OPHE COVID-19 Disparities Grant Awards

On this page: Data and Reporting Initiatives | Infrastructure Support Initiatives | Partner Mobilization Initiatives

Data and Reporting Initiatives

Health Equity Data Analysis

OPHE is conducting an analysis of trends in disparities, including COVID-19 disparities in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by race and ethnicity, rural community members, and other demographic groups, and develop recommendations to address findings. OPHE will also:

  1. Summarize data on health outcomes and risk factors, primarily from analyses for the Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment, to highlight health disparities by race and ethnic groups.
  2. Conduct analyses of trends in disparities for selected indicators by race and ethnicity.
  3. Identify health equity indicators, together with community representatives.
  4. Develop recommendations to address health inequities in Maine.
  • University of Southern Maine: $190,123

Community-Led Needs Assessments

OPHE aims to support multiple Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to conduct Statewide Community Led Needs Assessments (CLNAs) in collaboration with a Research Partner who has conducted Community-Based Participatory Research and will serve as a technical advisor to support the project.

Example Communities of Focus include but are not limited to: multi-generational Black/African American communities; immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker communities; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) communities; Latino/Hispanic/Latinx communities; Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

The Department anticipates the results of each Statewide CLNA will enable the Department to better understand the health needs and priorities of specific communities that are historically underrepresented or misrepresented in currently available data, and to inform the next State Health Improvement Plan and Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment.

RFP: 202308170 Posted September 15, 2023. Proposals due October 20, 2023.

Perinatal Disparities in Maine

A comprehensive needs assessment to examine disparities and develop infrastructure to improve maternity and perinatal services in Maine with a focus on people of color and people in rural communities, and in particular, the effect of COVID-19 on these disparities. A comprehensive needs assessment to examine disparities and develop infrastructure to improve maternity and perinatal services in Maine with a focus on people of color and people in rural communities, and in particular, the effect of COVID-19 on these disparities.

This project also contains an education and training component that supports the development of infrastructure in Maine to provide enhanced training to EMS professionals, emergency department and family practice providers in addressing normal pregnancy and obstetric emergencies to improve outcomes in rural areas. A comprehensive review of current EMS obstetric emergency protocols is being conducted and updated, and standardized obstetric emergency training is being offered for pre-hospital providers, first responders, and emergency personnel, including rural EMS and hospital staff in areas with no maternity units.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • MaineHealth: $60,000
  • Market Decisions, LLC: $157,310

Infrastructure Support Initiatives

Office of Population Health Equity (OPHE) and Advisory Councils

OPHE aims to advance health equity by deepening relationships with community leaders, investing resources directly in communities most severely impacted by COVID-19 and other health disparities, and building collective capacity to reduce disparities in the future. A key component of OPHE has been the establishment of a Health Equity Advisory Council, comprised of Maine-based community leaders who have lived experience of health disparities, as well as expertise in health equity, diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI), and the public health, healthcare, and social service sectors.

  • Providentia Group PLLC: $254,750

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Member Communications

The Member Communications project includes a number of sub-projects all aimed at implementing improvements in culturally and linguistically appropriate communications across multiple offices within Maine DHHS. These communication improvements are aimed at addressing social determinants of health that are root causes of the COVID-19 health disparities and maximizing health insurance coverage, as well as reducing COVID-19 cases and increasing vaccination rates.

  • Results Marketing & Design Inc.: $493,400
  • Maximus US Services Inc: $579,642
  • Western Maine Community Action Inc: $120,358
  • Deloitte Consulting LLP: $195,000

Department-Wide Equity Capacity Building

OPHE is engaged in multiple internal DHHS initiatives to improve the Department’s ability to implement racial equity-informed strategies. To address COVID-19-related racial/ethnic health disparities, State employees need training and support on root causes of these disparities and how State systems either stand to perpetuate or mitigate inequities. Additionally, the State is seeking to strategize around better managing referrals to Community-Based Organizations, especially referrals that DHHS receives for community-based support for COVID-19 isolation, quarantine, and vaccinations.

  • RFP 202307165 closed August 29,2023 -currently evaluating proposals.
  • Additional awards are expected through competitive procurement opportunities in the future.

Rural Health Networks & Rural Workforce Development

The Maine Rural Clinical Healthcare Training Network Initiative seeks to address health care workforce shortages by expanding the network of rural clinical preceptors, providing access to clinical learned placement systems and expanding clinical placements through public and private partnerships within the Building-ME Network. This initiative focuses on streamlining clinical placements by using a “Common Preceptor” form and “Clinical Site Directories” to efficiently match academic institutions with rural sites available for clinical placement. Additionally, through the development of new rural clinical preceptorships, as well as the expansion of current rural clinical preceptorships, approximately 380 clinical placements will occur with rural providers.

