Washington, D.C. — The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has selected Cicatelli Associates Inc. (CAI) to lead the Clinical and Preventive Excellence National Technical Assistance Program (NTAP), a four-year, $8 million-per-year cooperative agreement that will help health centers strengthen primary care access, improve clinical quality, expand preventive services, and achieve better health outcomes for millions of patients nationwide.
Through this initiative, CAI will lead a national technical assistance (TA) and quality improvement program running from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2030. Health centers are a critical part of the nation’s healthcare safety net, providing comprehensive care to more than 32 million patients annually, including over 9.4 million children and nearly 9.9 million rural residents through more than 1,500 organizations and 17,000 service delivery sites nationwide.
CAI’s award is one of three FY 2026 NTAP Cooperative Agreements funded by HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care, alongside the Operational Excellence NTAP and the National TA and Coordination Center.
A Comprehensive, Measurable Approach
As the Clinical and Preventive Excellence NTAP, CAI will deliver technical assistance across different formats including — national webinars, self-paced resources, peer-driven communities of practice, and intensive outcomes-focused cohorts. These cohorts will focus on measurable improvement in priority clinical areas, including blood pressure control and weight assessment and nutrition counseling for children and adolescents, alongside additional measures selected from cancer screening, diabetes management, depression screening.
Priority Focus Areas
CAI’s technical assistance strategy will address the full range of clinical priorities identified by HRSA for this award, including:
- Access to comprehensive primary care — helping health centers reduce barriers to timely preventive and chronic care services;
- Chronic disease management — including hypertension, diabetes, depression, and behavioral health conditions;
- Preventive services — including cancer, tobacco, BMI, and developmental screenings;
- Care continuity and coordination — strengthening patient experience and communication between patients and care teams;
- Mental health and behavioral health integration;
- Oral health and prevention, with an emphasis on integrating oral health into primary care;
- Patient support services, including case management, care coordination, transportation, and outreach;
- Prevention of intimate partner violence and human trafficking;
- Clinical quality improvement, patient safety, and practice transformation; and
- Community health and health-related needs, using data to identify and close care gaps.
This work aligns with HHS’s broader Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) priorities, which emphasize preventing and managing chronic disease across the lifespan.
Built on Collaboration
CAI will work alongside a multidisciplinary network of partners and subject matter experts — including at least one other HRSA-supported technical assistance program and a regional or national partner organization — to ensure health centers have access to the full range of expertise needed to improve care. CAI will also coordinate closely with other HRSA-funded NTAPs, Primary Care Associations, and Health Center Controlled Networks to align technical assistance, share resources, and avoid duplication of effort across the health center TA landscape.
“Health centers are on the front lines of caring for millions of people across the country,” said Tony Jimenez, Senior Vice President at CAI. “Our goal is not simply to provide technical assistance, but to help health centers achieve measurable improvements in patient care and outcomes. Through evidence-based strategies, implementation support, and peer learning, we will help health centers build sustainable systems that improve health for individuals, families, and communities.”