The Bridge Navigator Program Navigator Sustainability Funding application closed on September 22, 2023, at 11:59 PM PST.


Application for Bridge Navigator Program Navigator Sustainability Funding 

CA Bridge is supporting selected hospitals to strengthen the sustainability of the CalBridge Behavioral Health Navigator Program (Bridge Navigator Program) with Navigator Sustainability funding for hospitals that are at risk of being unable to continue to fund at least one navigator position.

Navigator Sustainability Funding Overview

Successful applicants will receive $25,000 per hospital to maintain the position of the navigator, apply for the Naloxone Distribution Project (if not already participating), assess Navigator Community Health Worker (CHW) certification, and engage in sustainability coaching with CA Bridge.

Acceptance of Navigator Sustainability funding does not require a commitment to continue the navigator position after the agreement ends, but does require hospitals to meet the deliverables summarized below.

Click here to review the complete request for applications for more information.

Eligibility

To qualify for Navigator Sustainability funding, hospitals must:

  • Have an active or completed agreement for the Bridge Navigator Program that ends on or before November 30, 2023.
  • Be up-to-date on Bridge Navigator Program deliverables at the time of their application for the Navigator Sustainability funding.
  • Have submitted the hospital’s most recent 3 months of consecutive navigator data without 0s.
  • Have a navigator currently employed (full time or part time) at the hospital and stationed in the Emergency Department (ED).
  • Have reported on their most recent Bridge Navigator Program deliverables that their navigator is not a permanent position in the hospital budget and confirmed that they do not have a mechanism in place to continue at least one navigator position beyond the Bridge Navigator Program funding.

Application Evaluation Criteria

Navigator Sustainability funding is currently available for 35 hospitals. Applications from eligible hospitals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

  • Sustainability strategies: Hospitals that have implemented sustainability strategies will receive higher points. [max 20 points]
  • Navigator patient engagement: Hospitals where navigators are seeing more patients will receive higher points. [max 20 pts]
  • Volume of Medi-Cal patients served in the ED: Hospitals with higher volumes of Medi-Cal patients in the ED will receive higher points. Data will be drawn directly from the 2021 data set from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). [max 20 points]
  • Volume of patients in racial/ethnic groups experiencing the highest overdose rates statewide: Hospitals with higher volumes of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native patients in the ED will receive higher points. Data will be drawn directly from the 2021 data set from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). [max 10 points]

Application

Hospitals that apply for the Navigator Sustainability Funding by September 5, 2023 will receive priority consideration for funding. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM PST on September 22, 2023, but priority will be given to applications received by September 5th. 

For hospitals foundations, hospital systems, or staffing agencies applying on behalf of a hospital, please provide a letter of agreement in your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

You must have a navigator currently employed at the time of your application.

We recognize that situations change and in order to establish clear, objective criteria, we are basing eligibility on information submitted in your most recent deliverables. If your most recent deliverables report that your navigator is a permanent position in the hospital budget, your hospital is not eligible.

Yes, regardless of the navigator’s employer, if your hospital has at least 0.5 FTE of a navigator position stationed in the ED, then your hospital would meet that eligibility criterion.

We are basing eligibility on information submitted in your most recent deliverables. If your most recent deliverables report that your navigator is a permanent position in the hospital budget, your hospital is not eligible.

Due to the time-limited nature of these funds, we need hospitals to sign the agreements by January 30, 2024 or risk forfeiting the funding.

Yes, your hospital can apply under your own application. Please let the staffing agency know that you are applying directly and send your W-9 to payments@phi.org.

If you submit your application for the Navigator Sustainability Funding prior to the due date for your Phase 3 deliverables, you do not need to submit the deliverables to be eligible. If you submit your application for the Navigator Sustainability Funding after the due date for your Phase 3 deliverables, you must have submitted the Phase 3 deliverables to be eligible. Sites must be up-to-date on deliverables at the time of the application submission.

In order to be eligible for this funding, hospitals must have submitted their most recent 3 months of consecutive navigator data without 0s. In addition, hospitals where navigators are seeing fewer patients will receive fewer points. If there are special circumstances affecting your navigator encounters data, please provide that information in the application in the text box for that purpose.

Yes, this funding is provided through a deliverables-based agreement. Please review the Request for Applications for a full overview of the deliverables. The deliverables will be due 15 days prior to the end of the 3 month agreement period.

Yes, this funding can support the clinical champion.

Yes, this funding can support training and materials for the navigator. Funds can be used for travel within the state of California and must follow the guidelines set by the California Department of Health Care Services.

No, if your agreement has ended, you only need to provide monthly data for the period of the new Navigator Sustainability agreement.

Yes, even if your hospital foundation, hospital system, or staffing agency provided a letter of agreement when you applied for the Bridge Navigator Program, this is a new award, and we need an updated copy of the letter of agreement.

Public Health Institute/CA Bridge does not have additional funding opportunities to continue this work. If your hospital has not been able to sustain the navigator role and you would like to request a 30 minute sustainability review with CA Bridge, please click here. We are here to help!