[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15807-15809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-8779]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
[Announcement 604]


Environmental Health Education for Health Professionals and 
Communities

Introduction

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
announces the expected availability of fiscal year (FY) 1996 funds for 
a cooperative agreement program for the development and implementation 
of environmental health education for health professionals in support 
of ATSDR's site-specific health activities program.
    ATSDR is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' a national activity 
to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve quality of life. This 
announcement is related to the priority area of Environmental Health. 
(For ordering a copy of ``Healthy People 2000,'' see the section 
``Where to Obtain Additional Information.'')

Authority

    This program is authorized under Sections 104(i)(14) and (15) of 
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability 
Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and 
Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) [42 U.S.C. 9604 (i) (14) and (15)].

Smoke-Free Workplace

    ATSDR strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products, and 
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in 
certain facilities that receive Federal funds in which education, 
library, day care, health care, and early childhood development 
services are provided to children.

Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are national health professional organizations 
that provide environmental health education and training for their 
defined membership and constituency.

Availability of Funds

    The Government's obligation under this grant project is contingent 
upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for 
grant purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the 
government for any payment may arise until funds are made available to 
the grantee through the formal award of a cooperative agreement.
    It is expected that approximately $500,000 will be available in FY 
1996 to fund 3 to 5 awards. The awards are expected to range from 
$60,000 to $200,000 and will begin on or about September 30, 1996, for 
a 12-month budget period, with a 3-year project period. Funding 
estimates may vary and are subject to change.
    Continuation awards within the project period are made on the basis 
of satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

Purpose

    The proposed cooperative agreement is intended to meet the demand 
for environmental health expertise and strengthen environmental public 
health activities by developing educational and training programs in 
health risk communication; to improve information access and transfer 
between and among local, State, tribal, and Federal agencies; to build 
the capacity of local health care professionals to respond to community 
concerns related to hazardous waste sites by providing training and 
guidance in addressing issues of community concern; to provide 
environmental health education for health professionals in communities; 
to support primary health care providers by providing environmental 
health education and access to clinical expertise for diagnosing and 
treating environmental health problems; and to serve as a referral 
service for primary health care providers.
    This cooperative agreement comprises a core program and additional 
enhancement activities. All applicants must address the Core Program in 
their application. The provision of environmental health education 
services comprises the Core Program which includes the following as 
minimum components:

1. Needs assessment for health education
2. Development and implementation of health education programs
3. Evaluation of the effectiveness of health education programs
4. Coordination of provision of health education services; service as a 
health education resource
5. Communication of health and health education needs, concerns, and 
resources to constituency groups.

    Applicants must describe the method(s) by which the health 
education will be delivered (examples include short courses, annual 
meetings, video libraries, electronic seminars, newsletters, and 
regional training).
    Applicants may further address Enhancement Activities as applied to 
their respective constituency. Examples of Enhancement Activities 
include:

1. Risk communication training
2. Technical referral
3. Environmental information training, including assessment of provider 
capability, and
4. Medical and nursing education concerning the health impact of 
hazardous substances.

Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of the program, all 
awardees shall be responsible for conducting activities under Recipient 
Core Program Component Activities, listed in A. below, and awardees may 
select three to five activities from the Recipient Enhancement Program 
Activities, listed in B. below. ATSDR will be responsible for 
conducting activities under ATSDR Activities, listed in C. below.

A. Recipient Core Program Component Activities

    1. Develop and provide education and training for members and 
constituents of recipient organizations about (a) hazardous substances 
as defined by CERCLA, (b) health risks resulting from exposure to 
hazardous substances in the environment, and (c) the concerns of those 
impacted by issues associated with hazardous waste sites.

    Note: Health education programs addressing health risks or 
health issues not related to CERCLA issues (e.g., occupational) are 
not acceptable under this program.

    2. Develop and implement environmental health education for members 
and constituents of recipient organizations related to site-specific 
concerns and issues.
    3. Develop standard environmental health education materials 
related to ATSDR's site-specific health activities programs.
    4. Develop and implement an evaluation plan specifying the methods 
of measuring success in meeting each objective defined by the applicant 
and evaluating the change in knowledge, attitudes, awareness, skill, 
behaviors, or other attributes of the participants.

B. Recipient Enhancement Program Activities

    1. Provide environmental health education related to site-specific 
concerns and issues to primary health care providers regarding 
prevention and interventions.

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    2. Act as a clinical referral resource for health care providers 
and diagnose and treat health effects related to exposure to hazardous 
substances.
    3. Develop, conduct, and evaluate environmental health symposia on 
scientific and medical issues and provide technical support and 
materials on the effects of hazardous exposure for environmental 
education activities at medical and nursing schools, national 
conferences, continuing education programs, and public learning 
institutes.
    4. Develop culturally appropriate health education materials for 
use by health professionals. Include priority content, teaching 
methods, appropriate channels to best reach target audiences, promotion 
of activities and appropriate evaluation strategies based on the type 
of audience.
    5. Conduct electronic educational teleconferences for constituents 
on topics of environmental health at least monthly.
    6. Catalogue and disseminate environmental health curriculum 
modules, clinical case studies, publications, videotapes, and other 
resources through a clearinghouse/lending library whose use is not 
restricted solely to the applicant's membership.
    7. Provide for the electronic dissemination of environmental health 
information developed by the applicant or other health agencies and 
provide an electronic forum for the discussion of environmental health 
issues to any interested party.

