[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 93 (Monday, May 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11784]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 16, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
RIN: 0905-ZA55

 

Program Announcement and Proposed Criteria for Meeting the 
General Statutory Funding Preference for Grants for Nurse Anesthetist 
Faculty Fellowships for Fiscal Year 1994

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
that applications will be accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1994 Grants for 
Nurse Anesthetist Faculty Fellowships under the authority of section 
831(b), title VIII of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended 
by the Nurse Education and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, 
title II of the Health Professions Education Extension Amendments of 
1992, Pub. L. 102-408, dated October 13, 1992. Comments are invited on 
the proposed criteria for meeting the general statutory funding 
preference.
    Approximately $100,000 will be available in FY 1994 for this 
program. It is anticipated that $100,000 will be available to support 
10 competing awards averaging $10,000.

Previous Funding Experience

    Previous funding experience information is provided to assist 
potential applicants to make better informed decisions regarding 
submission of an application for this program. In FY 1993, HRSA 
reviewed 22 applications for Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty 
Fellowships. Of those applications, 100 percent were approved. Fifteen 
projects, or 68% of applications received, were funded. In FY 1992, 
HRSA reviewed 9 applications for Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty 
Fellowships. Of those applications, 100 percent were approved and 
funded.

Purpose

    Section 831(b) of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the 
Secretary to make grants to provide financial assistance to certified 
registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) who are faculty members in 
accredited programs to enable such nurse anesthetists to obtain 
advanced education relevant to their teaching functions. Applicants 
must compete for Federal support annually.

Eligibility

    Public and private nonprofit institutions which employ CRNA faculty 
to teach registered nurses in a full-time accredited nurse anesthetist 
training program may apply for a Grant for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty 
Fellowships.

National Health Objectives for the Year 2000

    The Public Health Service urges applicants to submit work plans 
that address specific objectives of Healthy People 2000. 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 20402-9325 (Telephone 202-783-3238).

Education and Service Linkage

    As part of its long-range planning, HRSA will be targeting its 
efforts to strengthening linkages between U.S. Public Health Service 
education programs and programs which provide comprehensive primary 
care services to the underserved.

Smoke-Free Workplace

    The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients 
to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all 
tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect 
and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

Criteria for Fellows

    The following criteria for fellows were established in FY 1993 
after public comment (58 FR 40658, 7/29/93), and will be extended in 
fiscal year 1994.
    To be eligible for fellowship support an individual must be:
    1. A United States citizen, noncitizen national, or foreign 
national who possesses a visa permitting permanent residence in the 
United States;
    2. A certified registered nurse anesthetist with current licensure 
to practice, and with teaching responsibilities in an accredited nurse 
anesthetist education program;
    3. Enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a formal program of study 
which leads to a master's or doctoral degree;
    4. Proposed for a fellowship in the applicant institution's grant 
proposal; and
    5. A faculty member employed by, or affiliated with, the applicant 
institution during the period of approved fellowship support.

Policy on Payment of Stipends

    The following policy on payment of stipends was established in 
fiscal year 1990 after public comment (55 FR 36325, dated September 5, 
1990) and is being extended in fiscal year 1994.
    A faculty member may be paid a stipend for living costs if 
attending an educational institution as a full-time student; no stipend 
would be available for a faculty member who is enrolled in part-time 
study or who is employed on a full-time basis. This policy is designed 
to target stipend assistance to the individuals who are most in need of 
such aid.

Review Criteria

    Applications will be reviewed and award amounts will be calculated 
by staff in the Division of Nursing and in the Grants Management Branch 
of the Bureau of Health Professions. The review of applications will 
take into consideration the following criteria:

1. The eligibility of applicants;
2. The eligibility of faculty; and
3. The extent to which an applicant meets the funding preferences.

These review criteria were established in 1990 (55 FR 36325, 9/5/90). 
Different criteria were established for use in FY 1993 to meet the 
statutory requirement for peer review. The requirement for peer review 
was deleted by Public Law 103-43.

Other Considerations

    In addition, the following funding factors may be applied in 
determining funding of approved applications.
    A funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific 
category or group of approved applications ahead of other categories or 
groups of approved applications.
    It is not required that applicants request consideration for a 
funding factor. Applications which do not request consideration for 
funding factors will be reviewed and given full consideration for 
funding.

