[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2978-2980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-697]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration


Final Project Requirements and Review Criteria for Cooperative 
Agreements for the National AIDS Education and Training Centers Program 
for FY 1995

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
the final project requirements and review criteria for Cooperative 
Agreements for the National AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs) 
Program for FY 1995 authorized under section 776(a), title VII of the 
Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Health Professions 
Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Public Law 102-408, dated 
October 13, 1992. [[Page 2979]] 

Eligibility and Purpose

    The Secretary may make awards and enter into contracts to assist 
public and nonprofit private entities and schools and academic health 
science centers in meeting the costs of projects.
    (1) To train the faculty of schools of, and graduate departments or 
programs of, medicine, nursing, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, public 
health, allied health, and mental health practice to teach health 
professions students to provide for the health care needs of 
individuals with HIV disease;
    (2) To train practitioners to provide for the health care needs of 
such individuals;
    (3) With respect to improving clinical skills in the diagnosis, 
treatment, and prevention of such disease, to educate and train the 
health professionals and clinical staff of schools of medicine, 
osteopathic medicine, and dentistry; and
    (4) To develop and disseminate curricula and resource materials 
relating to the care and treatment of individuals with such disease and 
the prevention of the disease among individuals who are at risk of 
contracting the disease.
    Specifically for the National AETC Program, these awards will be 
made as above and will include community-based organizations (CBOs) and 
community health clinics affiliated with accredited public and 
nonprofit private entities--
    1. To train health personnel, focusing on practitioners in Title 
XXVI programs (Ryan White CARE Act), in the diagnosis, treatment, and 
prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and disease; 
and to provide supplementary and/or complementary training to the 
faculty of schools of, and graduate departments or programs of 
medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, mental health practice and 
allied health personnel;
    2. To train and motivate the above practitioners and other 
community providers to care for the health needs of individuals with 
HIV disease;
    3. To teach health professions students and residents to provide 
for the health care needs of individuals with HIV disease; and
    4. To develop and disseminate to health providers curricula and 
resource materials relating to the care and treatment of individuals 
with HIV disease and the prevention of HIV among individuals who are at 
risk of contracting the disease; and to organize plans for information 
dissemination of HIV-related information.
    Project requirements and review criteria for this program were 
proposed for public comment in the Federal Register on October 27, 1994 
at 59 FR 53996. No comments were received during the 30-day comment 
period. Therefore, the project requirements and review criteria will be 
retained as proposed.

Final Project Requirements

    The focus in FY 1995 will be on primary care providers in high HIV/
AIDS prevalence areas, with an emphasis on living persons infected with 
HIV. However, consideration will be given to rural areas. The project 
requirements are designed to direct Federal resources where the 
greatest needs exist. To accomplish this, each project must define a 
geographic region and identify the types of providers to be targeted 
for training within that region.

A. Definition of AETCs

    All applicants are encouraged to form AETCs composed of as many 
states/territories/commonwealths as can be managed completely and 
efficiently. There are four options for defining an AETC region. An 
applicant may propose, with appropriate documentation:
    1. An AETC composed only of a single state/territory/commonwealth 
as a region if that region contains two or more Ryan White CARE Act 
Title I Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) or if the AETC currently is 
established as a single state AETC;
    2. An AETC composed of multiple, contiguous states (Hawaii and 
Alaska may be included) if it justifies its boundaries with the 
inclusion of one EMA and specific local epidemiological data equivalent 
to at least 10,000 living HIV-infected persons (with a prevalence of at 
least 2,500 living AIDS cases and 7,500 other HIV infected persons). 
Supporting documentation may include rates of HIV/AIDS infection, or 
proxy indicators such as STD, TB, and substance abuse, CDC heel stick 
study data, teenage pregnancy, etc.;
    3. An AETC for rural regions if it encompasses at least three 
states with contiguous boundaries (Hawaii and Alaska may be included) 
and contains at least one EMA, although the prevalence of living HIV 
infected persons totals less than 10,000; or
    4. An AETC specifically in the District of Columbia that either 
stands alone or is incorporated in a consortium arrangement with 
another AETC.
    At least 50 percent of project funds must be expended for training 
activities in high AIDS prevalence areas, i.e.; as defined as EMAs in 
the Ryan White CARE Act, Title I. If this is not done, appropriate 
justification from regional epidemiological data and the needs 
assessment must be provided.

