[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2374-2375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1060]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
Title 35, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Public Law 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed 
project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft 
instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1129.
    Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

Proposed Projects

    1. Project To Assess Bi/Multilingual Services Offered At Selected 
Community And Migrant Health Centers--NEW--Recognizing the importance 
of language-appropriate services to full and effective health care 
provision, the Office of Minority and Women's Health in the Bureau of 
Primary Health Care [BPHC], Health Resources and Services 
Administration [HRSA], proposes to conduct a voluntary survey to assess 
the composition and provision of bi/multilingual services at 150 
Community and Migrant Health Centers [C/MHCs] identified as likely to 
be serving such populations. This effort was developed so that 
information could be gathered to assist the field, funding agency 
staff, and policy makers in better understanding what works, what does 
not, and barriers and facilitators to effective health service 
provision for speakers of languages other than English.
    The information gathered will provide HRSA with an information base 
upon which to build in making future program decisions regarding C/MHC 
resource and staffing needs in order to reduce or eliminate the 
barriers to health care often faced by non- or limited-English-speaking 
populations. The end result of the program will be to assist the 
funding agency to help C/MHCs and by extension, other providers of 
health care for non- or limited-English speaking populations, to 
provide appropriate services. An estimate of the hour burden 
anticipated for the 150 C/MHC Directors to whom the survey will be 
mailed is shown below.

[[Page 2375]]



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                                                                Responses per      Hours per        Total hour  
               Form                     No. of respondents        respondent        response          burden    
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Bi/Multilingual Services Survey...  150 C/MHC Directors......               1        2.5 hours        375 hours 
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    2. Study on Ethnicity/Race of Subpopulations: User/Clients and 
Providers in Bureau-Supported Programs--NEW--National health statistics 
show that there are disproportionately high numbers of individuals from 
ethnic minority groups who have low incomes and limited access to 
health care. In addition, recent published studies indicate that 
cultural and linguistic barriers discourage many minority group members 
from seeking medical attention from certain service providers. For 
these reasons, and given the fact that certain diseases and disorders 
have a higher prevalence within particular ethnic groups, it is 
important for the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) to have full 
understanding of the ethnicity of clients and providers at health 
centers supported through the Community Health Center Program, Migrant 
Health Center Program, Health Care for the Homeless, Primary Health 
Care in Public Housing, and the HIV Health Center Program. The ultimate 
purpose of this study is to examine subpopulation data on the service 
providers and users of these health care agencies supported by BPHC.
    In the first stage of the study, emphasis will be on gathering, 
organizing, analyzing, and reporting on ethnicity/race data that are 
currently available. This stage will be in preparation for a mail 
survey of health centers who receive BPHC support (through the programs 
listed above) to obtain detailed data on the ethnic/racial composition 
of users and providers. The mail survey will also request information 
on their data collection processes for ethnicity and race, which will 
be used to guide future BPHC efforts to collect race/ethnicity 
subpopulation data, making maximum use of the data collection and 
storage methods already employed by BPHC grantees.

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                                                                Responses per    Average hours     Total burden 
        Type of respondent              No. of respondents        respondent      per response        hours     
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BPHC Grantees.....................  800......................               1                1              800 
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    Send comments to Patricia Royston, HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 14-36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: January 10, 1997.
J. Henry Montes,
Director, Office of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 97-1060 Filed 1-15-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P