Strengthening Systems Capacity in Laos to Increase Utilization of High-Quality HIV Diagnosis and Treatment Services by Priority Populations under the President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with Department of Communicable Disease Control | CDC RFA GH16 165702CONT18

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH16 165702CONT18

This funding opportunity is a continuation cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health, focused on Laos. The program title spells out the core aim: strengthening national and subnational systems capacity so that priority populations in Laos make greater use of high-quality HIV diagnosis and treatment services. In practice, this kind of PEPFAR-supported systems work typically centers on improving how services are organized, delivered, monitored, and sustained through close collaboration with government counterparts, in this case the Department of Communicable Disease Control. The emphasis on "utilization" and "high-quality" signals that the award is not only about expanding availability, but also about improving the reliability, effectiveness, and acceptability of HIV services so the people most affected are actually reached and retained in care.

Administratively, the opportunity is identified as CDC RFA GH16-165702CONT18 and is categorized as continuation funding, which usually means it is intended to extend or build on existing work rather than launch an entirely new, open-ended program from scratch. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which is important because it generally involves substantial involvement by CDC in program direction, technical guidance, and oversight compared to a standard grant. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.067 (a CDC global health assistance listing). The posting date was February 13, 2017, with an original closing date of April 17, 2017, placing it within a defined PEPFAR planning and funding cycle.

Programmatically, the opportunity is framed around capacity strengthening within systems that support HIV case finding, diagnosis, linkage to treatment, and ongoing care. For priority populations, that commonly means groups at higher risk of HIV acquisition and/or those facing barriers to care, such as key populations and other underserved groups, depending on the country context and epidemic pattern. "Systems capacity" can include strengthening policies and standard operating procedures, improving service delivery models, building workforce competency through training and mentorship, enhancing laboratory and diagnostic networks and quality assurance, improving data systems and surveillance, and tightening supply chain and commodity management so testing kits and antiretroviral medicines are consistently available. It can also include quality improvement approaches that raise the standard of clinical care and reduce drop-off across the HIV care cascade, from initial testing through viral load monitoring and sustained viral suppression.

Because it is explicitly under PEPFAR, the work is generally aligned with PEPFAR priorities such as accelerating progress toward epidemic control, improving HIV testing strategies to reach those undiagnosed, strengthening linkage and rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy, and improving retention and adherence support. Coordination with the Department of Communicable Disease Control implies a strong government partnership model, often aimed at increasing national ownership and sustainability by embedding technical improvements into government-led systems rather than creating parallel structures. That can also involve strengthening planning, budgeting, and program management functions so the national program can maintain gains over time.

In terms of scale and awards, the notice lists an expected number of awards of 10. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically indicates the ceiling was not specified in the summary fields or is determined through other parts of the full announcement rather than capped at a fixed published maximum in this excerpt. Eligible applicants are summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which suggests eligibility may be limited to specific organizations, existing partners, or entities meeting particular criteria, especially given the continuation nature of the announcement.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as CDC and PEPFAR investing in the underlying public health and service delivery systems in Laos, in partnership with the national communicable disease authority, to increase the uptake and quality of HIV diagnosis and treatment among populations most affected by HIV. The intent is not simply to fund direct service delivery in isolation, but to strengthen the structures, workforce, processes, and data use that make high-quality HIV services more accessible, consistent, and effective at national scale.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Systems Capacity in Laos to Increase Utilization of High-Quality HIV Diagnosis and Treatment Services by Priority Populations under the President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with Department of Communicable Disease Control" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 13, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 17, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for CDC RFA GH16 165702CONT18

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