The single sub-recipient awards include:

  • A web based platform to match clinical learners and preceptors.
  • Short term housing support to assist students while they do their clinical/rotations/field placements in rural communities that face COVID-19 disparities in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
  • Rural preceptor stipends to defray costs of supervising clinical learners; A common preceptor training focusing on COVID-19 and the specific needs of rural communities, indigenous communities, and others in partnership with community-based organizations; and staff and administrative expenses. These costs supplement, not supplant, existing resources support rural healthcare workforce including State of Maine resources as well as other Federal grants from HRSA and US CDC.
  • In addition, the Office of Rural Health will establish a platform to provide a diverse and continuous talent pipeline for health care facilities in rural and underserved areas. In particular, the Office of Rural Health will partner with Tallo, a national platform that focuses on high school and college students and will connect them to jobs in the rural health workforce in Maine.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • MaineHealth: $650,000
  • Tallo (K-12 Management, Inc.): $95,000

EMS Community Paramedicine and Systems of Care

Investments to bolster Maine EMS’s ability to address health emergencies in rural settings with limited access to care, including support for Maine’s existing Community Paramedicine program, standardized community paramedicine training across the state, and support for Maine EMS efforts in coordinating systems of care for time-sensitive conditions (including COVID-19).

The four major components of this program are:

  • Increase the capacity of the existing statewide community paramedicine program through funding approximately ten licensed EMS agencies in rural communities to improve infrastructure and address capacity building to establish and/or expand programs, which will concurrently require the EMS agencies to expand COVID-19 testing and vaccination and supporting evaluation resources to bolster long term sustainability.
  • Standardize community paramedicine training across the state, in partnership with multiple educational institutions (Maine Community Colleges).
  • Support the long-term sustainability of community paramedicine by funding State Plan Amendment (SPA) development and evaluation activities to enable MaineCare policy and reimbursement changes.
  • Expand current Maine EMS efforts in coordinating systems of care for time-sensitive conditions to improve infrastructure to address long term equity improvements.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • Maine Dept. of Public Safety, Maine Bureau of Emergency Medical Services: $3,030,000

Rural E-Consult Expansion

The Rural Telehealth/E-Consult Expansion project is supporting the development, implementation, engagement, and training strategies to enable adoption and utilization of specialty medical eConsults in rural communities across Maine, with the goal of improving broader and more timely access to specialty medical consultation services, especially for those experiencing symptoms related to COVID and Long COVID. The utilization of a specialty medical eConsult model will help to alleviate current disparities for patients experiencing long waits for specialty consultation and help to create infrastructure for the long-term reduction of health disparities.

This effort is supporting the following activities:

  • Develop eConsult processes, protocols, and infrastructure to support MEeCN implementation across the State.
  • Identify and recruit specialty providers to provide eConsult services to MEeCN affiliated primary care providers.
  • Promote access to care for those populations most impacted by COVID-19, including populations living in rural and medically underserved areas, where barriers to access to health care have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These populations also include those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and healthcare challenges associated with long COVID.

This will be done by establishing a statewide eConsult network (Maine e-Consult Network) and implementing an eConsult pilot program to support program design and assess facilitators and barriers for eventual statewide implementation of the eConsult model, including issues related to payment for e-Consults to support sustainability of the model.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • Medical Care Development: $385,542

Partner Mobilization Initiatives

COVID-19 Community Resilience

The COVID-19 Community Resilience project will fund Community-Based Organizations to implement programs and activities in their communities that address the root causes of COVID-19 and address the social determinants of health that are unique to their community. The project will fund community health workers or outreach workers to be deployed in the communities in which they serve. Activities that can be undertaken by awarded agencies include, linkage to or assistance with food and housing resources, social supports and services and broadband internet, providing culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate health education, implementing evidence based curricula addressing conditions that may put a person at increased risk of COVID-19, assisting community members with linkage to medical care including in-person, telemedicine and e-consults, insurance enrollment, assisting with interpretation or translation, and providing on-site supportive services to assist individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness and reducing COVID-19 disparities among these communities. The project prioritizes agencies that can provide services in languages, other than English, that are commonly spoken throughout Maine.

Awards made as of September 2023 (including additional funding from COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Grants):

  • AK Health and Social Services: $317,500
  • Gateway Community Services of Maine: $363,000
  • Hand in Hand / Mano en Mano: $363,000
  • Healthy Acadia: $338,000
  • Maine Access Immigrant Network: $181,000
  • Maine Association For New Americans: $363,000
  • Maine Community Integration: $337,000
  • Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services: $470,300
  • Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition: $689,000
  • Northern Light Mercy Hospital: $250,000
  • New England Arab American Organization: $351,000
  • New Mainer’s Public Health Initiative: $330,500
  • Portland Community Health Center: $863,000
  • Preble Street: $530,000
  • Presente! Maine: $363,000
  • Sustainable Livelihoods Relief Organization: $188,000
  • United Somali Women of Maine: $347,000
  • Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness: $363,000
  • York County Community Action Corporation: $250,000

Health Equity Infrastructure and Capacity Building

The Health Equity Infrastructure and Technical Assistance project is centered around capacity building to increase Tribal communities' and CBOs' ability to continue their support of communities at elevated risk of COVID-19 exposure and disease. The project focuses on infrastructure development in those communities and organizations most impacted by COVID-19. Targeted investments include those related to financial/IT, data collection/reporting systems, operational infrastructure, strategic planning, and pilot projects to increase organizational effectiveness. As a result of these investments, Maine will have more capacity to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 and other health conditions, as well as to continue providing COVID-19 prevention and response activities.

