Opportunity Overview
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), on behalf of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), released RFA HHS0017037 for the Texas Binational Tuberculosis Program on August 31, 2026. The program supports tuberculosis prevention and care serving people with Texas connections who receive services through four established Mexico Binational Tuberculosis (BNTB) programs along the Texas-Mexico border.
The selected grantee will function as the fiduciary agency and operational oversight organization for the BNTB network rather than simply delivering one isolated clinical service. The scope includes direct-care contracting, outreach, video directly observed therapy, specimen logistics, telecommunications, program monitoring and compliance.
Deadline and Funding Structure
Applications are due September 29, 2026 at 10:30 AM Central Time. The written-question deadline passed September 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM Central Time. The official HHS resource page now lists Addendum 1. The addendum file is an Adobe dynamic form that did not expose its substantive fields through the available web renderer, so Atlas does not infer any unverified amendment details. The controlling RFA requires every posted addendum to be signed and returned with the application. As of September 23, 2026, the controlling HHS0017037 resource page shows Addendum 1 but no separate Q&A document; applicants should review Addendum 1 directly, monitor for any later addenda or Q&A, and incorporate all controlling guidance before final submission.
DSHS estimates $2,846,835 in total federal funding and intends to make one award, with an estimated maximum award of $2,846,835. No match is required. The anticipated initial project period is January 1, 2027 through August 31, 2028. DSHS may exercise up to three additional one-year renewals, subject to performance, compliance, funding and grant requirements.
Who Can Apply
The RFA does not limit applicants to one named organization type. An applicant must be an appropriate legal entity with authority and good standing to do business in Texas, must have a Texas business address when applying, and must have a physical location in Texas before award. The organization must remain in good standing with applicable licensing, permitting, regulatory and tax requirements and must be capable of carrying out the specialized cross-border fiduciary and clinical-operations responsibilities in the RFA.
This makes the opportunity most relevant to experienced public-health, healthcare, nonprofit or community-based organizations with substantial tuberculosis-program, cross-border health, contracting and grant-management capability. Each applicant may submit only one application.
What the Funding Supports
The grantee must establish and oversee agreements with the four Mexico BNTB programs serving Ciudad Juárez, Matamoros/Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Acuña/Piedras Negras. Required activities include contracting for physicians and nurses licensed in Mexico, outreach workers supporting field investigations and directly observed therapy, radiology services for chest X-rays, and a third-party video directly observed therapy provider.
The grantee must also maintain specimen-shipping/customs arrangements, ensure appropriate telecommunications and medical/office supplies, monitor compliance with the DSHS BNTB Program Manual, conduct site visits and performance reviews, and coordinate with DSHS regional and local public-health partners.
Important Cost-Eligibility Control
The RFA defines direct costs broadly, but Section 5.3 expressly prohibits Equipment and other capital expenditures. Applicants therefore should not assume that medical hardware, capital IT systems, vehicles, facilities, renovations or other capital items can be purchased with this grant. Funding is cost-reimbursement based for actual allowable and allocable costs, and DSHS may approve a one-time advance of no more than 5% for eligible startup costs.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 91/100. This is a newly released, well-funded and highly specific public-health opportunity with a clear federal funding source, one large award, no match requirement and a multi-year operating horizon. Its value is concentrated among organizations that can credibly manage a complex Texas-Mexico tuberculosis network and the required clinical, logistical and compliance infrastructure.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. Although the RFA requires telecommunications and third-party video directly observed therapy, the verified scope is tuberculosis-program operations and Section 5.3 prohibits equipment and capital expenditures. Atlas should not represent N9+ hardware or the Dr. Miltie platform as a direct grant-funded solution under this RFA absent a future written HHSC/DSHS clarification that creates a specific allowable role.
Next Action
Qualified organizations should confirm Texas legal and physical-location eligibility, map existing experience to the four BNTB sites and DSHS program standards, secure the required clinical and operational partners, and develop the eight-month implementation budget and 12-month operating budget required by the RFA. The written-question period is closed. Addendum 1 is now posted on the controlling HHS resource page and, under the RFA, each posted addendum must be signed and returned with the application. Review Addendum 1 directly, monitor for DSHS’s tentative September 16 answers and any later addenda, incorporate all controlling changes, sign and return each posted addendum, and submit the complete application so HHSC receives it by September 29, 2026 at 10:30 AM Central Time.
Official source: Texas HHS RFA HHS0017037.