Statutory Funding Preference

    Section 860(e) of the PHS Act, as amended by the Nurse Education 
and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, title II of the Health 
Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Public Law 102-408, 
enacted on October 13, 1992, provides for the following statutory 
preference for this program of Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty 
Fellowships, as well as for certain other programs under titles VII and 
VIII of the PHS Act.
    Statutory preference will be given to qualified applicants that: 
(1) Have a high rate for placing graduates in practice settings having 
the principal focus of serving residents of medically underserved 
communities; or (2) have achieved, during the 2-year period preceding 
the fiscal year for which such an award is sought, a significant 
increase in the rate of placing graduates in such settings.
    This preference will only be applied to applications that rank 
above the 20th percentile of applications that have been recommended 
for approval.

Proposed Criteria for Meeting the General Statutory Funding Preference

    It is proposed that, for Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty 
Fellowships, qualified applicants will meet the general statutory 
funding preference if a minimum of 50% of the nurse anesthetist faculty 
are teaching in medically underserved communities.
    Additional information concerning the implementation of this 
preference has been published in the Federal Register at 58 FR 40659, 
dated 7/29/93.

Established Funding Preference

    The following funding preference was established in fiscal year 
1990 after public comment (55 FR 36325, dated September 5, 1990). A 
revised version is being extended in fiscal year 1994. The Department 
determined that this is a more appropriate means to achieve program 
goals.
    A funding preference will be given first to faculty who will be 
completing degree requirements before or by the end of the funded 
budget year, second to faculty who are full-time students, and third to 
faculty who are part-time students.

Information Requirements Provision

    Under section 860(e)(2) of the Act, the Secretary may make an award 
under the Nurse Anesthetist Faculty Fellowships only if the applicant 
for the award submits to the Secretary the following information:
    1. A description of rotations or preceptorships for students, or 
clinical training programs for residents, that have the principal focus 
of providing health care to medically underserved communities.
    2. The number of faculty on admissions committees who have a 
clinical practice in community-based ambulatory settings in medically 
underserved communities.
    3. With respect to individuals who are from disadvantaged 
backgrounds or from medically underserved communities, the number of 
such individuals who are recruited for academic programs of the 
applicant, the number of such individuals who are admitted to such 
programs, and the number of such individuals who graduate from such 
programs.
    4. If applicable, the number of recent graduates who have chosen 
careers in primary health care.
    5. The number of recent graduates whose practices are serving 
medically underserved communities.
    6. A description of whether and to what extent the applicant is 
able to operate without Federal assistance under this title.

Additional details concerning the implementation of this information 
requirement have been published in the Federal Register at 58 FR 43642, 
dated 8/17/93 and will be provided in the application materials.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The standard application form PHS 6025-1, HRSA Competing Training 
Grant Application, General Instructions and supplement for this program 
have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act. This approval includes the burden for 
collection of information for the statutory general preference and for 
the information requirement provision. (OMB #0915-0060, expiration date 
7/31/95)

Additional Information

    Interested persons are invited to comment on the proposed review 
criteria and the proposed criteria for meeting the general statutory 
funding preference. The comment period is 30 days. All comments 
received on or before June 15, 1994 will be considered before the final 
review criteria and the final criteria for meeting the general 
statutory funding preference are established. Written comments should 
be addressed to: Marla Salmon, ScD, RN, FAAN, Division of Nursing, 
Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services 
Administration, Parklawn Building, room 9-35, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, Maryland 20857.
    All comments received will be available for public inspection and 
copying at the Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, at 
the above address, weekdays (Federal holidays excepted) between the 
hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Application Requests

    Requests for application materials and questions regarding grants 
policy and business management issues should be directed to: Ms. 
Jacquelyn Whitaker (A-22), Grants Management Specialist, Bureau of 
Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, 
Parklawn Building, room 8C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 
20857, Telephone: (301) 443-6857 FAX: (301) 443-6343.
    Completed applications should be returned to the Grants Management 
Branch at the above address.
    If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact: 
Donna English, Acting Chief, Nursing Practice Resources Section, 
Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and 
Services Administration, Parklawn Building, room 9-36,5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 443-5763 FAX: (301) 
443-8586.
    The deadline date for receipt of applications is June 24, 1994. 
Applications will be considered to be ``on time'' if they are either:
    (1) Received on or before the established deadline date, or
    (2) Sent on or before the established deadline date and received in 
time for orderly processing. (Applicants should request a legibly dated 
U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated receipt from a 
commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private metered postmarks 
shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.
    Late applications not accepted for processing will be returned to 
the applicant.
    This program, Grants for Nurse Anesthetist Faculty Fellowships, is 
listed at 93.907 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. It is 
not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented through 45 
CFR part 100). This program is not subject to the Public Health System 
Reporting Requirements.

    Dated: March 29, 1994.
John H. Kelso,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-11784 Filed 5-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P