[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 146 (Monday, August 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-18613]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 1, 1994]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
[Announcement 490]

 

Model for Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Tribal 
Environmental Health Activities

Introduction

    The Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 1994 funds for a 
cooperative agreement with tribal governments to develop, implement, 
and evaluate environmental health education projects.
    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 to reduce morbidity and mortality 
and improve quality of life. This announcement is related to the 
priority area of Environmental Health. (For ordering a copy of 
``Healthy People 2000,'' see the section Where To Obtain Additional 
Information.)

Authority

    This program is authorized under Sections 101(36), 104(i) (14) and 
(15) and 126 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund 
Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) [42 U.S.C. 9601(36), 
9604(i) (14) and (15) and 9626].

Smoke-Free Workplace

    The PHS 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.

Eligible Applicants

    Assistance will be provided to Indian tribes or consortia of Indian 
tribes. Indian tribes are defined in Section 101(36) 42 U.S.C. 9601 as 
``any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or 
community, including any Alaska Native village but not including any 
Alaska Native regional or village corporation, which is recognized as 
eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United 
States to Indians because of their status as Indians.''

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $200,000 is available in FY 1994 to fund 2-5 awards. 
It is expected that the average award will be $53,000, ranging from 
$40,000 to $75,000. It is expected that the awards will begin on or 
about September 30, 1994, and will be for a 12-month budget period 
within a total project period of up to five years. Funding estimates 
may vary and are subject to change.
    Continuation awards within the project period will be made on the 
basis of satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds may be expended for reasonable program purposes, such as 
personnel, travel, supplies and services, including contractual 
services. A tribal government, native Alaska village, or tribal 
consortium as the direct and primary recipient in a PHS grant program, 
must perform a substantive role in carrying out project activities and 
not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provide 
funds to an ineligible party.

Purpose

    The purpose of this cooperative agreement program is to build 
environmental health capacity within the American Indian and Alaska 
Native communities. Capacity building efforts will address one or both 
of the following: (a) the design of a model for health care professions 
and community environmental health education, or (b) the development of 
an environmental health education program related to hazardous 
substances. The cooperative agreement program will assist tribal and 
village governments in addressing community concerns related to 
hazardous substances waste sites and in the development, 
implementation, and evaluation of culturally relevant, tribal-based 
environmental health education activities for American Indian and 
Alaska Native communities and for the health professionals and 
paraprofessionals serving these communities.
    American Indian and Alaska Native environmental and health staff 
and other professionals and paraprofessionals need additional training 
to be able to respond appropriately to environmental health questions 
currently being asked by individual community members and to develop, 
implement, and evaluate appropriate community and health professional 
environmental health education activities.
    The proposed program should include health professional and 
paraprofessional training in: (1) the surveillance and prevention of 
human exposure to hazardous substances prioritized by the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and ATSDR, (2) the screening, diagnosis, and 
treatment of environmental illness in American Indian and Alaska Native 
community members, and (3) appropriate outreach and risk communication 
with members of communities potentially exposed to hazardous substances 
in the environment.
    Project activities may include: courses, workshops, or conferences; 
development of culturally appropriate environmental health materials; 
and participation in other activities necessary to educate American 
Indian and Alaska Native community members, tribal health and 
environment professionals and paraprofessionals, and other health 
professionals serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. 
The community education activities should be designed to appropriately 
address identified community health concerns related to hazardous 
substances waste sites and to promote interest in health and science 
careers.
    The program should also result in the development of models for 
environmental health training and education activities that can be 
disseminated for use by other American Indian and Alaska Native 
governments.

Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of the program, an 
American Indian and Alaska Native government or consortium shall be 
responsible for conducting activities under A., below, and ATSDR will 
be responsible for conducting activities under B., below:

A. Recipient Activities

    1. Develop and implement education activities related to preventing 
and managing environmental health problems on tribal lands. These 
activities should be designed to improve the knowledge and skills of 
community members and health professionals and paraprofessionals 
concerning such topics as:
    a. Health conditions possibly related to hazardous substances at 
sites;
    b. Health studies being done by ATSDR concerning chronic exposure 
of American Indian/Alaska Natives to hazardous substances;
    c. Hazardous substances information and site-specific risk 
communication;
    d. American Indian and Alaska Native community risk communication 
and outreach;
    e. Environmental health guidelines and policy, and health-based 
environmental standards.
    2. Develop educational materials specifically targeted for American 
Indian and Alaska Native communities and the health professionals and 
paraprofessionals serving them, including materials in appropriate 
languages.
    3. Select and implement appropriate methods to disseminate 
educational materials to American Indian and Alaska Native communities 
and the health professionals and paraprofessionals serving them.
    4. Develop an evaluation plan to ascertain the effectiveness and 
impact of the program activities and the overall program.
    5. Develop, evaluate, and disseminate to appropriate audiences the 
tribal training and education model developed as a result of this 
project.

B. ATSDR Activities

    1. Assist in the identification of education and training needs of 
target audiences.
    2. Assist in the design, implementation, and evaluation of 
community environmental health education and health professional and 
paraprofessional health education activities.
    3. Assist in the design and implementation of training activities 
for tribal, local, and State staff serving the environmental health 
needs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
    4. Provide current information and instructional resources about 
the possible health effects related to exposure to hazardous substances 
in the environment.
    5. Assist in development of an overall evaluation plan to determine 
the effectiveness and impact of the project on knowledge, skills, 
attitudes, and behaviors of target audiences.
    6. Provide site-specific assistance and direction on possible cost 
recovery activities.

