[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26997]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 1, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
RIN 0905-ZA80

 

Program Announcement and Proposed Funding Preference for Centers 
of Excellence in Minority Health Professions Education--Fiscal Year 
1995

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
that applications for fiscal year (FY) 1995 for Grants for Centers of 
Excellence (COE) in Minority Health Professions Education will be 
accepted under the authority of section 739, title VII of the Public 
Health Service Act (the Act), as amended by the Health Professions 
Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Pub. L. 102-408, dated October 
13, 1992. Comments are invited on the proposed funding preference 
stated below.
    Approximately $23,481,000 will be available in FY 1995 for this 
program. The statute requires that, of the amount appropriated for any 
fiscal year, the first $12 million will be allocated to certain 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) described in 
section 799(1)(A) of the Act and which received a contract under 
section 788B of the Act (Advanced Financial Distress Assistance) for 
fiscal year 1987. Of the remaining balance, sixty (60) percent must be 
allocated to Hispanic and Native American Centers of Excellence, and 
forty (40) percent must be allocated to the ``Other'' Centers of 
Excellence. After supporting 25 noncompeting continuation projects 
approved in prior years, the remaining funds could support only one 
competing award. A grant made for a fiscal year may not be made in an 
amount that is less than $500,000 for each Center.

Purposes

    Grants for eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
(HBCUs), Hispanic, Native American and Other Centers of Excellence must 
be used by the schools for the following purposes:
    1. To establish, strengthen, or expand programs to enhance the 
academic performance of minority students attending the school;
    2. To establish, strengthen, or expand programs to increase the 
number and quality of minority applicants to the school;
    3. To improve the capacity of such school to train, recruit, and 
retain minority faculty;
    4. With respect to minority health issues, to carry out activities 
to improve the information resources and curricula of the school and 
clinical education at the school; and
    5. To facilitate faculty and student research on health issues 
particularly affecting minority groups.
    Applicants must address the five legislative purposes.
    In addition, grants for eligible HBCUs as described in section 
799(1)(A) and which have received a contract under section 788B of the 
Act (Advanced Financial Distress Assistance) for FY 1987 may also be 
used to develop a plan to achieve institutional improvements, including 
financial independence, to enable the school to support programs of 
excellence in health professions education for minority individuals, 
and to provide improved access to the library and informational 
resources of the school.

Other Requirements

    For Hispanic Centers of Excellence, the health professions schools 
must agree to give priority to carrying out the duties with respect to 
Hispanic individuals.
    Regarding Native American Centers of Excellence, the health 
professions school must agree to:
    1. Give priority to carrying out the duties with respect to Native 
Americans;
    2. Establish a linkage with one or more public or nonprofit private 
institutions of higher education whose enrollment of students has 
traditionally included a significant number of Native Americans for 
purposes of identifying potential Native American health professions 
students of the institution who are interested in a health professions 
career and facilitating their educational preparation for entry into 
the health professions school; and
    3. Make efforts to recruit Native American students, including 
those who have participated in the undergraduate program of the linkage 
school, and assist them in completing the educational requirements for 
a degree from the health professions school.
    With respect to meeting these requirements, a grant for a Native 
American Center of Excellence may be made not only to a school of 
medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy that 
individually meets eligibility conditions but also to such school that 
has formed a consortium of schools that collectively meet conditions, 
without regard to whether the schools of the consortium individually 
meet the conditions. The consortium would be required to consist of the 
school seeking the grant and one or more schools of medicine, 
osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, or 
public health. The schools of the consortium must have entered into an 
agreement for the allocation of the grant among the schools. Each of 
the schools must have agreed to expend the grant in accordance with 
requirements of this program. Each of the schools of the consortium 
must be part of the same institution of higher education as the school 
seeking the grant or be located not farther than 50 miles from the 
school.
    To qualify as an Other Minority Health Professions Education Center 
of Excellence, a health professions school (i.e., a school of medicine, 
osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy) must have an enrollment 
of underrepresented minorities above the national average for such 
enrollments of health professions schools.

