[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 62 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14212-14214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7638]




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Part II





Department of Health and Human Services





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Public Health Service



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Announcement of Availability of Grants for General Family Planning 
Training Projects; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 62 / Friday, March 29, 1996 / 
Notices  

[[Page 14212]]


DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service


Announcement of Availability of Grants for General Family 
Planning Training Projects

AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, OPA, PHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of 
Population Affairs requests applications for grants under the Family 
Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003 of the 
Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 300a-1(a)). Funds are 
available to train family planning personnel in order to maintain the 
high level of performance of family planning services projects funded 
under Title X of the PHS Act. Training will be provided under this 
announcement at general training centers in three of the Department of 
Health and Human Services' (DHHS) regions.

DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the 
Grants Management Office no later than May 28, 1996. Applications will 
be considered as meeting the deadline if they are either (1) received 
on or before the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on or before the 
deadline date and received in time for submission to the review 
committee. A legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. 
Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of a postmark. Private metered 
postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications 
which are postmarked or delivered to the Grants Management Office later 
than May 28, 1996 will be judged late and will not be accepted for 
review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the 
program announcement or meet the applicable requirements of 42 CFR part 
59, subpart C, will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be 
notified, and applications will be returned.

ADDRESSES: Requests for application kits may be faxed to (301) 594-
5980. Application kits may also be obtained from and applications must 
be submitted to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management 
Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD 
20814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Susan Moskosky, Office of Family Planning at (301) 594-4008 is 
available for assistance on scientific, technical and program aspects, 
or Ms. Diane J. Osterhus, Grants Management Officer at (301) 594-4012 
is available for business management issues. Staff are available to 
answer questions and provide limited technical assistance in the 
preparation of grant applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et 
seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award 
grants for projects to provide training for family planning service 
personnel. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.260). This 
notice announces the availability of approximately $700,000 in funding 
and solicits applications for three general training projects to assist 
in the establishment and operation of regional training centers for 
Regions I, V, and VII. Grants will be funded within certain ranges, as 
set out below. The funding ranges for the regions are determined based 
on the assessment of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population 
Affairs (DASPA) of the regions' relative need for training funds; 
funding of individual grants within each funding range will be based on 
the DASPA's assessment of such factors as the training needs within the 
region and the cost and availability of personnel for training.
    The training projects are as follows:
    One general training grant for DHHS Region I (Connecticut, Maine, 
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). A funding 
range of $181,500-$200,600 is available for this grant.
    One general training grant for DHHS Region V (Illinois, Indiana, 
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin). A funding range of $315,400-
$348,600 is available for this grant.
    One general training grant for DHHS Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, 
Missouri, Nebraska). A funding range of $168,400-$186,100 is available 
for this grant.

Statutory and Regulatory Background

    Title X of the PHS Act, enacted by Public Law 91-572, authorizes 
grants for projects to provide family planning services to persons from 
low-income families and others. Section 1001 of the Act, as amended, 
authorizes grants ``to assist in the establishment and operation of 
voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of 
acceptable and effective family planning methods and services 
(including natural family planning methods, infertility services and 
services for adolescents).'' Section 1003 of the Act, as amended, 
authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide the 
training for personnel to carry out the family planning services 
programs.
    The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern grants 
for family planning services training. Prospective applicants should 
refer to the regulations in their entirety.

Role and Operation of the Training Program

    Under the regulations, ``training'' means job-specific skill 
development. Continuing education activities that are innovative or 
non-traditional are encouraged. The development or use of self-paced, 
self-instructional or other training materials which utilize 
technological advancements in the learning field are also acceptable.
    The purpose of the general training program is to provide short-
term training, continuing education, inservice education and staff 
development for personnel in order to improve or maintain at a high 
level the performance of Title X family planning services providers.
    Successful applicants will be required to work closely with a 
network of other PHS agencies, including the central and regional 
office staffs, Title X service delivery providers, and regional 
training advisory committees which provide representation from all 
service grantees. Successful applicants will be required to review and 
consider policy and program goals of the Title X family planning 
program, solicit advice from the regional training advisory committee, 
and consult with Title X service delivery providers about training 
priorities, course content, and curriculum. Because of outcomes from 
the community planning process and emphasis on community involvement, 
successful applicants should also stress mechanisms that solicit input 
from the ``customer,'' both clinician and client.
    In developing curricula and training programs, general training 
programs supported under this announcement should be sensitive to the 
importance of supporting the program priorities of the Title X services 
program, which include:
     Increased outreach to individuals not likely to seek 
services, including homeless persons, disabled persons, substance 
abusers and adolescents;
     Expansion of comprehensiveness of reproductive health 
services, including STD and cancer screening and prevention, increased 
involvement of male partners, HIV prevention, education and counseling, 
and substance abuse screening and referral;
     Increased emphasis on services to adolescents, including 
more community education, emphasis on postponement of sexual activity, 
and more accessible