B. Performance Expectations

    Each AETC must provide or perform the following. These items are 
essential for consideration for this cooperative agreement.
    1. Submission of a coordinated plan, including a clear statement of 
resources available from the region's EMA(s), for the network that has 
been created for dissemination of state-of-the-art information to 
health professions schools and organizations, HIV care providers and 
CBOs, including organizations of people living with AIDS (PLWA) in the 
AETC's proposed region; the methodology (e.g., electronic bulletin 
boards, print material and teleconferencing, etc.) should be described 
as well as the types of education materials to be distributed in 
concert with other PHS agencies and health professions' schools and 
organizations.
    2. A comprehensive clinical training plan, of which a minimum of 50 
percent of the Federal funds devoted to training is directed toward 
primary care providers, i.e., physicians, registered nurses, dentists, 
physician assistants, nurses with advanced training (e.g., nurse 
practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and nurse-midwives) and 
dental hygienists.
    3. A training plan for other health professionals including, but 
not limited to, mental health care providers, case managers, substance 
abuse counselors and other allied health personnel;
    4. Linkages to other organizations in the following priority order: 
(a) Ryan White CARE ACT, Titles I, II, including Special Programs of 
National Significant (SPNS), IIIb and IVd funded health services-
programs, and the Hemophilia Programs; (b) health professions schools, 
academic centers, and national health professions organizations, 
including minority professional groups; (c) Federally supported 
substance abuse programs (e.g., NIDA & SAMHSA) and community substance 
abuse programs; (d) PHS funded Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), 
migrant centers (e.g., sec. 329(a)(1), community health centers (e.g., 
sec. 330(a), and homeless centers (e.g., sec. 340), mental health 
providers (e.g., SAMHSA grantees), Federally supported STD and 
prevention activities (e.g., CDC, etc.), providers in prisons, family 
planing programs and HRSA supported maternal and child health programs, 
State and local health agencies and health care facilities involved in 
providing care for HIV infected individuals in order to fill any gaps 
in training; (e) other community [[Page 2980]] based HIV-related 
organizations (including those formed by PLWA); AETC projects also are 
encouraged to collaborate with (f) national networks of AIDS clinical 
trials such as the adult and pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group 
(ACTG), the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA), 
AMFAR and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
    5. An updated needs-assessment of the education and training needs 
of the primary care providers within the proposed service area and 
which is based upon epidemiological data for that service area.
    6. A plan for outreach to minorities, including involvement of 
minority providers, providers who serve minority populations, minority 
professional organizations, and minority health care delivery systems;
    7. A plan for program assessment and data collection on program and 
trainees which can be used for regional and national evaluative 
purposes; and
    8. Plan for non-Federal funding during the 3-year project period.

Final Review Criteria

    Applications will be reviewed and rated according to the 
applicant's ability to meet the following:
    1. The completeness and pertinence of the needs assessment to the 
proposed region and the degree of linkage between its findings and the 
plans for information dissemination and training for National AETC 
Program Levels I through III described in the program guidelines;
    2. The degree of emphasis on linkages with Ryan White CARE ACT 
programs I, II (including Special Programs of National Significance 
(SPNS)), IIIb and IVd, health professions schools and academic health 
centers, and other collaborations as described under Proposed Project 
Requirements above;
    3. The extent to which the training plans meet the national 
priorities (prevention, substance abuse, cultural competence, 
tuberculosis, providers in prisons, implementation of the PHS 
recommendations of protocol, AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG 076), and 
psychosocial issues) of the National AETC Program;
    4. The completeness and appropriateness of the plan for information 
dissemination among key HIV contacts as defined under Proposed Project 
Requirements above;
    5. The completeness and appropriateness of the training plans for 
National AETC Program Levels I, II and III;
    6. The organization of the AETC; the administration and management 
of the AETC and its relationship to its component parts, i.e., 
Consortia members and/or subcontractors;
    7. The appropriateness of the size and configuration of the AETC; 
the appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of the budget; the amount of 
support contributed by the proposed awardee institution, including in-
kind support;
    8. The completeness and appropriateness of the data management and 
evaluation plans; and
    9. The potential for the project to operate on a partially self-
sustaining basis during the 3-year period of support.

Additional Information

    Requests for technical or programmatic information should be 
directed to: Juanita Koziol, RN, MS, CS, Division of Medicine, Bureau 
of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, 
Parklawn Building, Room 9A-39, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 
Telephone: (301) 443-6326.
    This program is listed at 93.145 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance and 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: January 5, 1995.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-697 Filed 1-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P