[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 6719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2625]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Final Funding Preference for Centers of Excellence in Minority 
Health Professions Education for Fiscal Year 1995

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
the final funding preference for fiscal year (FY) 1995 Grants for 
Centers of Excellence (COE) in Minority Health Professions Education 
funded 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.

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:
    l. 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(l)(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.

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(l)(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:
    l. 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.

Final Funding Preference

    A funding preference for this program was proposed in the Federal 
Register on November 1, 1994, at 59 FR 54617. One comment was received 
during the comment period. The respondent recommended that preference 
be given to previously funded COE programs which have completed only 
one grant cycle. We have proposed that preference be given to competing 
continuation applications (renewals) to direct assistance to quality 
COE programs that have documented sustained or increased 
accomplishments under this program. Therefore, the preference will 
remain as proposed.
    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.

Additional Information

    To obtain information regarding the programmatic 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: January 30, 1995.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-2625 Filed 2-2-95; 8:45 am]
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