[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8153]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 6, 1994]


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Part VI





Department of Health and Human Services





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Public Health Service



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Family Planning Nurse Practitioner Training Program; Grant 
Availability; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service
RIN 0905-ZA29

 

Announcement of Availability of Grants for Family Planning Nurse 
Practitioner Training Program

AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, OPA, PHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of 
Population Affairs requests applications for grants under the Family 
Planning Services Training Program authorized under section 1003 of the 
Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 300a-1(a)). Funds are 
available to train nurse practitioners in order to maintain the high 
level of performance of family planning service projects funded under 
Title X of the PHS Act. The training programs to be funded will provide 
skill-based knowledge for registered professional nurses employed in 
Title X clinics and will enable Title X service grantees to improve the 
delivery of family planning services to persons from low-income 
families and other persons desiring such services.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be obtained from and applications must 
be submitted to: Grants Management Office, Office of Population 
Affairs, East-West Towers, suite N1115, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857.

DATES: Applications must be postmarked or received at the above address 
no later than June 6, 1994. Private metered postmarks will not be 
acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Applications which are 
postmarked or delivered to the Grants Management Office later than June 
6, 1994 will be judged late and will not be accepted for review. 
Applications which do not conform to the requirements of this program 
announcement or meet the applicable requirements of 42 CFR part 59, 
subpart C will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be so 
notified, and the applications will be returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Sam Taylor, Acting Director, Office of Family Planning at (301) 
594-4008 is available for assistance on scientific, technical and 
program aspects, or Mrs. Barbara N. Rosenberg, Grants Management 
Officer at (301) 594-4012 is available for business management issues. 
Staff are available to answer questions and provide limited technical 
assistance in the preparation of grant applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et 
seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award 
grants for projects to provide training for family planning services 
personnel. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.260). This 
notice announces the availability of approximately $1.8 million in 
funding and solicits applications for grants for the five nurse 
practitioner training projects described below:
    (1) One grant with a range of $270,000-$360,000 to train nurse 
practitioners from the following regions:
    Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island and Vermont);
    Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands);
    Region III (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West 
Virginia and the District of Columbia).
    (2) One grant with a funding range of $245,000-$325,000 to train 
nurse practitioners from the following region:
    Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, N. 
Carolina, S. Carolina and Tennessee).
    (3) One grant with a funding range of $200,000-$275,000 to train 
nurse practitioners from the following region:
    Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin).
    (4) One grant with a funding range of $300,000-$395,000 to train 
nurse practitioners from the following regions:
    Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas);
    Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska).
    (5) One grant with a funding range of $350,000-$455,000 to train 
nurse practitioners from the following regions:
    Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Utah, 
Wyoming);
    Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, 
Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau and 
Guam);
    Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington).

Statutory and Regulatory Background

    Title X of the Public Health Service Act, enacted by Public Law 91-
572, authorizes grants for projects to provide family planning services 
to persons from low-income families and others. Section 1001 of the 
Act, as amended, authorizes grants ``to assist in the establishment and 
operation of voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a 
broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and 
services (including natural family planning methods, infertility 
services, and services for adolescents).'' Section 1003 of the Act, as 
amended, authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide 
the training for personnel to carry out the family planning services 
programs. The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern 
grants for family planning service training. Prospective applicants 
should refer to the regulations in their entirety.

Role and Operation of the Training Program

    The nurse practitioner is an integral part of the family planning 
system and performs a critical role in the delivery of high quality 
family planning and women's health services. Nurse practitioner 
training programs are focused on the preparation of registered 
professional nurses to function in an advanced nursing role as 
obstetric-gynecologic or women's health nurse practitioners.
    Successful applicants will be required to work closely with Central 
and Regional Office staffs and a network of agencies, including Title X 
service delivery providers and nurse practitioner training advisory 
committees. Title X service grantees from the regions serve on the 
nurse practitioner training advisory committees. Successful applicants 
will be required to review and consider policy and program goals of 
both the Title X family planning training and services programs, 
solicit advice from the regional training advisory committee, and 
consult with Title X service delivery providers about training 
priorities, course content, and curriculum.
    The nurse practitioner training curriculum must focus on 
preparation of obstetric-gynecologic or women's health care nurse 
practitioners [hereafter referred to as nurse practitioner(s)] for 
advanced nursing practice. The nurse practitioner training curriculum 
must include content sufficient to prepare graduates to perform the 
full range of services required for nurse practitioners in the Title X 
family planning services program. The nurse practitioner training 
program graduate should acquire, through the training program, special 
knowledge and skills in health promotion and maintenance, disease 
prevention, psychosocial and physical assessment, and management of 
health-illness needs in the primary care of women, provided 
predominantly in an ambulatory setting. The nurse practitioner will 
provide such care in collaboration with the physician as well as with 
other members of the health-care team.
    The design of the nurse practitioner training program, including 
the curriculum, must be consistent with national and regional Title X 
goals. The program must be eligible for accreditation as a nurse 
practitioner program by a national nursing accrediting body and must 
meet national or State recognition requirements as a provider of 
continuing education through a national nursing organization or one of 
its constituents. Graduates of the nurse practitioner training program 
must be eligible for State and/or national certification and meet State 
requirements for licensure or recognition.
    The application should set out how the nurse practitioner training 
program will address the national health objectives relating to family 
planning that are discussed in section 5 of the PHS document, Healthy 
People 2000, discussed below. Specific attention should be given to 
training which would enable nurse practitioners to work more 
effectively to: Reduce teen pregnancy; reduce unintended pregnancy 
among all women; reduce the initiation of sexual activity by teenagers; 
increase the effectiveness of contraception, including barrier 
contraception, among all women; implement pre-conception care; and 
reduce sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
    Successful applicants will be responsible for the overall 
management of a nurse practitioner training program within the 
geographic area for which the grant is made. This responsibility 
includes:
     Developing an annual nurse practitioner training plan, 
which reflects national Title X program goals and regional priorities 
and the training needs of local Title X services grantees;
     Developing and implementing a high quality curriculum for 
a certificate nurse practitioner program specific to the education and 
role of the nurse practitioner;
     Developing criteria for selection of candidates for nurse 
practitioner training, including prerequisite qualifications. Such 
criteria should reflect a sensitivity to the unique needs to grantees 
or trainees for certain types of training, priority for recruitment of 
minority nurse practitioner trainees, priority for training nurses 
serving in rural areas or Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA's), 
or other relevant factors;
     Developing a process to review applications submitted by 
nurse practitioner training applicants from Title X service grantees. 
The nurse practitioner training program will make the final decision 
about candidates' suitability for training applying the criteria 
discussed above;
     Maintaining data on nurse practitioner training 
characteristics sufficient to allow evaluation by credentialing bodies, 
and by the Office of Population Affairs, and to allow self-evaluation 
by the nurse practitioner training grantee;
     Developing and implementing nurse practitioner training 
plans and continuing professional education programs which include 
measurable objectives;
     Monitoring the preceptorship phase of the nurse 
practitioner training program based upon written criteria;
     Sharing materials developed with other training programs 
so as to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. All materials 
developed with Title X funds must be made available at cost to other 
Title X projects upon request;
     Facilitating nurse practitioner trainee receipt of 
continuing education units where appropriate; and
     Planning an annual continuing education conference and 
attending at least one national training meeting annually.

