[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19768-19770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10473]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Availability of Funds for Planning Grants To Establish 
Comprehensive HIV Primary Health Care Services; The Ryan White 
Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990, as Amended by the 
Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 1996

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Availability of Grants to Support Planning Activities To 
Establish Comprehensive Primary Health Care Services with Respect to 
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Disease.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces that applications will be accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1997 
discretionary grants to support communities and health care service 
entities in their preparations to provide a high quality and broad, 
comprehensive scope of primary health care services for people in 
underserved areas who are living with HIV or at risk of infection. The 
Ryan White Title III HIV Planning Grants are intended to assist health 
care service entities to qualify for grant support under the Ryan White 
Title III Early Intervention Services Program.
    These grants are awarded under the provisions of Part C of Title 
XXVI of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Ryan 
White CARE Act Amendments of 1996, Public Law 104-146 (42 U.S.C. 300ff-
51--300ff-67).
    The PHS is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national 
activity for setting health priorities. This grant program is related 
to the objectives cited for special populations, particularly people 
with low income, minorities, and the disabled, which constitute a 
significant portion of the homeless population. 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 202-783-3238).
    PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract 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.

DUE DATE: Applications are due on May 23, 1997. 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 legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. 
Postal Service. Private metered postmarks are not acceptable as proof 
of timely mailing. Applications postmarked after the announced closing 
date will not be considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: Application kits (Form PHS 5161-1) with revised face sheet 
DHHS Form 424, as approved by the Office of Management and Budget under 
control number 0937-0189 may be obtained from, and completed 
applications should be mailed to HRSA Grants Application Center, 40 
West Gude Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20850 (telephone: 1-888-300-
4772). The Bureau of Primary Health Care's Office of Grants Management 
can also provide assistance on business management issues, and can be 
reached at 4350 East-

[[Page 19769]]

 West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 (telephone: 301-594-4235).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information and technical 
assistance, contact Dr. Deborah Parham of the HIV Primary Care Programs 
Branch, Division of Programs for Special Populations, Bureau of Primary 
Health Care, 4350 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 (telephone: 
301-594-4444).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Number of Awards

    It is anticipated that approximately 13 grants will be awarded, 
ranging from approximately $25,000 up to $50,000 each year for a two-
year project period. The awarding of Ryan White Title III HIV Planning 
Grants will not obligate the HRSA to support applicants for additional 
Planning Grants or for future operational funding. Continuation awards 
for the second year will be made subject to the availability of funds 
and the satisfactory progress in the previous year toward meeting the 
goals and objectives of the proposed planning process.

Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are public or nonprofit private entities who 
are not currently grant recipients of the Ryan White Title III Early 
Intervention Services Program. In awarding the grants, preference will 
be given to entities that provide primary care services in rural or 
underserved communities.
    The HIV Planning Grant is intended to assist health care service 
entities to qualify for grant support under the Ryan White Title III 
Early Intervention Services Program. Eligible applicants for that grant 
program are public or private, nonprofit entities that are: current 
primary care service providers to populations at risk for HIV disease; 
community health centers under Section 330 of the PHS Act; migrant 
health centers under Section 330(g) of the PHS Act; health care for the 
homeless grantees under Section 330(h) of the PHS Act; family planning 
grantees under Section 1001 of the PHS Act, other than states; 
comprehensive hemophilia diagnostic and treatment centers; or federally 
qualified health centers under section 1905(1)(2)(B) of the Social 
Security Act.

Project Requirements

    Funds are to be used to mobilize and organize community resources, 
and to strengthen organizational capacity so that HIV comprehensive 
primary health care services can be established or strengthened. 
Proposed planning activities should address the requirements for the 
Ryan White Title III Early Intervention Services Program, as specified 
in the statute (sections 2651, 2661 and 2662 of the PHS Act).
    Grant recipients are expected to: engage and coordinate suitable 
community organizations to plan for HIV primary care services; conduct 
an initial HIV/AIDS primary care needs assessment for the proposed 
service area; develop a plan of action to address priority needs; and 
undertake the necessary preparations to become operational. Related to 
these endeavors, Ryan White Title III Planning Grant recipients may 
also strengthen their organizational capability in clinical, 
administrative, managerial, fiscal and MIS structures.
    The expected outcome of this grant program is either that (1) grant 
recipients become prepared, through the planning process, to offer 
comprehensive HIV primary care services to their communities; or (2) 
grant recipients lead a process of community development, at the 
conclusion of which other health care entities emerge as the most 
appropriate and capable service providers of comprehensive HIV primary 
care, and become prepared to offer such services to their communities.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications

    Competitive applications for HIV Planning Grant support will be 
evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:
--The need in the community for assistance, based on the 2-year period 
preceding the proposed grant period. In awarding the grants, preference 
will be given to applicants who provide primary care services in rural 
or underserved areas where emerging or ongoing HIV issues have not been 
adequately addressed. Applicants must present a compelling case for 
grant support by drawing the connection between the services that they 
hope to establish and the significant disease burden and need for HIV 
primary care services among underserved populations in their 
communities.
--The adequacy, scope and completeness of the proposed planning 
activities.
--The applicant's role in the community and the extent to which 
proposed actions can reasonably assure effective collaboration with 
potential partners, including other Federal Ryan White programs.
--The degree to which the proposed budget is appropriate to the program 
plan and the degree to which coordination with other funding sources is 
well documented.
--The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the active inclusion 
of people living with HIV/AIDS, or the organizations that represent 
them, in the planning and evaluation process.
--The adequacy and completeness of proposed evaluation activities, 
which are designed to ensure that goals and objectives are achieved in 
a timely manner and that the planning process is effective.

Other Award Information

    Public Health System Reporting Requirements: Under these 
requirements (approved by the Office of Management and Budget 0937-
0195), the community-based nongovernmental applicant must prepare and 
submit a Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The PHSIS is 
intended to provide information to State and local health officials to 
keep them apprised of proposed health services grant applications 
submitted by community-based nongovernmental organizations within their 
jurisdictions. Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required 
to submit the following information to the head of the appropriate 
State and local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later 
than the Federal application receipt due date:
    (1) A copy of the face page of the application (SF 424).
    (2) A summary of the project, not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
    (a) A description of the population to be served,
    (b) A summary of the services to be provided, and
    (c) A description of the coordination undertaken and planned with 
the appropriate Federal, State and local health agencies.
    The Program to Provide Outpatient Early Intervention Services with 
Respect to HIV Disease, of which the Ryan White Title III HIV Planning 
Grant is a subpart, has been determined to be a program which is 
subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 concerning 
intergovernmental review of Federal programs by appropriate health 
planning agencies, as implemented by 45 CFR Part 100. Executive Order 
12372 allows States the option of setting up a system for reviewing 
applications from within their States for assistance under certain 
Federal programs. The application packages to be made available under 
this notice will contain a listing of States which have chosen to set 
up a review system and will provide a State point of contact (SPOC) in 
the

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State for the review. Applicants (other than federally-recognized 
Indian tribal governments) should contact their SPOC 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 appropriate deadline dates. The 
BPHC does not guarantee that it will accommodate or explain its 
responses to State process recommendations received after the date. 
(See ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs'', Executive Order 
12372, and 45 CFR part 100 for a description of the review process and 
requirements.)

(The OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for this 
program is 93.918.)

    Dated: April 17, 1997.
Claude Earl Fox,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-10473 Filed 4-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P