[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 115 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30075-30077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-15024]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration


Availability of Funds for the Community Scholarship Programs

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of available funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces the availability of approximately $100,000 under section 338L 
of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act for competing and project period 
renewal Grants to States for Community Scholarship Programs (CSP).
    The purpose of the CSP is to enable States to increase the 
availability of primary health care in urban and rural federally 
designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) by assisting 
community organizations to provide scholarships for the education of 
individuals to serve as health professionals in these communities.
    The PHS is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national 
activity. This grant program is related to the objectives of improving 
access to and availability of primary health care services for all 
Americans, especially the underserved populations. Potential applicants 
may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No. 017-
001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 (telephone number 202-783-3238).
    PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In 
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits 
smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a 
facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, 
health care or early childhood development services are provided to 
children.

DATES: Applications are due July 15, 1996. Applications will be 
considered to have met the deadline if they are (1) received on or 
before the deadline date; or (2) postmarked on or before the 
established deadline date and received in time for orderly processing. 
Applicants should request a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark 
or obtain a receipt from a commercial carrier. Private metered 
postmarks will not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Late 
applications not accepted for processing will be returned to the 
applicant.

ADDRESSES: Application materials may be obtained from, and completed 
applications should be returned to: Ms. Alice H. Thomas, Grants 
Management Officer, Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), 4350 East-
West Highway, 11th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 594-4250. The 
Grants Management staff is available to provide assistance on business 
management issues. Applications for these grants will be made on PHS 
Form 5161-1 with revised face sheet DHHS Form 424, as approved by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number 0937-0189.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general program information and 
technical assistance, please contact Sharley L. Chen, Division of 
Scholarships and Loan Repayments, BPHC, HRSA, 4350 East-West Highway, 
10th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, at (301) 594-4400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In FY 1996, approximately $100,000 will be 
awarded for 3-5 new and project period renewal grants ranging from 
$5,000 to $75,000 for a 12-month budget period and up to a 3-year 
project period. Under this program, States enter into agreements with 
public or private nonprofit community organizations located in 
federally designated HPSAs. These organizations will recruit qualified 
residents of their communities and provide scholarships to them to 
become physicians, certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse 
midwives, or physician assistants based on the needs of the 
communities.
     This grant program is intended to be consistent with the efforts 
of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program, NHSC 
Loan Repayment Program and NHSC State

[[Page 30076]]

Loan Repayment Program to meet the needs of underserved populations in 
federally designated HPSAs through the placement of primary care 
practitioners. For purposes of this program, the term ``primary health 
care'' means health services regarding family medicine, general 
internal medicine, general pediatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology, 
that are provided by physicians, certified nurse practitioners, 
certified nurse midwives, or physician assistants. The Secretary is 
required by statute [Section 338L(l)(3) of the PHS Act] to ensure that, 
to the extent practicable, not less than 50 percent of the amount 
appropriated will be in the aggregate expended by the States for making 
grants to community organizations that are located in rural federally 
designated HPSAs.

Eligibility Requirements

    In order for a State to receive a grant under this program, the 
State must:
    1. Receive funding for at least one grant, cooperative agreement, 
or contract under any provisions of the PHS Act other than section 338L 
for the fiscal year for which the State is applying;
    2. Agree that the grant program will be administered directly by a 
single State agency;
    3. Agree to make grants to community organizations located in 
federally designated HPSAs in order to assist those community 
organizations in providing scholarships to individuals enrolled or 
accepted for enrollment as full-time students in health professions 
schools accredited by a body or bodies recognized for accreditation 
purposes by the Secretary of Education;
    4. Agree that 40 percent of the total costs of the scholarships 
will be paid from the Federal grant made to the State; and
    5. Agree that 60 percent of the total costs of the scholarships 
will be paid from non-Federal contributions made in cash by the State 
and the community organization through which the scholarship is 
provided.
    a. The State must make available through these cash contributions 
not less than 15 percent nor more than 25 percent of the scholarship 
costs.
    b. The community organization must make available through these 
cash contributions not less than 35 percent nor more than 45 percent of 
the scholarship costs.
    c. Non-Federal contributions provided in cash by the State and 
community organization (as described in a and b above) may not include 
any amounts provided by the Federal Government to the State, or 
community organization involved, or to any other entity. Non-Federal 
contributions required may be provided directly by the State and 
community organization involved, and may be provided through donations 
from public and private entities. States should be aware, however, that 
donations from providers may be subject to provisions of Public Law 
102-234, the Medicaid Voluntary Contribution and Provider-Specific Tax 
Amendments of 1991.

