[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 115 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32648-32649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15706]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration U.S.-
Mexico Border Four-State Substance Abuse Initiative

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

ACTION: Availability of funds for grant awards to the Single State 
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Agencies (SSAs) of Arizona, California, New 
Mexico and Texas for delivery of community-based substance abuse 
prevention programs and services.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to inform the public that CSAP is making 
available approximately $800,000 for four awards of $200,000 each in FY 
1997 to these State governments so they may provide community-level 
substance abuse prevention services in U.S. towns and communities 
within 60 miles of the U.S.-Mexico Border. Upon receipt of satisfactory 
applications that are recommended for approval by an Initial Review 
Group and the CSAP National Advisory Council, Federal funds may be 
awarded.
    Eligibility for these funds is limited to the SSA in the states of 
Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas--the only states that are on 
the U.S.-Mexico border. Grants may be awarded to the SSA, which, in 
turn, will issue subgrants or contracts for locally developed 
prevention programs and services. Subrecipients could include: local 
prevention providers, local civic groups and associations, county 
prevention councils, and other health-oriented providers that apply on 
behalf of themselves or on behalf of community-based anti-drug 
coalitions. Applicants are encouraged to consider community 
partnerships and coalitions, which may be strategically located and 
well suited to administer community-based prevention activities along 
the border.
    The U.S.-Mexico Border Initiative is consistent with the ONDCP and 
HHS/SAMHSA approach for working collaboratively with State agencies and 
local communities to refine and strengthen their ability to provide 
more efficient and responsive prevention services. Accordingly, 
eligibility is

[[Page 32649]]

limited to the SSA so that consistent State-wide strategies on 
substance abuse prevention will be implemented in the targeted border 
areas. The SSA is also the administrator of the Substance Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, which sets aside 20 
percent of the funds for primary prevention activities. This set-aside 
is a large resource available to the State for prevention activities, 
and could be used to expand support for the resources available under 
this initiative.
    The SSA's historic leadership role and commitment to substance 
abuse prevention, along with the infrastructure developed through the 
SAPT Block Grant funds, can spur the support of other State and 
community organizations to ensure that border substance abuse 
prevention initiatives assume a high priority.
    The SSAs are responsible for ensuring community-based prevention 
program development in all communities within the State. Therefore, 
SSAs operate at an optimum jurisdictional level to support the type(s) 
of activities required for overseeing this multi-community, border area 
effort. In particular, their broad-based authority will help ensure the 
following: (1) successful implementation of the State evaluation plan, 
which requires the sharing of data and information across subrecipient 
projects; (2) optimal use of the State's technical assistance resources 
to support border efforts implemented with these grant funds; and (3) 
greater likelihood of sustaining these prevention efforts following the 
end of the Federal grant period.
    Moreover, SSAs have access to both border area and State-wide 
substance abuse incidence and prevalence data. They are uniquely 
positioned to track State-wide and border community trends, assess the 
severity of substance abuse-related problems, and identify 
appropriately targeted programmatic responses.
    Finally, by continuing to work cooperatively with the State Border 
Health Desks, which were established to address the specific needs of 
the border, SSAs further strengthen their ability and authority to 
carry out the U.S.-Mexico Border Initiative. Working together, the SSAs 
and the Border Health Desks help ensure that the most appropriate 
subrecipient communities with concentrated substance abuse prevention 
needs will receive these limited grant funds.

    Authority: Awards will be made under the authority of Section 
501 (d) (5) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 USC 
290aa).

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CDFA) number is 93.230.

CONTACT: Dan Fletcher, Division of State and Community Systems 
Development, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, Rockwall II, 9th floor, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301) 443-5660.

    Dated: June 10, 1997.
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 97-15706 Filed 6-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P