[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 17, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37280-37281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18067]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Minority Fellowship Program

AGENCY: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of planned awards for renewal clinical training grants 
under the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) to the American Nurses 
Association (ANA) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

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SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) plans to 
award renewal MFP grants to the ANA and the

[[Page 37281]]

CSWE for the clinical training of nursing and social work trainees who 
are committed to careers for service to ethnic minorities with mental 
and/or addictive disorders. The project period for the renewal grants 
is anticipated to be 3 years. The first year will be funded with 
approximately $300,000 for each grantee.
    This is not a general request for applications. The renewal 
clinical training grants will only be made to the ANA and the CSWE 
based on the receipt of satisfactory applications that are recommended 
for approval by an Initial Review Group and the CMHS National Advisory 
Council.

AUTHORITY: The awards will be made under the authority of section 303 
of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. The authority to administer 
this program has been delegated to the Director, CMHS. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program is 93.244.

BACKGROUND: CMHS has the responsibility for mental health workforce 
development, including the clinical training of mental health 
professionals concerned with the treatment of underserved priority 
populations; i.e., adults with serious mental illness; children with 
serious emotional disturbance; and elderly, and/or ethnic minority, 
and/or rural populations with mental and addictive disorders.
    The CMHS MFP is specifically designed to significantly increase the 
number of professionals trained at the doctoral level to teach, 
administer, and provide direct mental health and substance abuse 
services to members of ethnic minority groups.
    Renewal applications may be submitted only by the ANA and the CSWE. 
Each of these two professional organizations has unique access to those 
students entering its professions. Both the fields of social work and 
psychiatric nursing have been nationally recognized for decades as part 
of the four core mental health disciplines (along with psychiatry and 
psychology). Social workers and nurses provide parts of an essential 
core of services for individuals with serious mental illness and also 
less severe mental disorders.
    The ANA is the largest national professional nurses organization in 
the country. The ANA and its affiliates have activities in all major 
areas of national policies affecting nursing as a profession, including 
education and training.
    The CSWE is a specialized organization for the field of social 
work, focussing exclusively on the education and training of social 
workers.
    Both ANA and CSWE along with their affiliates have direct 
involvement in curriculum development, school accreditation, and pre/
postdoctoral training. The ANA and CSWE have had decades of experience 
in working directly with the university training programs in their 
respective fields.
    Because of the above unique characteristics and long experience, 
the National Institute of Mental Health, the original funding agency 
for this program, chose ANA and CSWE as the exclusive representatives 
for their fields. For over 20 years, the ANA and CSWE have administered 
the MFP exceptionally well, have recruited excellent students, assured 
that all program requirements were satisfied, and effectively monitored 
the progress of fellows during and after the fellowship period. These 
two MFP grantees continue in their unique position to represent these 
two core mental health disciplines and eligibility has been restricted 
to them accordingly.
    Therefore, because the ANA and CSWE grant support will end in FY 
1996, CMHS is providing additional support for up to 3 years via 
renewal grant awards. The American Psychiatric Association and the 
American Psychological Association have ongoing CMHS MFP grant support.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Questions concerning the CMHS MFP may be 
directed to Paul Wohlford, Ph.D., Acting Chief, Human Resources 
Planning and Development Branch, CMHS, Room 15C-18, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, Maryland 20857, telephone (301)443-4257.

    Dated: July 11, 1996.
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 96-18067 Filed 7-16-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P