The initiative also includes a pilot to provide tailored capacity building and business planning support for community-based, BIPOC-owned providers of intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) services, who face unique and high priority challenges during COVID-19.

Awards made as of September 2023 (including additional funding from COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Grants):

  • AK Health and Social Services: $450,000
  • City of Portland Public Health Division: $425,000
  • Cross Cultural Community Services: $800,361
  • Gateway Community Services of Maine: $500,000
  • Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center: $300,000
  • Hand in Hand / Mano en Mano: $415,412
  • Healthy Acadia: $227,000
  • Houlton Band Maliseet Indians: $710,000
  • Intercultural Community Services: $136,000
  • Love of God’s Kingdom Outreach Ministries: $5,875
  • Maine Access Immigrant Network: $200,000
  • Maine Association for Community Service Providers: $250,002 (training & technical assistance)
  • Maine Association for New Americans: $283,000
  • Maine Community Health Worker Initiative (Medical Care Development): $300,000
  • Maine Community Integration: $200,000
  • Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services: $218,000
  • Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition: $482,125
  • Maine Inside Out: $400,000
  • New England Arab American Organization: $200,000
  • New Mainer’s Public Health Initiative: $450,000
  • Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township: $710,000
  • Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point: $699,772
  • Penobscot Nation: $710,000
  • Portland Community Health Center: $250,000
  • Preble Street: $250,000
  • Presente! Maine: $415,222
  • ProsperityME: $500,000
  • Quality Housing Coalition: $147,601
  • Sustainable Livelihoods Relief Organization: $169,000
  • Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness: $500,000

District Public Health Emergency Preparedness

The District Public Health Emergency Preparedness project utilizes existing State, Local, and District Public Health personnel to organize and coordinate the District Coordinating Councils (DCC) to address COVID-19 disparities and infrastructure improvement and sustainability opportunities in Rural communities. The project convenes partners such as Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Management Agencies, Area Agencies on Aging, Rural Hospitals/Healthcare Providers (RHC/FQHC), Oral Health Providers, Assisted Living Facilities, School Districts/Systems, and other CBOs to address and resolve identified disparities. This initiative will work to develop policies and protocols for emergency response, define roles, responsibilities, and resources to be provided in the event of any public health emergency response.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • Medical Care Development: $949,999

Addressing Rural Health-Related Social Needs

Support the development and initial implementation of a pilot projects in rural communities that would bring together community-based organizations and health care providers to better identify and address the health-related social needs of individuals in rural communities.

The Addressing Rural Health-Related Social Needs initiative will support the development and initial implementation of a pilot project in an identified rural community that will bring together community-based organizations and health care providers to better identify and address Health Related Social Needs  (HRSNs)  of individuals in rural communities. Addressing HRSNs can help to ensure that people are given the resources they need to protect themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing both the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19.

The project will focus on two key components needed to support the goal of better identifying and addressing HRSNs: (1) build community partnerships and an effective governance among health care, social service, and other community-based organizations, and (2) identify financing and payment models to incent and sustain systems of care to better address HRSNs, which were impacted by COVID-19, and promote equity.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • Aroostook Agency on Aging: $316,870 (demonstration site)
  • Central Maine Area Agency on Aging: $400,000 (demonstration site)
  • Healthy Acadia: $260,745 (demonstration site)
  • Medical Care Development: $397,295 (evaluator and technical assistance)

Rural School-Based Health Centers

Improve infrastructure to address oral health and mental health care coordination services in rural school-based settings and the connection between these services and COVID-19 disparities among children in rural communities.

The Rural School-Based Health Centers project focuses on infrastructure to address oral health and mental health care coordination services in rural school-based settings and the connection between these services and COVID-19 disparities among children in rural communities. The project has three initiatives:

Mental Health: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated an already acute mental health crisis in Maine (almost all Maine public health districts identified mental health as a priority). This project provides telehealth outreach services to youth via Family Navigators, and crisis support.

Oral Health: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease and carries into adulthood. Children in particular were disproportionately affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, as schools transitioned to virtual learning, and access to school-based health services were disrupted. This initiative will address oral health and mental health care coordination in rural school-based settings and ensure that students who face COVID-19 disruption to their education continue to receive access to these services.

Tele-Behavioral Health Pilot: The Clinician/Community Health Worker (CHW) model will address the shortages of in-person mental health Clinicians in four Maine counties, particularly to those school districts that require an in-person clinician versus a telehealth clinician. These pilot services will help to reduce COVID-19 disparities in behavioral health access for school aged youth in rural communities identified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards made as of September 2023:

  • Aroostook County Action Program: $50,000
  • Aroostook Mental Health Services: $100,000
  • Community Health and Counseling Services: $51,667
  • Crisis and Counseling Center: $100,000
  • Kennebec Behavioral Health: $51,667
  • Medical Care Development: $118,019
  • Northern Light Acadia: $51,667
  • Sunrise Opportunities: $50,000