[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48716-48717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-23252]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
RIN 0905-ZA90


Final Project Requirements, Review Criteria, and Funding 
Preference for Cooperative Agreement for A Model Hispanic Health 
Careers Opportunity Program for Fiscal Year 1995

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
the final project requirements, review criteria and funding preference 
for the Cooperative Agreement for a Model Hispanic Health Careers 
Opportunity Program (HCOP) for FY 1995 under the authority of section 
740, title VII 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.

Purpose and Eligibility

    Section 740 authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and enter 
into contracts with schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic 
medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, 
pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic and podiatric medicine and public 
and nonprofit private schools which offer graduate programs in clinical 
psychology and other public or private nonprofit health or educational 
entities to carry out programs which assist individuals from 
disadvantaged backgrounds to enter and graduate from such schools. 
Assistance may be used for the following five legislative purposes:
    1. Recruitment--activities designed to identify, recruit and select 
individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds for education in the health 
or allied health professions, e.g., motivational activities, 
distribution of information, exposure to role models, and counseling.
    2. Preliminary Education--education designed to expand the academic 
ability and otherwise prepare student participants from disadvantaged 
backgrounds during their preprofessional training that they may 
subsequently complete the regular course of education in a health 
professions school or school of allied health. This education must be 
offered prior to entry in a health professions or allied health 
professions school and may not include courses already taught as part 
of the regular course of education leading to a degree.
    3. Facilitating Entry--activities designed to enhance the 
competitiveness of student participants from disadvantaged backgrounds 
for admission to health professions schools or schools of allied 
health, such as 

[[Page 48717]]
improving performance on admissions tests, counseling concerning the 
application process, and assisting admissions committees in the 
evaluation of disadvantaged applicants.
    4. Retention--activities designed to help student participants from 
disadvantaged backgrounds, who have been accepted to or are enrolled in 
health professions schools or schools of allied health, to complete 
their education. These activities may include tutorial assistance, 
counseling, and assistance in adjusting to the environment of the 
school. Activities may not include courses already taught as part of 
the school's curriculum.
    5. Financial Aid Information Dissemination--the distribution of 
information to student participants from disadvantaged backgrounds 
about financial aid available in health professions schools, schools of 
allied health or schools and entities which provide training necessary 
to qualify for enrollment in health professions schools or schools of 
allied health.
    The program announcement, published in the Federal Register on June 
22, 1995 at 60 FR 32531, proposed project requirements, review 
criteria, and funding preference. No comments were received during the 
30-day comment period. Therefore, the following project requirements, 
review criteria, and funding preference will be retained as proposed:

Final Project Requirements

    I. The Model Hispanic HCOP will establish an educational continuum 
from high school graduation through graduation from a health or allied 
health professions school through development and implementation of 
activities related to all five of the legislative purposes.
    II. A plan for selecting students including criteria for selection 
must be developed and implemented.
    III. Activities related to all of the five legislative purposes 
undertaken must be evaluated. Modifications must be made in activities 
based on evaluation.
    IV. Activities and experiences related to the establishment of the 
Model Hispanic HCOP must be documented in a format that would allow for 
future replication by HCOP applicants.

Final Review Criteria

    The following criteria are established for this program:
    1. Compliance with the Standard Application Instructions for Form 
6025-1, and the Supplement to Instructions for Form 6025-1.
    2. The relationship of the proposed project to the purposes stated 
in the legislative authorization, the stated problem, the particular 
needs to be addressed, and the relevance of proposed objectives to the 
identified needs.
    3. The extent and outcomes of past efforts and activities of the 
institution in conduct of disadvantaged student programs particularly 
for Hispanics and enrollment data on the target population (current and 
past three years) and the extent to which these data indicate trends.
    4. The relevance of objectives to the stated problem and need, and 
to Model Hispanic HCOP purposes; their measurability and attainability 
within a specific time frame; and the extent to which they represent 
outcome measures.
    5. The number of Hispanic individuals who can be expected to 
benefit from the project, types of participants by gender, metropolitan 
area, and educational level; the appropriateness of the proposed 
participant eligibility requirements and student selection criteria and 
process.
    6. The specific activities and their scope and relevance to the 
stated objectives and project outcomes, and the appropriateness of 
these activities for Model Hispanic HCOP support along with the extent 
and nature of the academic content and non-academic services and their 
suitability to the needs of the target group.
    7. The logic and sequencing of the planned approaches, soundness 
for delivery of academic content and non-academic services and 
appropriateness of scheduling and time allocation.
    8. The administrative and managerial capability of the applicant to 
carry out the project in a cost effective manner considering the extent 
of past efforts and institutional commitment to disadvantaged students.
    9. The adequacy of the staff and faculty to carry out the program; 
the academic and experiential background, and time commitment of key 
staff and faculty, the nature and level of their involvement, and their 
experience in working with the proposed target group.
    10. The soundness of the budget for assuring effective utilization 
of cooperative agreement funds and the cost effectiveness of the 
proposed project; the compatibility of budget requests with program 
objectives and activities, the adequacy of the line item 
justifications, and the extent of the applicant's in-kind 
contributions.
    11. Institutional or organizational plan for phasing-in income from 
other sources; developing self-sufficiency funding initiatives and 
strategies (after the end of the current federally funded project 
period); and achieving self-sufficiency based on a timetable and the 
level of financial support needed.
    12. Extent to which project plans are transferable to other 
institutions.

Final Funding Preference

    A funding preference will be given to a nonprofit, accredited four-
year undergraduate college or university:
    1. where Hispanic students constitute a minimum of 25 percent of 
the total enrollment at either the graduate or undergraduate level;
    2. which is located in a geographic area with a high concentration 
of Hispanic residents (approximately 20 percent of the area's total 
population) such as the following: Anaheim, Los Angeles, Riverside, San 
Diego and San Jose, California; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; 
Northern New Jersey; Long Island and New York City, New York; El Paso, 
Dallas, Fort Worth, Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas; and
    3. which is able to establish and document formal linkage 
arrangements with local community colleges, community health 
organizations and health professions and/or allied health professions 
schools.

Additional Information

    Request for technical or programmatic information should be 
directed to: Mr. Darl Stephens, Chief, Program Development Branch, 
Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, 
Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 
8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 
443-3843 FAX: (301) 443-5242.
    This program, Model Hispanic HCOP, 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: September 11, 1995.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-23252 Filed 9-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P