CDC Project Officer Support: SHD Officials Assessment

Attachment B: Word Version of Instrument

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0879

Expiration Date 01/31/2021

CDC Project Officer Effectiveness and Satisfaction Assessment

Thank you for participating in the CDC Project Officer Effectiveness and Satisfaction Assessment! Your participation will help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gauge health agency satisfaction with the services and support provided by its project officers. Results from the assessment will be used to improve CDC project officer support to state health agencies.

Completing this assessment is voluntary and can take up to 25 minutes. No personally identifiable information will be collected. Responses to all questions will be kept in a secure location by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and results will be reported only in aggregate form to CDC. Your open and honest feedback is appreciated.

Primary Respondents

This assessment should be completed by state health agency staff who work on CDC-funded cooperative agreements or grants and serve as the primary point of contact with the CDC project officer. A CDC project officer is the main point of contact responsible for interacting with your agency on programmatic, scientific, and technical aspects of any funded project. The CDC project officer is the individual listed on the Notice of Award and serves as a liaison to the grants management officer (GMO) and grants management specialist (GMS). The CDC project officer is responsible for the following:

• Providing technical assistance to applicants in developing applications (e.g., explanation of programmatic requirements, regulations, evaluation criteria, and guidance on possible linkages with other resources)

• Providing technical assistance in the performance of the project/program

• Conducting post-award monitoring of project/program performance (e.g., reviewing progress reports, reviewing prior approval requests, conducting site visits, and performing other activities complementary to those of the GMS and GMO)

If you work on multiple CDC-funded cooperative agreements or grants, then you will be given an opportunity to respond to questions about your work on two cooperative agreements or grants separately in this assessment.

Instructions

To advance through the questionnaire, please use the Forward (>>) and Back (<<) buttons located in the lower right corner of each page. The data you enter are saved automatically as you progress to each new section; therefore, you may stop and return later if needed. Your response to the assessment is due on MM/DD/2019.

Throughout the questionnaire, key terms appear in underlined, italicized font. When you hover over a key term with your mouse or pointer, the term’s definition will appear in a text box.

Technical Support

For technical support on completing and submitting this assessment, please contact ASTHO’s Research and Evaluation Team at [email protected].

[The below hover over text will be displayed:

CDC Project officer: A CDC project officer is the main point of contact responsible for interacting with your agency on programmatic, scientific, and technical aspects of any funded project. Source: CDC/ATSDR Roles and Responsibilities of Grants Management and Program Staff.

Have not observed: Select this response if you do not recall a time when your project officer was given an opportunity to perform the behavior.

Part I: Demographics

1. In which state health agency do you work? [Dropdown selection]

2. On which of the following cooperative agreements and grants do you serve as the primary point of contact for the CDC project officer? [Multiple selection]

Cooperative Agreement Number	Program/Project Title
CE14-1401	Rape Prevention and Education Program
CK14-1401	Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases
DP18-1815	Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs—Improving the Health of Americans through Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke
DP15-1509	National State-Based Tobacco Control Programs
DP15-1513	Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
DP16-001	Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
DP17-1701	Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial, and Tribal Organizations
IP19-1901 (Prior cycle was IP13-1301)	Immunizations and Vaccines for Children Program
OT18-1805	Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant
PS12-1201	Comprehensive HIV Prevention Programs for Health Departments
PS13-1303	Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Surveillance
PS14-1402	Improving Sexually Transmitted Disease Programs through Assessment, Assurance, Policy Development, and Prevention Strategies (STD AAPPS)
PS15-1501	Tuberculosis Elimination and Laboratory Cooperative Agreement
PS17-1702	Improving Hepatitis B and C Care Cascades; Focus on Increased Testing and Diagnosis
TP19-1901 (Prior cycle was TP12-1201)	Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
EH17-1701	Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
EH17-1702	Enhancing Innovation and Capabilities of the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network
DD17-1701	Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
DD16-1605	Surveillance, Intervention, and Referral to Services and Activities for Infants with Microcephaly or Other Adverse Outcomes Linked with the Zika Virus

For the next part of the assessment, please consider your work on the CDC cooperative agreement/grant X when answering all questions. [Respondents will be looped through the remainder of the assessment once for each selection in Q2. The order of the loops will be uniquely randomized for each respondent. The following header will be displayed on each remaining page of the corresponding loop: “When answering the questions on this page, please consider the CDC cooperative agreement/grant X.” Upon start of each loop, respondent will see the appropriate instruction language again: “For the next part of the assessment, please consider your work on the CDC cooperative agreement/grant X when answering all questions.”]