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provision of contraceptive counseling and contraception;
     Elimination of disincentives to providing long-acting, 
highly effective contraceptives, serving high risk (and high-unit cost) 
clients, and providing nonrevenue-generating services, such as 
community education and prevention services; and
     Increased emphasis on training and retention of Women's 
Health nurse practitioners, particularly minority nurse practitioners 
and nurse practitioners serving disadvantaged and medically underserved 
communities.
    Applicants must be prepared to focus training on emerging issues, 
such as managed care, new concepts in communication and increased 
emphasis on public information and education. The DHHS project officer 
or designee may periodically direct the training grantee to make 
adjustments in the training agenda. The applicant must demonstrate the 
ability to be flexible in terms of scheduling training that responds to 
emerging issues as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee. 
All training events shall be approved (in advance) by the DHHS project 
officer or designee.
    Successful applicants will be responsible for the overall 
management of a general training program within the geographic area for 
which the grant is made. This responsibility includes:
     Developing an annual training plan which demonstrates 
flexibility in responding to emerging focus areas, and which reflects 
national and regional goals and the training needs of local Title X 
service providers;
     Developing criteria for selection of staff or consultants 
who will conduct training, including prerequisite qualifications. Such 
criteria should reflect a sensitivity to the unique types of training 
that will be needed to address emerging issues;
     Developing a process to identify the appropriateness of 
training offerings for the various levels of Title X services grantee 
personnel;
     Maintaining data on the regional training program 
sufficient to allow evaluation by central and regional offices, and 
self-evaluation by the training grantees;
     Developing and implementing an annual training schedule 
which includes measurable objectives for sessions, and which confers 
continuing education units to participants where appropriate;
     Making available at cost all materials developed with 
Title X funds to other federally-funded projects upon request;
     Attending at least one training meeting called by Central 
Office annually.

Application Requirements

    Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (PHS-5161-1) 
(OMB Approval No. 0937-0189) and in the manner prescribed in the 
application kits available from the Office of Grants Management. 
Applicants are required to submit an application signed by an 
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization 
and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms 
and conditions of the grant award. Applicants are required to submit an 
original application and two copies.
    Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review 
process. The results of this review will assist the DASPA in 
considering competing applications and in making the final funding 
decisions.
    Any public or private nonprofit organizations or agency is eligible 
to apply for a grant. It is not required that an entity applying for a 
grant be physically located in the region to be served by the proposed 
project. Awards will be made only to those organization or agencies 
which have demonstrated the capability of providing the proposed 
services, and which have met all applicable requirements.
    A copy of the legislation and regulations governing this program 
will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit package. 
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and information 
included in this announcement to guide them in developing their 
applications. Applications should be limited to 50 doubled-spaced 
pages, not including appendices providing curriculum vitae or 
statements of organizational capabilities.

Application Consideration and Assessment

    Eligible competing grant applications will be reviewed by a 
multidisciplinary panel of independent reviewers and assessed according 
to the following criteria:
    1. The extent to which the proposed training program will enhance 
the delivery of services to Title X clients, particularly persons from 
low-income families. (15 points)
    2. The extent to which the proposed training program has the 
potential to fulfill the training needs of the family planning services 
grantees in the areas to be served, which may include among other 
things:
    a. Development of a capability within family planning services 
projects to provide pre- and in-service training to their own staffs;
    b. Improvement of the family planning service delivery skills of 
family planning and health services personnel; and
    c. Improvement in the utilization and career development of 
paraprofessional and paramedical manpower in family planning services.
    Total consideration for a, b, and c. (15 points)
    3. The extent to which the training program proposes appropriate 
strategies to improve the provision of family planning services in 
rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). (10 points)
    4. The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use of 
the training grant. (10 points)
    5. The administrative and management capability and competence of 
the project staff and applicant organization. (15 points)
    6. The ability of the applicant to be flexible in making timely 
adjustments to the training agenda in order to meet emerging family 
planning needs, as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee. 
(20 points)
    7. The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for the 
requirements set forth in 42 CFR 59.205, including the applicant's 
presentation of the project's objectives, the methods for achieving 
project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the regional 
office, and the results or benefits expected. (15 points)
    In making grant award decisions, the DASPA will fund those projects 
which will, in her judgment, best promote the purposes of section 1003 
of the Act, within the limits of funds available for such projects.
    Grants will be approved for project periods of up to 3 years. 
Grants are funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for 
all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is 
contingent upon satisfactory progress of the project, efficient and 
effective use of grant funds provided, and availability of funds.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

    Applicants under this announcement are subject to the review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of 
Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities, as 
implemented by 45 CFR part 100. As soon as possible, the applicant 
should discuss the project with the State Single point of Contact 
(SPOC) for each state in

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the area to be served. The application kit contains the currently 
available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the 
submission of applications. For those States not represented on the 
listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding 
the submission of the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's comment(s) should be 
forwarded to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management 
Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD 
20814. Such comments must be received by the Office of Population 
Affairs by May 28, 1996 to be considered.
    When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be 
notified by letter of the outcome. The official document notifying an 
applicant that a project application has been approved for funding is 
the Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to the grantee the amount of 
money awarded, the purposes of the grant, and terms and conditions of 
the grant award.

    Dated: March 20, 1996.
Felicia H. Stewart,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-7638 Filed 3-28-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M