatment or comparison groups. Would this evaluation design be randomized, non-randomized, or both (quasi)?

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