[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31998-32000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-15540]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Announcement Number 98065]


Grant to Study a Healthy Home/Healthy Community Intervention 
Notice of Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 1998

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 1998 funds for a grant to evaluate the 
effectiveness of a Healthy Homes/Healthy Community intervention to 
improve children's health by addressing environmental hazards in 
deteriorating communities and inadequate housing. This program 
addresses the Healthy People 2000 priority areas of Environmental 
Health, Educational and Community-Based Programs, and Maternal and 
Infant Health.
    The purpose of this program is the implementation and evaluation of 
an intervention strategy in a target neighborhood to prevent childhood 
disease caused by health hazards in the residential environment. This 
intervention will be to bring to bear private- and public-sector 
financing to reduce multiple environmental hazards and associated 
childhood morbidities at the level of both individual home and 
surrounding neighborhood.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit 
organizations and by governments and their agencies; that is 
universities, colleges, research institutions, hospitals, other public 
and private nonprofit organizations, State and local governments or 
their bona fide agent.

    Note: Public Law 104-65 states that an organization described in 
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that

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engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal 
funds constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, 
loan, or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $100,000 is available in FY 1998 to fund 1 award. It 
is expected that the award will begin on or about September 30, 1998, 
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period 
of up to 3 years. Funding estimates may change.

Use of Funds

     Applicants may enter into contracts and consortia 
agreements and understandings as necessary to meet the requirements of 
the program and strengthen the overall application.
     Grants funds may not be expended for medical care and 
treatment or for environmental remediation.

D. Cooperative Activities

    The following are applicant requirements:
    1. A director with specific authority and responsibility to carry 
out the requirements of the project and has demonstrated experience in 
conducting relevant epidemiologic studies, including publication of 
original research in peer-reviewed journals.
    2. Design, implement and evaluate a single strategy intervention 
which may be based on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a Federal 
law requiring federally insured deposit facilities (e.g. banks and 
thrift-deposit agencies) to respond to identified credit needs in low-
income communities that they serve. (To obtain information on CRA see 
WHERE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.)
    3. Evaluate and interpret the outcome of the intervention, 
including, collecting and analyzing data necessary to enable 
measurement of these outcomes.
    4. Disseminate research findings.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES, OTHER 
REQUIREMENTS, and EVALUATION CRITERIA sections to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than 30 double-spaced pages, 
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font.
    Please prepare your application following the instructions in the 
PHS Form 398. The following are requirements:
    1. Research and intervention plan including: The proposed 
activities should be clearly described in terms of need, scientific 
basis, target neighborhood, financial institution participation, 
expected interactions, and anticipated outcomes.
    2. A research plan (design and methods) including hypothesis and 
expected outcome, value to field, and specific, measurable, and time-
framed objectives consistent with the proposed intervention strategy. 
The applicant must demonstrate that they have met the CDC/ATSDR policy 
requirements regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial 
groups in the proposed projects. This includes:
    a. The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and 
ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation;
    b. The proposed justification when representation is limited or 
absent;
    c. A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to 
measure differences when warranted; and
    d. A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach 
for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships 
with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.
    Human Subjects: If the proposed research involves obtaining data 
through intervention or interaction with an individual(s) or 
identifiable private information, then the applicant must provide 
background information on the precautions that will be put in place to 
protect human subjects.
    3. Plans to collect baseline and post-intervention measures of 
environmental hazards, for example, the number of residential units in 
a defined neighborhood with specified hazards.
    4. Plans to collect baseline and post-intervention measures of 
specified health effects among children (e.g., hospital admissions for 
asthma or specified injuries, reports of rat bites, elevated blood lead 
levels, pesticide or other household poisonings).
    5. Evidence of effective and well-defined working relationships 
within the performing organization and with outside entities which will 
ensure implementation of the proposed study.
    6. Evidence of access to a laboratory with necessary proficiency in 
performing environmental and biologic laboratory measurements as 
required by the proposed study protocol.
    7. Plans to ensure that children identified with health conditions 
associated with environmental hazards are referred for appropriate 
medical and environmental management. If the applicant does not have 
direct responsibility for such activities, a letter of support from the 
organization with that responsibility is required.
    8. Evidence of ability to identify and gain access to a 
neighborhood with demonstrated environmental hazards and associated 
childhood morbidities among residents, and to collect appropriate 
environmental and biologic data.
    9. Evidence that a deposit facility (bank or thrift) that is 
subject to the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act has agreed 
to participate in the intervention strategy.