3. How would you describe your role, as related to your work on the CDC cooperative agreement/grant X?

• Principal investigator

• Program coordinator

• Other [If selected, the respondent will be prompted to describe their role in a text field]

4. How long have you worked on the CDC cooperative agreement/grant X?

   • Less than 1 year

   • More than 1 but less than 3 years

   • More than 3 but less than 5 years

• More than 5 but less than 10 years

• More than 10 years

5. How long have you worked with your current CDC project officer?

   • I do not work with the CDC project officer. (Selection will end assessment on the next page)

   • 6 months or less

   • 7 months to 12 months

   • 13 months to 24 months

   • 25 months to 36 months

• More than 36 months

6. How often do you have contact with your current CDC project officer?

   • At least weekly

   • At least monthly

   • At least quarterly

• Less than quarterly

7. The frequency of contact with my CDC project officer is:

• Too little

• Just about right

• Too much

Part II: Satisfaction with Project Officer Support

8. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with your current CDC project officer in the following areas:

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Communication
Providing timely, accurate, and complete responses to requests for information and assistance	○	○	○	○	○
Managing conflict in a respectful, positive way to result in strengthening of relationships	○	○	○	○	○

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Program Planning
Applying knowledge of the awardees’ political, regulatory, and social/cultural context	○	○	○	○	○
Demonstrating knowledge of cooperative agreement and/or grant policy and administration	○	○	○	○	○

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Program Management
Identifying concerns and developing recommendations to resolve problems related to program operations	○	○	○	○	○
Educating awardees on CDC requirements, information management systems, tools, and resources	○	○	○	○	○
Using various technologies to engage and interact with partners at a distance (e.g., hosting virtual meetings)	○	○	○	○	○
Coordinating and consulting with subject matter experts and partners to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support	○	○	○	○	○
Demonstrating knowledge of the ways in which health agency governance structure and organization impact program delivery	○	○	○	○	○

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Program Evaluation
Coordinating and consulting with subject matter experts and providing guidance to partners to aid in program evaluation	○	○	○	○	○
Applying knowledge of program performance measures and data to drive program outcomes, achieve program goals, and ensure quality improvement	○	○	○	○	○

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Public Health Practice
Translating public health concepts and research into practice	○	○	○	○	○
Demonstrating knowledge of basic public health science as it relates to program activities	○	○	○	○	○
Providing guidance on the use of surveillance data to monitor changes in the health of a population	○	○	○	○	○
Describing program-specific public health problems using relevant data	○	○	○	○	○

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Have Not Observed
Partnership Management
Responding to program partner’s needs with flexibility	○	○	○	○	○
Facilitating collaboration and feedback amongst partners	○	○	○	○	○
Making recommendations for continuous program quality improvement	○	○	○	○	○

9. You indicated that you are satisfied or very satisfied with the way in which your CDC project officer [insert list of behaviors from Q8]. Please explain your response and provide any best practices you have observed. [Text entry.]

10. You indicated that you are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the way in which your CDC project officer [insert list of behaviors from Q8]. Please explain your response and provide recommendations for improvement. [Text entry.]

