The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Branch (STDCB) is pleased to inform the recipients of the Congenital Syphilis Prevention (CSP) funding that an additional extension has been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This second extension changes the previous extension date of 01/31/25 to 01/31/26 and includes additional funding.

As a reminder, funding for this grant is made possible through a cooperative agreement from the CDC. Below are the highlights of the federal award and a copy of the notice is also attached for reference.

Along with the announcement of the 27-month funding extension, the CDC also informed CDPH the level of funding for the extension will not change. With this second time extension and the addition of funding, the amendments currently in progress will be revised to:

CDPH has begun the amendment process and to expedite this grant amendment through the approval process, we request that you confirm your intention to accept this second extension and the additional funding no than Friday, October 13, 2023. Please submit a formal letter of acceptance via email to STDLHJContracts@cdph.ca.gov with a cc to Christine.Johnson@cdph.ca.gov​.

When e-mailing your intent to accept the additional funding to STDLHJContracts@cdph.ca.gov, please include your agency’s name in the subject line when you send the email to help us to easily identify which local health jurisdiction you represent. Please note that no funds are secured until the amendment is fully executed.

Budget revisions for the periods of 01/01/24 – 01/31/25 and 02/01/25 – 01/31/26 will need to be submitted and should include the projected amount to be spent. CDC has approved expanded authority permitting the rollover of unspent funds from calendar year 2023 through the end of January 2026. Budget revision requests for this period can be submitted after December 31, 2023, but no later than April 1, 2024. See Attachment 1 for the updated funding chart showing the amended grant award amounts.

The additional funding must be used to continue the CSP and control activities. However, the grant activities have been revised to allow more flexibility for the utilization of the funds. The Scope of Work (aka, grant activities) has been revised to expand syphilis and STI screening and prevention services in local emergency departments and jail settings as well as new optional activities for the Grantee to implement using this funding. These four new optional activities include: providing syphilis testing and prevention with integrated testing for HIV, HCV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and mpox vaccination; however, there is a 10% cap on safety net clinical services/expenses, and this is based on the annual award amount. In addition to the expansion and integration of services, other optional activities include providing incentives to clients to encourage testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments (incentives are capped at 1% of the annual award); implementing a social marketing campaign; and to propose an innovative and impactful activity to increase client testing or prenatal services for at risk populations. A copy of the revised grant activities document is attached for reference.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Christine Johnson by e-mail at Christine.Johnson@cdph.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Jacobson, MD

Branch Chief

STD Control Branch

Enclosures

cc: Rachel Piper, Chief, Contracts and Purchasing Unit, STD Control Branch

Jessica Frasure-Williams, Chief, Program Development Section, STD Control Branch

Ashley Dockter, Evaluation and Quality Improvement Unit Chief, STD Control Branch

Meghan Polich, Congenital Syphilis Program Coordinator, STD Control Branch