Eligibility

    Section 739 authorizes the Secretary to make grants to schools of 
medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy for the purpose 
of assisting the schools in supporting programs of excellence in health 
professions education for Black, Hispanic and Native American 
individuals, as well as for HBCUs as described in section 799(1)(A) and 
which have received a contract under section 788B of the Act (Advanced 
Financial Distress Assistance) for FY 1987.
    To qualify as a COE, a school is required to:
    1. Have a significant number of minority individuals enrolled in 
the school, including individuals accepted for enrollment in the 
school;
    2. Demonstrate that it has been effective in assisting minority 
students of the school to complete the program of education and receive 
the degree involved;
    3. Show that it has been effective in recruiting minority 
individuals to attend the school, including providing scholarships and 
other financial assistance to such individuals, and encouraging 
minority students of secondary educational institutions to attend the 
health professions school; and
    4. Demonstrate that it has made significant recruitment efforts to 
increase the number of minority individuals serving in faculty or 
administrative positions at the school.
    These entities must be located in any of the several states, the 
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and 
the Federated States of Micronesia.

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 fiscal year 1994, 25 
awards were made, including four (4) competing renewals to Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities.

Period of Support

    Payments under grants for Centers of Excellence may not exceed 3 
years, subject to annual approval by the Secretary, the availability of 
appropriations, acceptable progress toward meeting originally stated 
objectives and negotiation of a detailed budget justification.

National Health Objectives for the Year 2000

    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 for setting priority areas. The 
Centers of Excellence Program is related to the priority area of 
Educational and Community-Based Programs. 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. 017-001-473-
1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, 
Washington, D.C. 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.

Review Criteria

    The review of applications will take into consideration the 
following criteria:
    1. The degree to which the applicant can arrange to continue the 
proposed project beyond the federally-funded project period;
    2. The degree to which the proposed project meets the purposes 
described in the legislation;
    3. The relationship of the objectives of the proposed project to 
the goals of the plan that will be developed;
    4. The administrative and managerial ability of the applicant to 
carry out the project in a cost effective manner;
    5. The adequacy of the staff and faculty to carry out the program;
    6. The soundness of the budget for assuring effective utilization 
of grant funds, and the proportion of total program funds which come 
from non-Federal sources and the degree to which they are projected to 
increase over the grant period;
    7. The number of individuals who can be expected to benefit from 
the project; and
    8. The overall impact the project will have on strengthening the 
school's capacity to train the targeted minority health professionals 
and increase the supply of minority health professionals available to 
serve minority populations in underserved areas.

Other Considerations

    In addition, the following funding factor may be applied in 
determining the funding of approved applications:
    A funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific 
category or group of 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 a 
funding factor will be reviewed and given full consideration for 
funding.

Proposed Funding Preference

    The following funding preference is proposed for FY 1995:
    A funding preference will be given to competing continuation 
(renewal) applications for Centers of Excellence programs whose current 
project periods end in fiscal year 1995. The purpose of this preference 
is to maximize Federal and non-Federal investments in accomplishing the 
nature and scope of the legislative purposes of the Centers of 
Excellence Program. To realize the intended impact of the COE program 
more than one grant period is required. This funding preference is 
intended to direct assistance to quality COE programs that have 
documented sustained or increased accomplishments under this program.

Additional Information

    Interested persons are invited to comment on the proposed funding 
preference. The comment period is 30 days. All comments received on or 
before November 1, 1994 will be considered before the final funding 
preference is established.
    Written comments should be addressed to: Clay E. Simpson, Jr., 
Ph.D., Director, Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health 
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn 
Building, Room 8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.
    All comments received will be available for public inspection and 
copying at the Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health 
Professions, at the above address, weekdays (Federal holidays excepted) 
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Statutory Definitions

    ``Health professions schools'' mean schools of medicine, 
osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, as defined in section 
739(h) which are accredited as defined in section 799(1)(E) of the Act. 
For purposes of the HBCUs, this definition means those schools 
described in section 799(1)(A) of the Act and which have received a 
contract under section 788B of the Act (Advanced Financial Distress 
Assistance) for fiscal year 1987.
    ``Native Americans'' means American Indians, Alaskan Natives, 
Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians.
    ``Program of Excellence'' means any programs carried out by a 
health professions school with funding under section 739 Grants for 
Centers of Excellence in Minority Health Professions Education.

