Maryland Sickle Cell Transition-Care Funding
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Office of Children and Youth with Specific Health Care Needs, issued competitive RFA PHPA 4078 / BPM058515 to support young adults with sickle cell disease as they move from pediatric to adult-centered care. MDH intends to make one award. The agreement is cost-reimbursable, with an anticipated initial service period from October 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 and two potential one-year options through June 30, 2029.
Deadline Control — Confirm eMMA
The solicitation materials contain a material deadline conflict. The RFA Key Information Summary Sheet displays a closing date of September 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time, while RFA Section 1.7 states applications must be received in eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) no later than September 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM local time. A current procurement index mirror displays September 15 at noon. Atlas therefore uses September 15, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET as the conservative operational submission target unless the live eMMA record for BPM058515 clearly establishes a later controlling cutoff. Questions are requested by September 9, 2026.
Who Can Apply
The RFA permits a qualifying social organization, local or state government agency, public college or state university. A social-organization applicant must be a nonprofit organization recognized by the IRS under section 501(c)(3) and provide the required tax-exempt documentation. Applicants must be registered in eMMA to receive an award and must satisfy Maryland good-standing and other mandatory submission requirements.
What the Program Must Do
The funded program must develop or enhance a comprehensive transition model for adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease. Required work includes strengthening patient-parent-provider relationships; integrating a Transition Coordinator capable of psychosocial assessment, navigation of complex medical-legal systems and crisis intervention; using evidence-informed transition-readiness tools and action plans; creating administrative protocols and workflows; and coordinating referrals with primary care, mental-health professionals, MDH-funded community health workers and applicable Hub-and-Spoke programs.
The program must also address health literacy, developmental maturity, family functioning, self-management, neurocognitive considerations and provider-patient communication. Quarterly reporting includes referrals, participation, transition-readiness scores, transition plans, successful transfer to comprehensive adult sickle-cell care, continuity of care, integration into adult care, and patient/provider/parent satisfaction.
Budget and Award Structure
The RFA does not publish a fixed award ceiling in the solicitation text reviewed by Atlas. Applicants submit a detailed cost-reimbursable budget covering allowable project costs such as personnel, consultants, travel, contractual expenses, supplies, operating costs and other justified project-related costs. Atlas does not invent a dollar estimate where MDH has not published one.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 92/100. This is a highly targeted pediatric-to-adult specialty-care transition opportunity with a clear clinical need, defined care-coordination model, measurable outcomes and a direct Maryland public-health sponsor. The narrow applicant pool, single-award structure, short capture window and unresolved deadline display reduce the score from the very highest tier.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 8/100. The verified scope centers on transition coordination, psychosocial support, workflows, referral systems and continuity of specialty care. The RFA does not establish connected physical-exam hardware, telehealth equipment or remote-monitoring procurement as a core funded activity, so Atlas will not force a technology fit.
QC Healthcare Fit: 18/100 conditional. The program requires coordination with adult sickle-cell and other clinical providers, but it is not a stand-alone physician-coverage procurement. Any clinical subcontracting must be justified within the applicant-led transition model and the controlling RFA.
Next Action
Eligible Maryland organizations should search BPM058515 in eMaryland Marketplace Advantage, review every current addendum and Q&A, verify the live closing date/time, complete the project narrative and work plan, build the separate budget narrative, document nonprofit/government/education eligibility and good standing, and submit before Atlas’s conservative September 15 noon operational target unless eMMA clearly establishes a different controlling cutoff.
Official procurement system: eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (search BPM058515).