[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]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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