C. ATSDR Activities

    1. Provide required information and instructional resources about 
National Priority List (NPL) sites for course development and 
presentation.
    2. Assist in identification of priority target audiences and their 
environmental education needs.
    3. Provide technical assistance and collaboration for NPL site-
specific education materials and activities.
    4. Provide assistance in establishing a communication and 
environmental resource network between clinics, State and local health 
departments, and other environmental organizations.
    5. Provide assistance in the planning, implementation, and 
evaluation of risk communication training programs.
    6. Provide technical assistance for conducting needs assessments.
    7. Assist in evaluating training activities.
    8. Annually provide list of priority sites for environmental health 
education activities.

Evaluation Criteria

    The application will be reviewed and evaluated according to the 
adequacy of the proposal relative to the following criteria:

A. Proposed Project and Appropriateness of Project Design--50%

    1. Applicant's understanding of the project's purpose.
    2. Applicant's understanding and justification of the need or 
problem to be addressed.
    3. Identification of target group and needs.
    4. Quality of project objectives in terms of specificity, 
measurability, and feasibility.
    5. Specificity and feasibility of the proposed schedule for 
implementing project activities.
    6. Appropriateness and thoroughness of the methods used to evaluate 
the project.

B. Proposed Project Management--30%

    1. Ability of the applicant to provide appropriate program staff 
and support staff to the project.
    2. Ability of the applicant to provide staff time, facilities, 
space, equipment, and financial resources required to accomplish 
responsibilities of the project.
    3. Extent to which the applicant has provided an administration 
plan, outlined strategic and operational plans for the 3-year project 
period, and designated a qualified administrator to manage the project.

C. Other--20%

    Applicants will have environmental health activities within their 
organization and submit documentation of this activity.

D. Proposed Project Budget--(not Scored)

    The extent to which the proposed budgets are reasonable, clearly 
justified with budget narratives, and consistent with the intended use 
of cooperative agreement funds.

Executive Order 12372 Review

    This program is not subject to the Executive Order 12372.

Public Health Reporting System Reporting Requirements

    This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.161.

Other Requirements

A. Cost Recovery

    The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments 
and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, provides for the recovery of 
costs incurred for response actions at Superfund sites from potentially 
responsible parties. The awardee would agree to maintain an accounting 
system that will keep an accurate, complete, and current accounting of 
all financial transactions on a site-specific basis, i.e., individual 
time, travel, and associated costs, including indirect costs, as 
appropriate for the site. Awardee would also maintain documentation 
that describes the site-specific actions taken with respect to the 
site, e.g., contracts, work assignments, progress reports, and other 
documents, that describe the work performed related to a site. Awardee 
will retain the documents and records to support these financial 
transactions, for possible use in a cost recovery case, for a minimum 
of ten years after submission of a final Financial Status Report (FSR). 
However, if there is a litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other 
action involving the specific site, then the records will be maintained 
until resolution of all issues at the specific site.

B. Materials Developed

    1. Any materials developed by awardee with ATSDR funds are to carry 
the following statement: This material was developed under a 
cooperative agreement (Announcement No. 604) from the Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry, Public Health Service, U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services, with funding from the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 
as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) 
of 1986.
    2. Material developed under funding by ATSDR will not be 
copyrighted and will remain in the public domain to encourage wide 
distribution. However, awardee is allowed to charge fees for 
conferences, workshops, computer programs, etc., at a level below or 
equal to other similar programs offered by awardee. These fees may be 
retained by awardee and used to offset the development and cost of the 
material. ATSDR will receive final copies of all material developed by 
awardee including course notebooks, brochures, computer programs (with 
appropriate operating software and instructions),

[[Page 15809]]
pamphlets, but not excluding other materials not mentioned here.

Application Submission and Deadline

    Applicants must submit an original and two copies of application 
form PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 0937-0189) to Ron S. Van Duyne, Grants 
Management Officer, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East 
Paces Ferry Road NE., Room 300, Atlanta, GA 30305, on or before June 3, 
1996. (By formal agreement, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) Procurement and Grants Office will act on behalf of 
and for ATSDR on this matter.)

A. Deadline

    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are either:
    1. Received on or before the deadline date; or
    2. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the objective review group. (Applicants must request a 
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated 
receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private 
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)

B. Late Applications

    Applications which do not meet the criteria in A.1. or A.2. above 
are considered late applications. Late applications will not be 
considered in the current competition and will be returned to the 
applicant.

Where To Obtain Additional Information

    To receive additional written information call (404) 332-4561. You 
will be asked to leave your name, address and phone number and will 
need to refer to Announcement 604. You will receive a complete program 
description, information on application procedures and application 
forms. The announcement is also available through the CDC home page on 
the Internet. The address for the CDC home page is http://www.cdc.gov.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management assistance may be obtained from Maggie 
Slay, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-
13, Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 842-6797, or INTERNET address 
MCS[email protected]. Programmatic technical assistance may be 
obtained from Maureen Lichtveld, Division of Health Education, ATSDR, 
1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-33, Atlanta, GA 30333, telephone (404) 
639-6206, or INTERNET address MYL[email protected].
    Please refer to Announcement 604 when requesting information and 
submitting an application.
    A copy of ``Healthy People 2000'' (Full Report, Stock No. 017-001-
00474-0) or ``Healthy People 2000'' (Summary Report, Stock No. 0117-
001-00473-1) referenced in the ``Introduction'' may be obtained through 
the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, 
Washington, DC 20401-9325, telephone (202) 512-1800.

    Dated: April 3, 1996.
Claire V. Broome,
Deputy Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
[FR Doc. 96-8779 Filed 4-8-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P