RFCC Response Memo

Our discussion of the OMB package for the Rural Frontier Women’s Health Coordinating Centers (RFCCs) yielded 4 questions/issues. Below are the responses to those questions/issues raised by OMB (John Kramer):

1. Clarify intent of $25K contract modifications (Pg 9).

In section A.9 of the Supporting Statement, titled Payment/Gift to Respondents, we discuss the $25,000 payment that was granted to each RFCC to support their participation in the National Evaluation. These funds were provided to compensate RFCCs for time, materials, and any other expenses incurred in completing the required data collection activities associated with the National Evaluation, as well as other similar assessment initiatives. RFCC leaders understand that full participation in the National Evaluation is a requirement of their contract with the Office on Women’s Health. These funds are not intended to serve as incentives for participation.

2. Can an RFCC client be denied services based upon her refusal to complete or provide information for completion of the Women’s Services Registration Form (Pg 14)?

In Section B.1 of the Supporting Statement, Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods, we discuss completion of the RFCC Women’s Services Registration Form. Although we expect that all women who access RFCCs will provide the basic demographic information being collected on these forms, we want to make it clear that these forms are being completed on a voluntary basis. No woman will be discriminated against, or denied service for failure to provide information necessary to complete this data collection tool.

3. Radom Selection vs. Purposive Sample (Pg 15):

In section B.1 of the Supporting Statement, we also discuss the proposed method for obtaining a sample of 15 Clinical Intake Forms from each of the nine non-clinical care provider RFCCs. A non-statistical sampling method will be used to gather this sample. The selection of 15 Clinical Intake Forms will be conducted by the outside partner providers that have been selected by each RFCC. Selection criteria will be informal, and may vary between provider sites. Only women who provide informed consent to have their data released will be included in the sample.

4. Value of conducting the evaluation when funding for the RFCC program ends September 30, 2007 (Clarification) :

Funding for the RFCC program will expire September 30, 2007. However, when the program was initiated, funding was expected to extend through FY2009.

The OWH was PARTED in 2004. The Office received a low score because it lacked any evaluation of its core programs. OWH then began to institute evaluations at the start of programs. This evaluation of the Rural Frontier Women’s Health Coordinating Centers (RFCCs) was initiated in 2005 at the start of the program.

The data reported in this evaluation will contribute to providing a specific quantitative response to the OWH’s Long-term/Annual Efficiency Measure – Number of girls 9-17 and women ages 18-85+ that participate in OWH-funded programs (e.g. information sessions, Web sites, outreach) per million dollars spent annually – and will thereby help enable OMB to identify OWH’s key strengths and potential weaknesses.

Although the program will be terminated effective September 30 of this year, the results of this evaluation will inform the design of future OWH programs and programs across the Department.

In addition to the loss of needed information to be responsive to OWH PART measures and to informing future OWH/Departmental model programs, to render this evaluation needless at this late date will result in a loss of up to $500K, the amount invested in this evaluation effort. Unspent funds (approximately $100K) could not be reobligated at this late date in the fiscal year.