Other Definitions

    The following definitions established in fiscal year 1991 after 
public comment, 56 FR 22440, dated May 15, 1991, are being continued in 
fiscal year 1995. Osteopathic medicine was added by Pub. Law 102-408.
    ``A significant number of minority individuals enrolled in the 
school'' means that to be eligible to apply for a Hispanic COE, a 
medical, osteopathic medicine, or dental school must have at least 25 
enrolled Hispanic students. Schools of pharmacy must have at least 20 
enrolled Hispanic students. To apply as a Native American COE, an 
eligible medical or dental school must have at least eight enrolled 
Native American students and a school of pharmacy or osteopathic 
medicine must have at least five enrolled Native American students. To 
be eligible to apply for an Other Minority Health Professions Education 
COE, an eligible school must have above the national average of 
underrepresented minorities (medicine l5%, osteopathic medicine 8%, 
dentistry 15%, pharmacy 11%) enrolled in the school. These numbers 
represent the critical mass necessary for a viable program. A viable 
program is one in which there is a sufficient number of students to 
warrant a Center of Excellence level educational program. Data from 
relevant professional associations include sharp differentiation in 
target group numbers among schools. Stated numerical levels are just 
above the median for schools reporting a critical mass necessary for a 
viable program. The requirement that schools applying for Other 
Minority Health Professions Education Centers have an enrollment of 
underrepresented students that is above the national average for that 
discipline is statutory.
    ``Effectiveness in Providing Financial Assistance'' will be 
evaluated by examining the data on scholarships and other financial aid 
provided to the targeted group in relation to the scholarships and 
financial aid provided to the total school population.
    ``Effectiveness in Recruitment'' will be evaluated by examining the 
first-year and total enrollments of targeted students in relation to 
the first-year and total enrollments for the entire school.
    ``Effectiveness in Retaining Students'' will be determined by 
retention rates for the targeted group and academic and non-academic 
support systems operative for the target group of students at the 
school.
    ``Hispanic'' means a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, 
Central or South American, or other Spanish origin.
    ``Minority'' means an individual whose race/ethnicity is classified 
as American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, 
or Hispanic.
    ``Underrepresented Minority'' means, with respect to a health 
profession, racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in 
the health profession relative to the number of individuals who are 
members of the population involved. This definition encompasses Blacks, 
Hispanics, Native Americans, and, potentially, various subpopulations 
of Asian individuals. Applicants must evidence that any particular 
subgroup of Asian individuals is underrepresented in a specific 
discipline.

Maintenance of Effort

    A health professions school receiving a grant will be required to 
maintain expenditures of non-Federal amounts for such activities at a 
level that is not less than the level of such expenditures maintained 
by the school for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which 
the school receives such a grant. In addition, the school agrees that 
before expending grant funds, the school will expend amounts obtained 
from sources other than the grant.

Application Requests

    Requests for grant application materials and questions regarding 
grants policy and business management issues should be directed to: Ms. 
Diane Murray (D-34), 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.

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 (OMB) under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB clearance number is 0915-0060.
    The application deadline date is February 3, 1995. Applications 
shall be considered to be ``on time'' if they are either:
    (1) Received on or before the established deadline date, or
    (2) Postmarked 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.
    Each applicant is responsible for the completeness of its 
application, which will be reviewed as submitted.
    To obtain specific information regarding the aspects of this grant 
program, direct inquiries to: A. Roland Garcia, Ph.D., Chief, Centers 
of Excellence Section, Program Coordination Branch, Division of 
Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, HRSA, Parklawn 
Building, Room 8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, 
Telephone: (301) 443-4493, FAX: (301) 443-5242.
    This program is listed at 93.157 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: September 28, 1994.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-26997 Filed 10-31-94; 8:45 am]
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