Direct Assistance: Assigning CDC Staff to State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Agencies

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The Direct Assistance (DA) Program offers funding for CDC staff to be assigned to provide direct, individualized technical assistance for state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health agencies that have been awarded grants and cooperative agreements made under specific CDC programs.

Examples of DA personnel and activities include:

• Public Health Advisors can provide on-site program technical assistance, guidance and coordination, state or local liaison, and quality assurance oversight in support of the project area's public health program activities, such as:
  • Build partnerships with other agencies and stakeholders
  • Provide technical guidance and assistance in review, evaluation, and oversight of the administration and management of the cooperative agreement and grant programs
  • Provide substantive and strategic program advice and assistance to the host agency and is responsible for carrying of significant program activities in state and local settings
  • Conduct program evaluation to review, analyze, and apply programmatic data and report on activities
• Epidemiologists can serve as a CDC point of contact to the host agency to plan, coordinate, lead, and implement grant activities to improve epidemiologic capacity and public health preparedness activities, such as:
  • Build partnerships with other agencies and stakeholders
  • Provide epidemiologic consultation and leadership for surveillance systems
  • Provide expertise for the design of epidemiological investigations, conducting studies, analyzing data, and publishing findings
  • Develop and implement workforce training and education related to epidemiology

CDC programs that qualify for DA include:

• General Authority Respecting Research, Evaluation, and Demonstration in Health Statistics, Health Services, and Health Care Technology Assessment
• National Center for Health Statistics
• International Cooperation
• Project Grants for Preventive Health Services
• Infertility and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Section 1501 of Title 15, Preventive Health Measures with Respect to Breast and Cervical Cancers
• Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant Allotments to States

Eligible participants are state, tribal, local, and territorial health agencies that are recipients of grants and cooperative agreements under the specified CDC programs.

Funding for the salary and benefits, travel expenses, and other costs related to DA assignees will be paid directly by CDC and reflected in the grant award as part of the total award.

DA may be requested at any time during the funding cycle, and it can be made effective at any time that is agreed to by the CDC program official and the STLT requesting official.

STLT grant recipients should first contact their respective CDC program consultant or project officer to begin the DA request process.