F. Application Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and five copies of PHS Form 398 (Revised 5/95, 
OMB Control Number 0925-0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata 
Instruction Sheet for PHS Form 398). Forms are in the application kit. 
On or before August 10, 1998, submit the application to: Lisa T. 
Garbarino, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement Number 98065, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., 
Room 300, Mailstop E-13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209.
    If your application does not arrive in time for submission to the 
independent review group, it will not be considered in the current 
competition unless you can provide proof that you mailed it on or 
before the deadline (i.e., a legibly dated receipt from U.S. Postal 
Service or a commercial carrier; private metered postmarks are not 
acceptable).

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.
1. Research and Intervention Plan (50 Points)
    a. Description of the intervention strategy and how it will be 
implemented that is sufficient to enable replication of the 
intervention.
    b. Evaluation plans; scientific soundness (including description of 
both hazard and health-effect outcomes to be measured, adequate sample 
size with power calculations), quality, feasibility, consistency with 
the project goals.
    c. Access to suitable target neighborhood and cooperation of a 
financial institution.
2. Environmental, Educational, and Medical Intervention (15 Points)
    Ability to provide appropriate referral for children identified as 
having the

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environmental exposures specified in the intervention.
3. Project Personnel (15 Points)
    The qualifications, experience, (including experience in conducting 
relevant studies) and time commitment of the staff needed to ensure 
implementation of the project.
4. Laboratory Capacity (10 Points)
    Documented availability of a laboratory with demonstrated 
proficiency in performing laboratory measurements as indicated in 
applicant's proposed study.
5. Performance Measurement (10 Points)
    Schedule for implementing and monitoring the project. The extent to 
which the application documents specific, attainable, and realistic 
goals and clearly indicates the performance measures that will be 
monitored, how they will be monitored, and with what frequency.
6. Budget and Justification (Not Scored)
    The budget will be evaluated for the extent to which it is 
reasonable, clearly justified, and consistent with the intended use of 
cooperative agreement funds.
7. Human Subjects (Not Scored)
    If human subjects will be involved, how will they be protected, 
i.e., describe the review process which will govern their 
participation. The applicant must demonstrate that they have met the 
CDC Policy requirements regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and 
racial groups in the proposed research. This includes:
    a. The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and 
ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation;
    b. The proposed justification when representation is limited or 
absent;
    c. A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to 
measure differences when warranted; and
    d. A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach 
for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships 
with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.

H. Other Requirements

    Technical Reporting Requirements Provide CDC with the original plus 
two copies of
    1. Annual progress reports including the following for each goal or 
activity involved in the study:
    a. a comparison of actual accomplishments to the goals established 
for the period;
    b. the reasons for slippage if established goals were not met; and
    c. other pertinent information and data essential to evaluating 
progress.
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period, and
    3. Final financial report and performance report no more than 90 
days after the end of the project period.
    Send all reports to: Lisa T. Garbarino, Grants Management 
Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry 
Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209.
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Addendum 1 (included 
in the application kit).

AR98-1  Human Subjects Requirements
AR98-2  Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic 
Minorities in Research
AR98-9  Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR98-10  Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR98-11  Healthy People 2000
AR98-12  Lobbying Restrictions

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act, 
Section 301(a) [42 U.S.C. section 241(a)], as amended. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.197.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    To receive additional written information call 1-888-GRANTS4 (1-
888-472-6874). You will be asked to leave your name, organization, 
address, and phone number and will need Announcement Number 98065. All 
application procedures and guidelines are contained within that package 
or can be found on the CDC Home Page. The address for the CDC Home Page 
is [http://www.cdc.gov].
    Business management technical assistance, contact: Lisa T. 
Garbarino, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement Number 98065, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., 
Room 300, Mailstop E-13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209, Telephone: (404) 
842-6796, E-mail address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Nancy Tips, National 
Center for Environmental Health, Division of Environmental Hazards and 
Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 
Buford Highway, NE., Room 1320, Mailstop F-42, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, 
Telephone: (770) 488-7277, E-mail address: [email protected].
    To receive the document Innovative Financing Sources for Lead 
Hazard Control published by the Alliance to End Childhood Lead 
Poisoning, or the booklet on Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), contact 
Nancy Tips. (Address and number above.)
Joseph R. Carter,
Acting Associate Director for Management and Operations, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-15540 Filed 6-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P