Scholarship Requirement

    To receive a grant, the State must agree that it will award a grant 
to a community organization for scholarships only if:
    1. The individual who is to receive the scholarship under a 
contract is a resident of a federally designated HPSA in which the 
community organization is located and will provide primary health care 
services for:
    a. A number of years equal to the number of years for which the 
scholarship is provided, or for a period of 2 years, whichever period 
is greater; or
    b. Such greater period of time as the individual and the community 
organization may agree.
    2. The individual agrees, while enrolled in a health professions 
school, to maintain an acceptable level of academic standing (as 
determined by the school) at the school as a full-time student in 
accordance with regulation issued by the Secretary pursuant to Section 
338A (f)(1)(B) (iii) of the PHS Act;
    3. The individual and the community organization agree that the 
scholarship:
    a. Will be expended only for tuition expenses, other reasonable 
educational expenses, reasonable living expenses incurred while in 
attendance at the school, and/or payment to the individual of a monthly 
stipend of not more than the amount authorized for NHSC scholarship 
recipients under Section 338A(g)(1)(B) of the PHS Act; and
    b. Will not, for any year of such attendance for which the 
scholarship is provided, be in an amount exceeding the total amount 
required for the year for the purposes indicated in paragraph (a) 
above.
    4. The individual agrees to meet the educational and certification 
or licensure requirements necessary to become a primary care physician, 
certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician 
assistant in the State in which the individual is to practice under the 
contract; and,
    5. The individual agrees that, in providing primary health care 
pursuant to the scholarship, he/she:
    a. Will not, in the case of an individual seeking care, 
discriminate on the basis of the ability of the individual to pay for 
such care or on the basis that payment for such care will be made 
pursuant to the programs established in Titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX 
(Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; and,
    b. Will accept assignment under Section 1842(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the 
Social Security Act for all services for which payment may be made 
under Part B of Title XVIII, and will enter into an appropriate 
agreement with the State agency that administers the State plan for 
medical assistance under Title XIX to provide service to individuals 
entitled to medical assistance under the plan.

Evaluation Criteria

    For new and competing continuation grants the following criteria 
will be used to evaluate applications: (a) The magnitude and extent of 
the need for the grant to provide primary health care, as described in 
the proposal; (b) The extent to which the applicant's and community's 
recruitment plans are consistent with the State's plans for meeting the 
needs of the community's primary care system; (c) The adequacy of the 
methodology for selecting community organizations, and for monitoring 
and evaluating the community organization's compliance with the terms 
and conditions of the grant; (d) The degree of documented community 
commitment to and involvement with the grant; (e) The appropriateness 
of the proposed plan to administer and manage the grant; and (f) The 
soundness of the budget and the budget justification for assuring 
effective utilization of grant funds. For competing continuation 
applications, evaluation will also be made of program outcomes and the 
degree to which stated goals and objectives were achieved.

Other Grant Information

    The CSP is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, as 
implemented by 45 CFR Part 100, which allows States the option of 
setting up a system for reviewing applications from within their States 
for assistance under certain Federal programs. The application package 
for this program will include a list of States with review systems and 
the single point of contact (SPOC) in each State for the review. 
Applicants (other than federally-recognized Indian tribal governments)

[[Page 30077]]

should contact their State SPOCs as early as possible to alert them to 
the prospective applications and receive any necessary instructions on 
the State process. For proposed projects serving more than one State, 
the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected State. 
The due date for State process recommendations is 60 days after the 
application deadline. The BPHC does not guarantee that it will 
accommodate or explain its response to State process recommendations 
received after that date. Grants will be administered in accordance 
with HHS regulations in 45 CFR Part 92. The OMB Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number for this program is 93.931.

    Dated: June 7, 1996.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-15024 Filed 6-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P