Application Requirements

    Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (PHS-5161-1) 
(OMB Approval No. 0937-0189) and in the manner prescribed in the 
application kits available from the Office of Grants Management 
Applicants are required to submit an application signed by an 
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization 
and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms 
and conditions of the grant award. Applicants are required to submit an 
original application and two copies.
    Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review 
process. The results of this review will assist the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Population Affairs in considering competing applications 
and in making the final funding decisions.
    Any public or private nonprofit organization or agency is eligible 
to apply for a grant. The application must meet the standards of the 
nursing profession which allow approval from the State Board of Nurse 
Examiners, continuing education approval bodies, if required, and 
national accrediting and certifying agencies. It is not required that 
an entity applying for a grant be physically located in the region or 
regions the proposed project will serve.
    A copy of the legislation and regulations governing this program 
will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit package. 
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and other 
information included in this announcement to guide them in developing 
their applications. Applications should be limited to 50 doubled-spaced 
pages, not including appendices providing curriculum vitae, curriculum, 
or statements of organizational capabilities. Awards will be made only 
to those applicants who have met all applicable requirements.
    The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the 
health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 
2000, a PHS-led national activity which involves the establishment and 
pursuit of goals designed to prevent disease and promote health. This 
announcement is related to the priority areas of Family Planning and 
Educational and Community-Based Program. Potential applicants may 
obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 
Office, Washington, DC 20402-0325 (Telephone (202) 783-3238).

Grant Award

    Eligible applications will be reviewed and assessed against the 
following criteria:
    (1) The extent to which the proposed nurse practitioner training 
program will increase the delivery of services to Title X clients, 
particularly persons from low-income families. (15 points)
    (2) The extent to which the proposed nurse practitioner training 
program proposes to fulfill the family planning services delivery needs 
of the area to be served, including: (a) The extent to which the nurse 
practitioner training curriculum and objectives will improve the family 
planning service delivery skills of family planning registered nurses; 
(15 points) and (b) The extent to which the nurse practitioner training 
program proposes appropriate strategies to recruit and train nurse 
practitioners to provide family planning services in rural areas and 
HPSAs. (15 points)
    (3) The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use 
of the nurse practitioner training grant. (5 points)
    (4) The administrative and management capacity and competence of 
the applicant. (15 points)
    (5) The competence of the project staff in relation to the services 
to be provided. (10 points)
    (6) The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for 
the requirements set forth in 42 CFR 50.205, including the applicant's 
presentation of the project's objectives, the methods for achieving 
project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the regional 
office, and the results or benefits expected. (25 points)
    In making grant award decisions the Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Population Affairs (DASPA) will fund those projects which will in his 
judgment best promote the purposes of section 1003 of the Act, within 
the limits of funds available for such projects.
    Grants will be approved for project periods of up to 5 years and 
will be funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for all 
approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is 
contingent upon satisfactory progress of the project, efficient and 
effective use of grant funds provided, and availability of funds.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

    Applications under this announcement are subject to the review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372, State Review of Applications for 
Federal Financial Assistance, as implemented by 45 CFR part 100. As 
soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the project with the 
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for each State in the area to be 
served. The application kit contains the currently available listing of 
the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the submission of 
applications. For those States not represented on the listing, further 
inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding the submission to 
the relevant SPOC. The SPOCs comment(s) should be forwarded to the 
Grants Management Office, Office of Population Affairs, East-West 
Towers, suite N1115, Rockville, MD 20857. Such comments must be 
received by the Office of Population Affairs by August 4, 1994 to be 
considered.
    When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be 
notified by letter of the outcome of their application. The official 
document notifying an applicant that a project application has been 
approved for funding is the Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to 
the grantee the amount of money awarded, the purposes of the grant, and 
terms and conditions of the grant award.

    Dated: February 22, 1994.
Gerald J. Bennett,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-8153 Filed 4-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M