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• HRSA Staff Pull Together to Improve Grantee Performance

HRSA Staff Pull Together to Improve Grantee Performance

Facilitator Suma Nair addresses the OPR session on June 8.

HRSA's Office of Performance Review (OPR) recently concluded a series of 11 sessions designed to clarify the performance review process and explore ways office staff can work with project officers to improve grantee performance. Close to 180 HRSA employees across all programs attended the Parklawn sessions, approximately 63 percent of whom were project officers. OPR's Deputy Associate Administrator Dennis Malcomson kicked off the June 8 event, explaining how the sessions evolved in response to feedback from project officer focus groups that were held in June 2006. “From the feedback we received, we got the clear message that a number of project officers wanted more clarification of their roles in the OPR process,” he told the group. HRSA launched the OPR in 2003 to help ensure that the more than 3,000 organizations that receive grant or cooperative agreement funding from the agency are successfully accomplish-ing their program purposes. From 2004 to 2006, HRSA conducted 722 performance reviews.

In a typical performance review, HRSA's regional offices work with grantees to select performance review measures; analyze performance in relation to the selected measures; create a performance report; and develop an action plan, which includes performance improvement actions to be completed by the grantee on each measure.

Malcomson emphasized the importance of collaboration between OPR and project officers in accomplishing this. Project officers work closely with grantees, monitoring grant application requirements and helping as needed with technical assistance and any other “trouble-shooting.” Project officers are an essential link in the performance review process, according to Malcomson. “We value project officers' input and we'll be looking for ways to continue the dialog with them,” he said.

OPR staff members Suma Nair, Kimberly Huffman and Janette Yu-Shears consulted with HRSA's project officers in developing the sessions, which focused on all aspects of the performance review process – from initial consultations with project officers to grantee conference calls to the post-review development of action plans for improving grantee performance. In follow-up, OPR works closely with project officers to ensure that recommendations for improvement are implemented and that any necessary technical assistance is provided.

Participants found the sessions to be informative and helpful. Many claimed on evaluation forms that the sessions gave them a better understanding of the performance review process as well as the points of collaboration between project officers and the OPR review teams. Participants also provided valuable suggestions for ways to improve the process as well as future OPR training sessions.

“OPR is extremely pleased with the success of this training effort,” said OPR Associate Administrator Becky Spitzgo. “We are especially appreciative of the valuable assistance provided by project officers Catherine Rupinta (BHPr), David de la Cruz (MCHB), Susan Whitney (BPHC), Adolfo Mata (BPHC), and Eda Valero-Figueira (HAB) in developing the training materials and participating in the sessions.”

OPR is committed to continuing the collaboration with HRSA project officers and identifying more opportunities for working with them to achieve HRSA's mission and program goals. This includes soliciting their feedback on a regular basis via focus groups, surveys and additional training sessions every six months.

Do you have a story about a HRSA program, staff member or grantee that you'd like us to write about? Drop us an email at InsideHRSA@hrsa.gov and we'll be happy to consider it.

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