Evaluation Criteria

    The application will be reviewed and evaluated by an ATSDR-convened 
objective review panel based on the following criteria:

A. Technical Review Criteria

1. Proposed Program--50%
    a. Understanding of environmental health problems to be addressed;
    b. Identification of target groups and their education and training 
needs;
    c. Extent to which project objectives are realistic, measurable, 
and related to program requirements;
    d. Specificity and feasibility of proposed activities and methods 
used to carry out the project; and
    e. Specificity and feasibility of the proposed schedule for 
implementing project activities.
2. Proposed Project Management--20%
    a. Ability of the applicant to provide appropriate program staff 
and support staff, including possible contractor(s), to the project; 
and
    b. Plans for collaborative efforts and appropriate letters of 
support included.
3. Proposed Project Evaluation--30%
    The adequacy of the proposal relative to:
    a. Appropriateness of the methods used to evaluate the individual 
activities and overall project;
    b. Thoroughness of the methods used to evaluate the individual 
activities and overall project; and
    c. Extent to which the evaluation plan includes measures of program 
outcome and effectiveness, such as changes in participant's knowledge, 
attitudes, and behaviors.
4. Proposed Project Budget--(not scored)
    The extent to which the proposed budget is reasonable, clearly 
justified with a budget narrative, and consistent with the intended use 
of cooperative agreement funds.
    B. Continuation awards within the five-year project period will be 
made on the basis of the following criteria:
    1. Satisfactory progress in meeting past budget period objectives;
    2. Objectives for the next budget period are realistic, specific, 
and measurable;
    3. Any proposed changes in project objectives, methods of 
operation, staff or contractor(s), or evaluation procedures which will 
facilitate achievement of project goals.
    4. Any budget changes or requests are clearly justified and 
consistent with the intended use of cooperative agreement funds.

Executive Order 12372 Review

    This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372 review.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.161.

Other Requirements

A. Disclosure

    The applicant is required to provide documentation that any medical 
information obtained pursuant to the agreement, pertaining to an 
individual and therefore considered confidential, will be protected 
from disclosure when the consent of the individual to release 
identifying information is not obtained.

B. Cost Recovery

    The CERCLA of 1980, as amended by the SARA of 1986, provides for 
the recovery of costs incurred for response actions at each NPL 
Superfund site from potentially responsible parties. The recipient 
would agree to maintain an accounting system that will keep an 
accurate, complete, and current accounting of all financial 
transactions on a site-specific basis, i.e., individual time, travel, 
and associated costs including indirect costs, as appropriate for the 
site. The applicant would also maintain documentation that describes 
the site-specific actions taken with respect to the site, e.g., 
contracts, work assignments, progress reports, and other documents that 
describe the work performed related to a site. The recipient will 
retain the documents and records to support these financial 
transactions, for possible use in a cost recovery case, for a minimum 
of ten years after submission of a final Financial Status Report (FSR), 
unless there is a litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other 
action involving the specific site, then the records will be maintained 
until resolution of all issues at the specific site.

C. Third Party Agreements

    Project activities which have been approved for contracting shall 
be formalized in a written agreement that clearly established the 
relationship between the tribal government and the proposed contractor. 
The written agreement shall at a minimum:
    1. State all applicable requirements imposed on the contractor 
under the terms of the cooperative agreement, including requirements 
concerning technical review and ownership of materials.
    2. State that any copyrighted or copyrightable works shall be 
subject to a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to the 
Federal government to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use them, and to 
authorize others to do so for Federal government purposes.
    3. State that whenever any work subject to this copyright policy 
may be developed in the course of the cooperative agreement project by 
the contractor, the written agreement must require the contractor to 
comply with these requirements, and can in no way diminish the 
government's right in that work.
    4. State the activities to be performed, the time schedule for 
those activities, the policies and procedures to be followed in 
carrying out the agreement, and the maximum amount of money for which 
the recipient may become liable to the contractor under the agreement.
    The written agreement required shall not relieve a tribal 
government of any part of its responsibility or accountability to PHS 
under the grant. The agreement shall retain sufficient rights and 
control to the tribal government to enable the tribal government to 
fulfill this responsibility and accountability.

D. ATSDR Review

    All materials developed with cooperative agreement funding must be 
reviewed by the ATSDR Project Officer in draft before they are used and 
disseminated. ATSDR will return draft materials with comments within 
two weeks of receipt.

E. OMB Clearance

    Projects that involve the collection of information from 10 or more 
individuals and funded by cooperative agreement will be subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act.

Application Submission and Deadline

    The original and two copies of the application PHS Form 5161-1 
(Revised 7/9, OMB Control Number 0937-0189) must be submitted to Henry 
Cassell, Grants Management Officer, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-
13, Atlanta, GA 30305, on or before September 1, 1994.

1. Deadline

    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are either:
    a. Received on or before the deadline date: or
    b. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the objective review group. (Applicants must 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.)

2. Late Applications

    Applications which do not meet the criteria in 1.a. or 1.b. above 
are considered late applications. Late applications will not be 
considered in the current competition and will be returned to the 
applicant.

Where To Obtain Additional Information

    To receive additional written information call (404) 332-4561. You 
will be asked to leave your name, address, and phone number and will 
need to refer to Announcement 490. You will receive a complete program 
description, information on application procedures, and application 
forms.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from Maggie Slay, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-
13, Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 842-6797. Programmatic technical 
assistance may be obtained from Christine Rosheim, D.D.S., M.P.H., 
Health Education Specialist, Division of Health Education, ATSDR, 1600 
Clifton Road, Mailstop E-33, Atlanta, GA 30333, telephone (404) 639-
6206.
    Please refer to Announcement 490 when requesting information and 
submitting an application.
    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) referenced in the 
Introduction through the Superintendent of Documents, Government 
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, telephone (202) 783-3238.

    Dated: July 26, 1994.
Claire V. Broome,
Deputy Administrator Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
[FR Doc. 94-18613 Filed 7-29-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P