[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 141-143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31975]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health; Availability of
Grants for Minority Community Health Coalition Demonstration Projects.
AGENCY: Office of Minority Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Health, USPHS, DHHS.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Request for Applications
for Minority Community Health Coalition Demonstration Project Grants
(Coalition Outreach Grants).
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AUTHORITY: This program is authorized under section 1707(d)(1) of the
Public Health Service Act, as amended in Public Law 101-527.
PURPOSE: The OMH announces the availability of grants to provide
support to minority community health coalitions to develop, implement,
and conduct demonstration projects which coordinate integrated
community-based screening and outreach services and include linkages
for access and treatment, to minorities in high risk, low income
communities. These projects are to address socio-cultural and
linguistic barriers to care and should have the potential for
replication in similar communities.
APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants are public and private
nonprofit organizations which will serve as the grantee organization
for a coalition which has a history of OMH coalition grant support.
This means prior support under: the Minority Community Health Coalition
Demonstration Grant Program; the Minority Male Demonstration Grant
Program (Intervention or Coalition Development); the Hispanic/Latino
Community Health Coalition Development Project Grants; and the OMH/HRSA
AIDS Coalition grants funded under the Rural Health Outreach for AIDS
Education grants and Health Care Services for Residents of Public
Housing. In most cases the applicant organization will be the same
organization that served as the grantee on the original OMH grant.
However, in a few instances: (1) The coalition has become a free
standing entity, or (2) another member of the coalition has been
designated to serve as the lead, grantee agency. In this case, the
application must include a letter from the original grantee
organization verifying that the new applicant organization is a member
of the coalition and is now designated to serve as lead for the same
coalition which received prior OMH support. Only one application shall
be submitted on behalf of any eligible coalition.
Applicant coalitions must include a health care facility such as a
community health center, migrant health center, health department or
medical center. The coalition should have the capacity to plan and
coordinate services which reduce existing socio-cultural barriers.
Specifically, the coalition will be called upon to carry out screening,
outreach and enabling services to ensure that clients follow up with
treatment and treatment referrals.
In order to verify that a viable coalition exists, the following
must be provided: (1) The grant number of the prior OMH grant, (2) a
concise narrative history of the existing minority community health
coalition; (3) a copy of the coalition's mission statement and
organizational chart; current membership roster indicating the race/
ethnicity and roles of each coalition member organization; and (4) a
dated copy of the founding bylaws or memorandum of agreement, and
recent minutes or equivalent documents as proof that the coalition has
been viable and operational over a sustained period.
Background
In prior fiscal years, the Office of Minority Health has focused on
the establishment and enhancement of minority coalitions. Many
coalition-conducted interventions included provision of health
assessments and screening as an approach to improving the health of the
targeted communities. Consistent with the broader public health
experience, OMH found that many programs needed to go beyond provision
of screening to provision of more systematic follow-up for access and
treatment. Therefore, in FY 1995, OMH's coalition grants will focus on
projects that address socio-cultural barriers and that will demonstrate
effective coordination of integrated community-based screening,
outreach and other enabling services thus insuring linkage to treatment
or other indicated follow-up.
ADDRESSES/CONTACTS: Applications must be prepared on Form PHS 5161-1
(Revised July 1992). Application kits and technical assistance on
budget and business aspects of the application may be obtained from Ms.
Carolyn A. Williams, Grants Management Officer, Office of Minority
Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000, 5515 Security Lane,
Rockville, MD, 20852, (telephone 301/594-0758). Completed applications
are to be submitted to the same address.
Technical assistance on the programmatic content for the Coalition
Grants may be obtained from Ms. Joan S. Jacobs. She can be reached at
the Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000, 5515
Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, (telephone 301/594-0769) or by
Interest E-mail [Jacobs OASH.SSW.DHHS.GOV].
In addition, OMH Regional Minority Health Consultants (RMHCs) are
available to provide technical assistance. A listing of the RMHCs and
how they may be contacted in provided in the grant application kit.
Applicants also can contact the OMH Resource Center (OMH/RC) at 1-800/
444/6472 for health information and generic information on preparing
grant applications.
DEADLINE: To receive consideration, grant applications must be received
by the Grants Management Officer by March 6, 1995. Applications will be
considered as meeting the deadline if they are either: (1) Received at
the above address on or before the deadline date and received in time
for orderly processing. A legibly dated receipt from a commercial
carrier or U.S. Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of a postmark.
Private meeting postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely
mailing. Applications which do not meet the deadline will be considered
late and will be returned to the applicant unread.
AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: It is anticipated that in Fiscal Year 1995, the
Office of Minority Health will have approximately $2.0 million
available to support approximately 14 awards of up to $150,000 each
under the Minority Community Health Coalition Grant Program.
