[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14121-14123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7496]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notification of new system of records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act, the 
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is publishing 
notice of a proposal to add a new system of records 09-15-0060, 
Minority/Disadvantaged Health Professions Programs, Health and Human 
Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of 
Health Professions. HRSA proposes to add names and social security 
numbers (SSN) of participants in the health professions programs of 
Title VII of the Public Health Service Act, in sections 739 Centers of 
Excellence, and 740 Educational Assistance Regarding Undergraduates. 
This new system of records is used for program evaluation to 
effectively track program participants through the health professions 
pathway to a health professions practice outcome. Participants will be 
advised that the provision of SSNs is voluntary.

DATES: HRSA invites interested parties to submit comments on the 
proposed new use of existing record on or before May 4, 1998. HRSA has 
sent a Report of New System of Records to the Congress and to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on March 2, 1998. The New System 
of Records will be effective 40 days from the date submitted to OMB 
unless HRSA receives comments which would result in a contrary 
determination.

ADDRESS: Please address comments to Richard E. Henrichsen, the Health 
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Privacy Act Officer, 
Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 14A-
20, Rockville; Maryland 20857; telephone (301) 443-3780. Comments 
received will be available for inspection at this same address from 9 
a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. This is not a toll-free number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Division of Disadvantaged 
Assistance, Room 8A-09, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, Maryland 20857; telephone (301) 443-2100. This is not a 
toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) proposes to establish a new system of records: 
09-15-0060, ``Minority/Disadvantaged Health Professions Programs, HHS/
HRSA/BHPr.'' This program awards grants to schools of allopathic 
medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, public 
health, allied health, podiatric and chiropractic medicine, veterinary 
medicine, public and non-profit private schools which offer graduate 
programs in clinical psychology, and other public or private non-profit 
health or educational entities to carry out programs which assist 
individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter and graduate from 
these schools. Grants are also awarded to health professions schools 
for the purpose of assisting them in supporting programs of excellence 
in health professions education for minority individuals.
    The purposes of the records maintained in this system are to: (1) 
Maintain information relative to the activities and participants of 
programs of institutions and organizations awarded grants under this 
program; (2) to monitor grantees' performance outcomes and progress in 
meeting stated objectives; (3) to track individual program participants 
using aggregate

[[Page 14122]]

data base identifiers with other aggregate data bases from various 
sources in order to assess program effectiveness and outcomes; and (4) 
to compile and generate managerial and statistical reports.
    HRSA will permit disclosure of the records to third parties 
pursuant to a routine use as follows. The first routine use permits 
disclosure to a congressional office to allow subject individuals to 
obtain assistance from their representatives in Congress, if they so 
desire. The second routine use allows disclosure to the Department of 
Justice or a court, in the event of litigation. The third routine use 
allows disclosure of records to contractors for the purposes of data 
analysis and record systems processing and refinement.
    For monitoring of this program and determining its outcomes and 
effectiveness, grantees will be asked to provide the names of 
participants in their programs.
    The following notice is written in the present tense, rather than 
the future tense, in order to avoid the unnecessary expenditure of 
public funds to republish the notice after the alteration becomes 
effective.

    Dated: March 2, 1998.
Claude Earl Fox,
Acting Administrator.
09-15-0060

SYSTEM NAME:
    Minority/Disadvantaged Health Professions Programs, HHS/HRSA/BHPr.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, 
Health Resources and Services Administration, Room 8A-09, Parklawn 
Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Institutional grantees, student and faculty participants in the 
Health Careers Opportunity Program, and Centers of Excellence Program.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Name of the institutional grantee, grant number, type of grantee 
institution, budget information, project dates, amount of grant award, 
program participants by name, date of birth, social security number, 
race ethnicity and gender, current educational pathway or practice 
status of participants, outcomes of program participation for 
participants, and programmatic results for the grantee.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    The Programs are authorized by Title VII, sections 739 Center of 
Excellence and 740 Educational Assistance Regarding Undergraduates of 
the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Pub. L. 102-408.

