Transforming Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy | HRSA 19 060

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 19 060

The Transforming Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy (CYE) Program is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Listed under Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-19-060 and CFDA 93.110, the program is designed to improve how children and youth with epilepsy receive care, especially when they live in rural communities or other medically underserved areas where specialty services and coordinated systems of care are often harder to access. The central goal is to expand access to coordinated, high-quality services delivered through a patient- and family-centered medical home approach, meaning care is intended to be organized, continuous, and built around the needs of the child and family rather than fragmented across separate providers.

A key feature of the opportunity is its focus on building and supporting quality improvement (QI) networks. Instead of funding isolated projects, HRSA is aiming to strengthen multi-partner networks that can test, measure, and spread better practices across clinical sites and communities. These networks are expected to use quality improvement methods to make practical changes in workflows, referral pathways, communication routines, and care coordination so that the overall system works better for children and youth with epilepsy. The intent is not only to deliver services, but also to create repeatable improvements that can be maintained and shared.

Applicants are expected to address four main content areas. First, the program prioritizes increasing access to epilepsy specialists by using telehealth and telemedicine strategies. This emphasis reflects the reality that many families in rural or underserved regions may be hours away from pediatric neurology or comprehensive epilepsy centers. Telehealth approaches can reduce travel burden, shorten wait times, and help local clinicians consult with specialists more quickly, which can be critical for diagnosis, medication management, seizure control planning, and ongoing follow-up.

Second, the program highlights increasing family engagement at multiple levels across the health care system. This goes beyond patient education and includes meaningful involvement of families in planning, decision-making, and feedback processes. In practice, this could mean integrating family perspectives into clinic quality improvement efforts, incorporating family advisory roles, and ensuring families are treated as core members of the care team. The broader aim is to make services more responsive, culturally appropriate, and aligned with what families actually need to manage epilepsy day to day.

Third, the program seeks to improve transitions from pediatric to adult health care. Transition is often a high-risk period for youth with chronic neurologic conditions, where gaps in care can lead to missed appointments, medication issues, reduced adherence, and worsening health outcomes. The grant opportunity encourages efforts that create clearer pathways and supports for adolescents and young adults as they move from pediatric specialists and pediatric primary care into adult systems, including planning, readiness assessment, and coordination between providers.

Fourth, the program focuses on strengthening communication, collaboration, and co-management between primary care providers and epilepsy specialty providers. Many children and youth with epilepsy rely on primary care for ongoing needs, while specialists handle seizure-related management. HRSA is encouraging models where roles are clear, information flows reliably, and care is co-managed rather than siloed. This can include shared care plans, consistent feedback loops after specialist visits, and improved referral and follow-up processes so families are not left navigating a disconnected system.

From a funding standpoint, the opportunity is structured as a grant with an award ceiling of $416,000, with HRSA expecting to make approximately seven awards. The opportunity was originally posted on January 11, 2019, with an original closing date of April 11, 2019. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement, suggesting that organizations beyond typical categories may be eligible depending on HRSA's detailed criteria.

Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at changing the practical experience of care for children and youth with epilepsy in underserved settings by building quality improvement networks that expand specialty access through telehealth, elevate family engagement, make pediatric-to-adult transitions safer and more organized, and improve day-to-day coordination between primary care and specialty epilepsy services.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Transforming Health Care for Children and Youth with Epilepsy" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.110.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 11, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $416,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 19 060

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