PERIOD OF SUPPORT: Support may be requested for a total project period
not to exceed 3 years. Non competing continuation awards will be made
subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
PROJECT BUDGETS: Budgets of up to $150,000 total direct and indirect
costs per year may be requested to cover: The cost of personnel;
consultants; support services; materials; and travel. Project budget
must include travel for one project staff member to meet with the OMH
Coalition Grant Program Director in Washington, DC. Funds may not be
used for building alternations, renovations, or to purchase equipment
except as may be acceptability justified in relation to conducting the
project activities. Funds are to be used to [[Page 142]] support
outreach, screening, case management and other enabling services such
as transportation, and child care. Grant funds are not intended to be
used for medical treatment.
AWARD CRITERIA: Funding decisions will be determined by the Office of
Minority Health and will take under consideration: the recommendations/
ratings of review panels as well as program balance which includes
geographic and race/ethnicity distribution, and health problem areas
having the greatest impact on minority health in terms of causes of
death.
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Applications will be screened upon receipt.
Those that are judged to be incomplete, nonresponsive to the
announcement, or nonconforming will be returned without comment. Each
coalition may submit no more than one proposal under this announcement.
If a coalition submits more than one proposal, all will be deemed
ineligible and returned without comment. Applications judged to be
complete, conforming, and responsive will be reviewed for technical
merit in accordance with PHS policies.
Applications will be evaluated by federal and non-federal reviewers
chosen for their expertise in minority health, experience with similar
projects, and their understanding and special knowledge of outreach and
screening programs.
Applicants are advised to pay close attention to program
guidelines, and the general and supplemental instructions provided in
the application kit. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated for
technical merit and consistency with the requirements of this
announcement. Of specific importance will be the criteria found in the
supplemental instructions and program guidelines under these listed
headings. The percentage weight for each section appears in the
parentheses after each heading: Background (20%); Goals and Objectives
(15%); Methodology (45%); and Evaluation (20%).
DEFINITIONS: For the purpose of this grant program, the following
definitions are provided:
(1) Community--A defined geographical area in which persons live,
work, and play and characterized by: (a) Formal and informal leadership
structures for the purpose of maintaining order and improving
conditions; and (b) its capacity to serve as a focal point for
addressing societal needs including health needs.
(2) Minority Community Coalition--An entity comprised of
organizations/institutions which have come together in a minority
community for the purpose of collaborating on specific concerns,
seeking coordination of related services, and resolution of those
concerns. The coalition must include a health care facility such as a
community or migrant health center, health department, or medical
center, capable of providing treatment services. The coalition must
have a formalized structure and process for member organizations to
work together.
(3) Enabling services--Services, such as outreach, case management,
child care, and transportation, which enable clients to effectively
follow-up on screening findings and to access health care services.
(4) Socio-cultural barriers--Examples of socio-cultural barriers
are: cultural differences between individuals and institutions;
cultural differences of beliefs about health and illness, customs and
lifestyles; cultural differences in languages or nonverbal
communication styles; cultural differences in organizational policies
and practices that create obstacles to service delivery.
(5) Minority populations--As defined by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) Circular #15, include: Asian/Pacific Islanders;
Blacks; Hispanics; and Native American/Alaska Native.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This announcement for Fiscal Year 1995
Coalition Outreach Grants focuses on the six health problems identified
by the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health as having
the greatest impact on minority health in terms of causes of death: (1)
Cancer; (2) cardiovascular disease and stroke; (3) chemical dependency;
(4) diabetes; (5) homicides; and (6) infant mortality. Additional areas
of concern under this announcement include HIV infection, access to and
financing of health care, health professions personnel development,
data collection and analysis, and surveillance. Proposals should
address these problems in a culturally competent and linguistically
appropriate manner.
These health priorities also are addressed in the Health Objectives
for the National, Healthy People 2000, which the Public Health Service
(PHS) is committed to achieving. Potential applicants may obtain a copy
of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No. 017-00100474-0) 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).
STATE REVIEWS: EO 12372 sets up a system for State and local government
review of proposed Federal assistance applications. Applicants (other
than federally-recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact
their State Single Point of Contact (SPOCs) as early as possible to
alert them to the prospective applications and receive any necessary
instructions on the State process. For proposed projects serving more
than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each
affected State. All comments from a State office must be received by 60
days after the application deadline by the Office of Minority Health's
Grants Management Officer. A list of addresses of the SPOCs is enclosed
with the application kit material.
PROVISION OF SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE AND NON-USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY
RECIPIENTS OF PHS GRANTS: 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.
PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: This program is subject to
Public Health Systems Reporting Requirements. Under these requirements,
a community-based nongovernmental applicant must prepare and submit a
Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The PHSIS is intended to
provide information to State and local health officials to keep them
apprised of proposed health services grant applications submitted by
community-based nongovernmental organizations within their
jurisdictions.
Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit
the following information to the head of the appropriate State and
local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later than the
Federal application receipt due date: (a) A copy of the face page of
the applications (SF 424), (b) a summary of the project (PHSIS), not to
exceed one page, which provides: (1) a description of the population to
be served, (2) a summary of the services to be provided, (3) a
description of the coordination planned with the appropriate State or
local health agencies.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93-137.
[[Page 143]] Dated: December 21, 1994.
Audrey F. Manley,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.
[FR Doc. 94-31975 Filed 12-29-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M