PURPOSE(S):
    1. To maintain information relative to the activities and 
participants of programs conducted by institutions and organizations 
awarded grants under this program.
    2. To monitor grantees' performance outcomes and progress in 
meeting stated objectives.
    3. To track individual student program participants in order to 
evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes.
    4. To compile and generate statistical reports.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    1. Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the record 
of an individual participant or institutional grantee, in response to 
an inquiry from the congressional office made at the request of the 
student or the institution.
    2. Disclosure may be made to the Department of Justice, or to a 
court or other tribunal, from this system of records, when (a) HHS, or 
any component thereof; or (b) any HHS employee in his or her official 
capacity; or (c) any HHS employee in his or her individual capacity 
where the Department of Justice (or HHS, where it is authorized to do 
so) has agreed to represent the employee; or (d) the United States or 
any agency thereof, where HHS determines that the litigation is likely 
to affect HHS or any of its components, is a party to litigation or has 
an interest in such litigation, and HHS determines that the use of such 
records by the Department of Justice, the court or other tribunal is 
relevant and necessary to the litigation and would help in the 
effective representation of the governmental party, provided, however, 
that in such case HHS determines that such disclosure is compatible 
with the purpose for which the records were collected.
    3. HRSA may disclose records to Department contractors and 
subcontractors for the purposes of conducting data analysis for program 
evaluations, compiling managerial and statistical reports, and record 
systems processing and refinement.
    4. In the event that a system of records maintained by this agency 
to carry out its functions indicates a violation or potential violation 
of law, whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in nature and whether 
arising by general statute or particular program statute, or by 
regulation, rule, or order issued pursuant thereto, the relevant 
records in the system of records may be referred to the appropriate 
agency, whether Federal, State or local, charged with the 
responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation or 
charged with enforcing or implementing the statute or rule, regulation 
or order issued pursuant thereto.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
    Records are maintained in file folders, on computer hard drives 
and/or disk packs.

RETRIEVABILITY:
    Retrieval will be by grantee name or by grant number or programs' 
participant name and/or social security number.

SAFEGUARDS:
    1. Assign Responsibility for Security: Assign responsibility for 
security to a management official knowledgeable in the nature of the 
information and process supported by the application and in the 
management, personnel, operational, and technical controls used to 
protect it.
    2. Develop Application Security Plan: Plan for the adequate 
security of the application, taking into account the security of all 
systems in which the application will operate. Application security 
plans shall address application rules, training on use of the system, 
personnel security, contingency planning, technical controls, 
information sharing, public access controls.
    3. Review Application Controls: Perform an independent review or 
audit of the security control in the application at least every 3 
years.
    4. Authorize Processing: Ensure that a management official 
authorizes in writing use of the application by confirming that its 
security plan as implemented adequately secures the application. The 
application must be authorized prior to operating and reauthorized at 
least every 3 years thereafter. Management authorization implies 
accepting the risk of each system used by the application.
    5. Implementation Guidelines: DHHS Chapter 45-13 and supplementary

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Chapter PHS.H:45-13 of the General Administration Manual; the DHHS 
Automated Information Systems Security Program Handbook; and Appendix 
III to OMB Circular No. A-130.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    Records will be retained for 6 years after the grant is closed, and 
then destroyed.

SYSTEM MANAGER(s) AND ADDRESS:
    Director, Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health 
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn 
Building, Room 8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
    Requests must be made to the System Manager.
    Requests in person: An individual who appears at the site where 
records are stored seeking access to or disclosure of records relating 
to him/her shall provide his/her name, current address, and at least 
one piece of identification such as driver's license, passport, voter 
registration card, or union card. Identification with a current 
photograph is preferred but not required. Additional identification may 
be requested when there is a request for access to records which 
contain an apparent discrepancy between information contained in the 
records and that provided by the individual requesting access to the 
records. No verification of identity shall be required where the record 
is one which is required to be disclosed under the Freedom of 
Information Act.
    Requests by mail: Requests for information and/or access to records 
received by mail must contain information providing the identity of the 
writer and a reasonable description of the record desired. Written 
requests must contain the name and address of the requester, his/her 
date of birth and at least one piece of information which is also 
contained in the subject record, and his/her signature for comparison 
purposes.
    Requests by telephone: Since positive identification of the caller 
cannot be established, telephone requests are not honored.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Same as notification procedures. Requesters should also reasonably 
specify the record contents being sought. Individuals may also request 
an accounting of disclosure that may have been made of their records, 
if any.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURE: 
    Contact the System Manager at the address specified above and 
reasonably identify the record, specify the information being 
contested, and state the corrective action and the reason(s) for 
requesting the correction, along with supporting justification to show 
how the record is inaccurate, incomplete, untimely, or irrelevant.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Institutions and organizations awarded grants.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
    None.

[FR Doc. 98-7496 Filed 3-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P