Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces - The Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) is a 501(c)3, community-focused nonprofit and has served as Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger since 1991. OAF’s mission is to provide food and other resources to people in need and to pursue areas of common interest for the benefit of people in need. OAF previously operated a statewide Navigator program under CA-NAV-13-001, CA-NAV-14-002, the first two budget periods, or 24 months, of CA-NAV-15-001, and all three years of the previous funding cycle, CA-NAV-21-001. The OAF Navigator consortium, which will include OAF and seven subrecipient organizations, will provide Navigator services in 78 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Subrecipients that will provide Navigator services as consortium members include: Charitable Healthcare Network; Community Action Committee of Pike County; Freestore Foodbank; Mid-Ohio Food Collective; The Community Action Program Corporation of Washington-Morgan Counties; Toledo/Lucas County CareNet; and Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio. The overall budget request for the five-year period of performance is $14,116,805. This includes a budget request of $2,711,549 for Year 1, $2,763,382 for Year 2, $2,821,065 for Year 3, $2,880,146 for Year 4, and $2,940,663 for Year 5. This funding will allow the consortium to target Navigator services to 78 of Ohio’s 88 counties, representing about 92 percent of uninsured Ohioans under 65 or 687,034 uninsured individuals, according to 2024 University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings. Counties targeted include, alphabetically: Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot. While the consortium will be prepared to provide Navigator services to all consumers who request assistance, the proposed activities to be provided through this cooperative agreement will be targeted and tailored to priority populations. Those populations include: racial and ethnic minorities; the LGBTQ+ community; rural communities; low income or unhoused individuals; immigrant communities; people with limited English proficiency (LEP); justice-involved individuals; pregnant women, new mothers, and women with children; Medicaid-eligible consumers who are not enrolled in coverage despite being eligible for Medicaid; and consumers who lost continuous Medicaid coverage during the Medicaid Unwinding. The OAF Navigator consortium will staff 49 federally trained, certified, and state licensed Navigators to perform all the Navigator duties outlined in 45 C.F.R. §§ 155.210(e) and 155.215. This project will provide targeted assistance, outreach and education, post-enrollment assistance, and unbiased help in the selection of a Qualified Health Plan (QHPs). All Navigator activities will be conducted in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate, not only because it is a requirement, but because accessible, culturally responsive services are more likely to reduce health disparities and improve health access.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).