0920-0879 IZPHD Attachment D -Interview Instrument- Phase 2

Form Pending

OMB No. 0920-0879

Expiration Date: 04/30/2017

ATTACHMENT D – Interview Guide

SCRIPT FOR INTERVIEW DISCUSSIONS AFTER WEB-BASED INSTRUMENT DATA ANALYSIS

1. Introduction:

• Hi, my name is __________ and I am with Health Resources in Action, a non-profit public health organization working with the National Network for Public Health Institutes, a cooperative agreement partner with CDC. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.

• As I mentioned in my email, we are working with CDC on an assessment of immunization awardee funding utilization. This assessment aims to help CDC better understand the specific successes and challenges that health department immunization awardees have encountered using federal immunization funding. The goal is also to identify opportunities for improvements for future funding utilization. 

• This conversation is a follow-up to the web-based instrument you completed a few weeks ago. On the web-based instrument, you indicated which factors made it easier or harder to spend federal immunization funding. During this conversation, I will be asking you to provide some specific examples of these factors to provide greater context and elaboration of your health department’s experiences with these federal funding streams.

• The information from the web-based instrument and this conversation will be summarized into an overall report. Your health department will be identified, but no specific individual respondent will. The summary information of each health department will only be shared with CDC.

• Do you have any questions before we begin our discussion?

[INTERVIEWER NOTE: CHALLENGES AND FACILITATORS OF FEDERAL SPENDING FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: 1) TIMING, AMOUNT, AND SPECIFICATIONS OF FUNDING (E.G., TIMELINESS OF RECEIVING FUNDING, FLEXIBILITY FOR FUNDING S, ETC), 2) HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES (E.G., HIRING STAFF AND CONTRACTORS); AND 3) COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING TO CDC (E.G., MONTHLY CALLS, REPORTING PROCEDURES). INTERVIEWER WILL PROBE ON THE MAJOR CATEGORY WHERE MOST OF THE CHALLENGES AND FACILITATORS CLUSTERED.

1. On the web-based instrument, you noted that factors generally related to [NAME MAJOR CATEGORY OF CHALLENGES – E.G., HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES] such as [NAME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM CATEGORY – E.G., HIRING CONTRACTORS] made it harder to spend the federal immunization funding you received across all federal funding streams. Why was this a challenge? Can you provide a specific example from the past two years of how this was challenging?

1. [ASK PROBE ONLY IF CHALLENGES WERE DIFFERENT FOR A SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM] While most of the challenges you mentioned on the web-based instrument were similar across funding streams, for [NAME SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM THAT WAS DIFFERENT: VFC, 317, OR SPECIAL FEDERAL FUNDING], you indicated that factors related to [CATEGORY OF CHALLENGES] such as [EXAMPLES FROM CATEGORY] were a challenge for this specific funding stream. Why was this a challenge? Can you provide a specific example from the past two years of how this was challenging?

2. On the web-based instrument, you noted that factors generally related to [NAME MAJOR CATEGORY OF FACILITATORS – E.G., TIMING, AMOUNT, AND SPECIFICATIONS OF FUNDING] such as [NAME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM CATEGORY – E.G., FLEXIBILITY ON FUNDING SPECIFICATIONS] made it easier to spend the federal immunization funding you received across all federal funding streams. Why was this help? Can you provide a specific example from the past two years of how that helped facilitate spending your federal immunization funding?

1. [ASK PROBE ONLY IF FACILITATORS WERE DIFFERENT FOR A SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM] While you mentioned on the web-based instrument that most of the factors that made it easier to spend the money were similar across funding streams, for [NOTE SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM THAT WAS DIFFERENT: VFC, 317, OR SPECIAL FEDERAL FUNDING], you indicated that factors related to [CATEGORY OF FACILITATORS] such as [EXAMPLES FROM CATEGORY] made it easier to spend money from this specific funding stream. Why was this help? Can you provide a specific example from the past two years of how this helped facilitate spending your federal immunization funding?

[INTERVIEWER NOTE: SUGGESTIONS ON WEB-BASED INSTRUMENT FELL INTO MAJOR CATEGORIES RELATED TO: 1) OPERATIONS CHANGES AROUND REPORTING; 2) OPERATIONS CHANGES AROUND FUNDING SPECIFICATIONS AND TIMELINE; 3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND INCREASED COMMUNICATION FROM CDC AROUND REPORTING AND FUNDING SPECIFICATIONS; 4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCES TO OVERCOME HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS

3. On the web-based instrument, you indicated that [NAME MAJOR CATEGORY OF SUGGESTION] such as [EXAMPLE FROM CATEGORY] would be helpful to health departments across all federal funding streams. How would you want to see this implemented? What specifically would this change look like?

1. What would be important for CDC to consider in implementation of this suggestion?

2. [ASK ONLY IF SUGGESTIONS WERE DIFFERENT FOR A SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM] While you mentioned on the web-based instrument the suggestions for changes were similar across funding streams, for [NOTE SPECIFIC FUNDING STREAM THAT WAS DIFFERENT: VFC, 317, OR SPECIAL FEDERAL FUNDING], you indicated that [CATEGORY OF SUGGESTIONS] such as [EXAMPLE FROM CATEGORY] would be helpful to health departments for this specific funding stream. How would you want to see this implemented? What specifically would this change look like?

1. What would be important for CDC to consider in implementation of this suggestion?

That is all for my questions today. Is there anything you would like to add that you didn’t get a chance to mention?

We greatly appreciate your feedback and participation.

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated 16 minutes to complete this assessment, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-0879)