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Report to GMAC urges expanding health workforce, integrating services and addressing transport and upstream drivers
Summary
A statewide needs assessment presented to the Grants Management Advisory Committee identified behavioral health, transportation, housing, healthcare cost and food security as interconnected statewide challenges and recommended five funding-aligned strategies — including workforce expansion, integrated service delivery and transportation interventions — to guide upcoming NOFOs.
A presenter to the Grants Management Advisory Committee summarized a statewide needs assessment that found behavioral health, transportation, access to health care, housing, the cost of care and food security were consistently represented across regions and often interrelated.
The presenter said the report “really emphasizes these issues, that as they are highly interconnected, and often compounded by one another,” and laid out five funding-aligned recommendations intended to guide forthcoming Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs).
The committee heard the recommendations in order of priority: expand and strengthen health workforce capacity (including recruitment, retention and provider well-being); strengthen health system organizational capacity for integrated service delivery and sustainable care/resource coordination; address transportation barriers that limit access to health and essential services; expand evidence-based substance use disorder response; and address upstream social determinants of health that drive persistent disparities. Each recommendation was mapped to funding categories the grants unit uses (examples cited included CAT 16 for FQHCs, CAT 17 for public health districts, CAT 18 for wellness, CAT 19 for disability services, and CAT 69 for family health resource centers).
The presenter emphasized the role of community health workers and cross-sector partnerships as a way to connect primary care and behavioral health, and said staff intend to incorporate the assessment’s findings when designing NOFO parameters so grant solicitations better reflect gaps identified in the report.
During questions, Committee member Megan Brasher Burns asked how the assessment would translate into actual grant applications and whether the data could be used to pursue federal funds. The presenter replied that the needs assessment was concentrated on areas overseen by the Grants Management Unit (GMU) and the director’s office but said the data would be “totally usable” to pursue federal funding; GMU’s immediate focus, the presenter added, is preparing NOFOs for the 2028–29 biennium so recommendations inform the scope and parameters of those solicitations.
The committee did not take formal action on the assessment at the meeting; the report was presented for input and as an evidence base for future grant design and strategic funding decisions.
