OPA Technical Assistance and Logistics Support

Business People at a Conference Listening to the Speaker

Problem

OPA has a wide range of diverse grantees who need support and technical assistance.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs (OPA) promotes health across the reproductive lifespan through innovative, evidence-based adolescent health and family planning programs, services, strategic partnerships, evaluation, and research. It pursues that mission by offering grants to states, tribes, and local programs that prevent teen pregnancy, support expectant and parenting youth, provide family planning services, and implement embryo adoption programs. OPA needed technical and logistical resources to help them monitor and support some 170 grantees.

Solution

A comprehensive resource center for the provision of support services.

OPA hired NORC to conduct the Technical Assistance and Logistics Support project. The project involves a multitude of activities, including:

Meeting planning and facilitation
Expert engagement
Data collection
Identification and development of performance measures
Professional development training
Literature reviews and assistance with program reviews

Result

NORC has provided literature reviews, grantee meetings, expert panels, program reviews, and professional trainings.

We conducted two literature reviews: one focused on equity, family planning, and teen pregnancy prevention and another on adolescent health. During the Base Year, we hosted two grantee meetings for the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) portfolio: Trauma-Informed Approaches and Sustainability. In the base year, we also hosted three expert panel meetings for TPP: Fostering a Collaborative Culture Between TPP and Title X Grantees, Contraceptive Measures, and Experiences from the 2015 TPP Innovation Projects. During OY1, we hosted six expert panel meetings, including the formation and initial work of the Quality Family Planning Expert Workgroup (EWG).

NORC has planned and executed two large grantee conferences, one for Title X grantees and another for TPP grantees. We successfully hosted 22 Virtual Program Reviews. We have conducted the following professional trainings: Sexual and Reproductive Health Update, Positive Prevention Plus, Power through Choices, Working for Change, and Human-Centered Design.