[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 2396-2397] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-404] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Program Announcement and Proposed Review Criteria for Grants for Geriatric Education Centers for Fiscal Year 1995 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces the acceptance of applications for fiscal year (FY) 1995, Grants for Geriatric Education Centers under the authority of section 777(a) of the Public Health Service 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 review criteria. Approximately $6,000,000 will be available in FY 1995 for this program. Total continuation support recommended is $4,100,000. It is anticipated that $1,900,000 will be available to support 13 competing awards averaging $145,000. Applicants should apply for direct costs of no more than $100,000 (for single institutions) and no more than $150,000 (for consortia of three of more institutions) for the first year of funding. Eligibility Section 777(a) of the PHS Act authorizes the award of grants to accredited health professions schools as defined by section 799(1), or programs for the training of physician assistants as defined by section 799(3), or schools of allied health as defined in section 799(4), or schools of nursing as defined by section 853(2). Applicants must be located in the United States, 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, or the Federated States of Micronesia. To receive support, applicants must meet the requirements of regulations as set forth in 42 CFR part 57, subpart 00. The initial period of Federal support should not exceed 3 years. Projects may recompete for an additional 3 years. Purpose Grants may be awarded to support the development of collaborative arrangements involving several health professions schools and health care facilities. These arrangements, called Geriatric Education Centers (GECs), are established to facilitate training of health professional faculty, students, and practitioners in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, disability, and other health problems of the aged. Health professionals include allopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, health administrators, and allied health professionals. Projects supported under these grants must offer training involving four or more health professions, one of which must be allopathic or osteopathic medicine. Projects must address one or more of the statutory purposes listed below: (a) Improve the training of health professionals in geriatrics; (b) Develop and disseminate curricula relating to the treatment of the health problems of elderly individuals; (c) Expand and strengthen instruction in methods of such treatment; (d) Support the training and retraining of faculty to provide such instruction; (e) Support continuing education of health professionals and allied health professionals who provide such treatment; and (f) Establish new affiliations with nursing homes, chronic and acute disease hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and senior centers in order to provide students with clinical training in geriatric medicine. Grant supported projects may be designed to accomplish the statutory purposes in a variety of ways, emphasizing interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary, and discipline-specific approaches to the development of geriatric education resources. For example:Health professions schools within a single academic health center, or a consortium of several educational institutions, may share their educational resources and expertise through a Geriatric Education Center to extend a broad range of multidisciplinary educational services outward to other institutions, faculty, facilities and practitioners within a geographic area defined by the applicant. Educational institutions that have limited geriatric education resources and which traditionally have had linkages to a geographic area where substantial geriatric education needs exist, may seek to establish a Geriatric Education Center. Such a center could be designed to enhance and expand the capability of collaborating professional schools to provide geriatric education resources in the geographic area in need. Projects may support the development of Geriatric Education Centers designed to focus on multidisciplinary geriatric education emphasizing high priority services and high risk groups among the elderly, minority aging, or other special concerns. National Health Objectives for the Year 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) 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, 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 supported 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. Established and Proposed Review Criteria The following review criteria have been established in 42 CFR part 57, subpart OO and will be considered in the review of applications: (1) The degree to which the proposed project adequately provides for the project requirements; (2) The extent to which the rationale and specific objectives of the project are based upon a needs assessment of the status of geriatrics training in the institutions to be assisted and/or the geographic area to be served; (3) The ability of the project to achieve the project objectives within the proposed geographic area; (4) The adequacy of educational facilities and clinical training settings to accomplish objectives; [[Page 2397]] (5) The adequacy of organizational arrangements involving professional schools and other organizations necessary to carry out the project; (6) The adequacy of the qualifications and experience in geriatrics of the project director, staff and faculty; (7) The administrative and managerial ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed project in a cost-effective manner, and; (8) The potential of the project to continue on a self-sustaining basis. In addition, the following review criteria are proposed: (9) If applicable, the extent to which there is evidence that the institutions jointly have planned and jointly will conduct the proposed consortial activities. (10) The potential of the project to recruit and/or retain minority faculty members and trainees for participation in long term and/or short term training experiences. Application Requests Application materials will be sent only to FY 1994 applicants and to those entities making a request. Requests for grant application materials and questions regarding grants policy and business management issues should be directed to: Ms. Jacquelyn Whitaker (D-31), 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. Completed applications should be returned to the Grants Management Branch at the above address. If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact: Ms. Pat Dols, Geriatric Initiatives Branch, Division of Associated, Dental, and Public Health Professions, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 8-103, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, telephone: (301) 443-6887. 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. The OMB clearance number is 0915-0060. The deadline date for receipt of applications is March 3, 1995. 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 Geriatric Education Centers, is listed at 93.969 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: December 30, 1994. James A. Walsh, Acting Administrator. [FR Doc. 95-404 Filed 1-6-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-15-P