11. In your opinion, what are the three most important areas where your CDC project officer could improve?

	Select up to 3
Communication
Providing timely, accurate, and complete responses to requests for information and assistance	☐
Managing conflict in a respectful, positive way to result in strengthening of relationships	☐
Program Planning
Applying knowledge of the awardees’ political, regulatory, and social/cultural context	☐
Demonstrating knowledge of cooperative agreement and/or grant policy and administration	☐
Program Management
Identifying concerns and developing recommendations to resolve problems related to program operations	☐
Educating awardees on CDC requirements, information management systems, tools, and resources	☐
Using various technologies to engage and interact with partners at a distance (e.g., hosting virtual meetings)	☐
Coordinating and consulting with subject matter experts and partners to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support	☐
Demonstrating knowledge of the ways in which health agency governance structure and organization impact program delivery	☐
Program Evaluation
Coordinating and consulting with subject matter experts and providing guidance to partners to aid in program evaluation	☐
Applying knowledge of program performance measures and data to drive program outcomes, achieve program goals, and ensure quality improvement	☐
Public Health Practice
Translating public health concepts and research into practice	☐
Demonstrating knowledge of basic public health science as it relates to program activities	☐
Providing guidance on the use of surveillance data to monitor changes in the health of a population	☐
Describing program-specific public health problems using relevant data	☐
Partnership Management
Responding to program partner’s needs with flexibility	☐
Facilitating collaboration and feedback amongst partners	☐
Making recommendations for continuous program quality improvement	☐
Other area:
Other, please specify: [Text entry]	☐

12. Have you engaged your CDC project officer in support of innovative financing (e.g., braiding and/or layering funding)?

    • Yes

    • No

      • If yes: Did your CDC project officer facilitate this process?

        • Yes

        • No

          • If yes: Please describe how your CDC project officer assisted in this process.

          • If no: Please describe how your CDC project officer could better assist in this process.

13. Overall, my CDC project officer:

• Does not meet my expectations at all

• Somewhat meets my expectations

• Meets my expectations

• Exceeds my expectations

• Significantly exceeds my expectations

13a. [For those selecting does not or somewhat meets my expectations:] How could your CDC project officer improve to meet your expectations? [Text entry.]

13b. [For those selecting exceeds or significantly exceeds my expectations:] Please describe how your CDC project officer has exceeded your expectations. [Text entry.]

Part III. Site Visits

14. Since receiving the Notice of Award for this CDC cooperative agreement/grant X cooperative agreement/grant, how many site visits have been conducted to date?

    • More than two

    • Two

    • One

    • None

    • I don’t know

15. The frequency of site visits is:

• Too frequent

• Just about right

• Too infrequent

[Display if selected More than two, Two, or One in Q14.]

16. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Have Not Observed
Site visits were coordinated adequately with public health staff.	○	○	○	○	○
Site visits occurred at appropriate times in the program’s funding cycle.	○	○	○	○	○
Relevant public health agency staff were included in site visits.	○	○	○	○	○
Overall, I am satisfied with CDC site visit(s) to my agency.	○	○	○	○	○

[For each item in the above matrix for which the respondent selected “Strongly Disagree” or “Disagree,” respondents will receive the following question.]

17. You indicated that you disagreed or strongly disagreed with the following statement: [insert statement]. How could CDC improve this element of the site visit process? [Text entry.]

Part III. Project Officer Turnover

18. Have you experienced CDC project officer turnover with this CDC cooperative agreement/grant X? Turnover refers to either a permanent or temporary change to your main point of contact during this project.

• Yes

• No

  • 18a. [If yes:] Indicate your level of satisfaction with how CDC handled the transition to a new CDC project officer.

    • Very dissatisfied

    • Dissatisfied

    • Satisfied

    • Very satisfied

• 18b. [If satisfied or very satisfied:] Please explain what CDC did to facilitate a smooth transition to the new CDC project officer. [Text entry.]

• 18c. [If dissatisfied or very dissatisfied:] Please explain what CDC could do to improve how transitions associated with CDC project officer turnover are handled in the future. [Text entry.]

19. Please share any best practices and/or final recommendations about how CDC and its project officers can better support you and your public health agency’s work. [Text entry.]

Thank you for your time.

CDC estimates the average public reporting burden for this collection of information as 25 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data/information sources, gathering and maintaining the data/information 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 burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-0879).