Advance Letter

Draft

[ DATE ]

[ PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR]

[ ADDRESS ]

Re: Shared Data Elements Notification

Dear [ PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ]:

The Funding Opportunity Announcement for “Using Traditional Foods and Sustainable Ecological Approaches for Health Promotion and Diabetes Prevention in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities” (CDC DP08-819; CFDA 9.934), outlined a number of activities and performance measures for partners who received cooperative agreement funding. Activities described in the FOA include “data collection to capture project progress.” The FOA also indicated that “program information and progress updates will be submitted in electronic form to be determined by the NDWP/CDC.”

I am writing to let you know about the process we’ve developed to meet this requirement. The Native Diabetes Wellness Program has developed an evaluation tool called the Traditional Foods Shared Data Elements (SDE). This form will supplement the narrative description of your activities that you currently submit with your continuation application. We will also ask you to submit the SDE at mid-year.

The SDE form asks you to provide a summary of activities under three domains: traditional foods, culturally relevant physical activity, and social support. Two times per year, you will enter information into a convenient, on-line system. Your local program manager and your local program evaluator should already be tracking all or most of the information being requested. Please be assured that the NDWP is not requesting copies of all of the information you collect and use for local program evaluation, and we are not requesting the names of individuals involved in various activities. We are only requesting aggregate information to help us produce statistical summaries about (1) the types of Traditional Foods activities occurring in communities with Traditional Foods cooperative agreements, (2) the number of communities involved in each type of activity, and (3) the number of people involved in those activities.

We hope that the SDE information will also help us identify emerging practices, themes, and unique approaches that will be of interest to all of the Traditional Foods partners, as well as AI/AN communities that do not currently receive support through this cooperative agreement. The Traditional Foods SDE will provide an initial inventory of activities and products (such as stories) that may be shared in the future to improve and sustain health in many communities.

The Native Diabetes Wellness Program welcomes feedback and insights that will help improve this process and effectively capture partner efforts. An advance copy of the Traditional Foods Shared Data Elements form is enclosed for your information. You do not need to complete this form. In the near future, you will receive an email with a user name, password, and a link to the web-based version that you will be asked to complete.

Should you have any questions and/or concerns regarding this notification, do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Larry Alonso, FNP-BC

Commander, USPHS

Health Education Specialist

CDC/NCCDPHP/DDT/Native Diabetes Wellness Program

4770 Buford Hwy; MS-K10

Atlanta, GA 30341

Office: (770) 488-5354

Cell: (678)914-3148

Fax: (770) 488-5966

Email: LAlonso@cdc.gov