[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 39 (Monday, March 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10090-10092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4869]



[[Page 10089]]

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Part V





Department of Health and Human Services





_______________________________________________________________________



Office of Public Health and Science



_______________________________________________________________________



Family Planning General Training and Technical Assistance Projects; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 39 / Monday, March 1, 1999 / 
Notices  

[[Page 10090]]



DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Public Health and Science


Announcement of Availability of Grants for Family Planning 
General Training and Technical Assistance Projects

AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, Office of Population Affairs, OPHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of 
Population Affairs requests applications for grants under the Family 
Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003 of the 
Public Health Service (PHS) Act. Funds are available both to train 
family planning personnel and to provide specialized technical 
assistance in order to maintain the high level of performance of family 
planning service projects funded under Title X of the PHS Act. Training 
will be provided under this announcement by general training centers in 
the ten Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) regions.

DATES: Applications must be received, or postmarked and received in 
time for submission to the review committee, no later than April 30, 
1999.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be requested by fax at (214) 767-3425. 
Application kits may also be obtained from and applications must be 
submitted to: Office of Grants Management for Family Planning Services, 
1301 Young Street, Suite 766, Dallas, Texas 75202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Program Requirements

    Regional Program Consultants (RPCs) or Regional Project Officers 
for Family Planning: Region I, Jim Sliker--(617) 565-1060; Region II, 
Lucille Katz--(212) 264-2535; Region III, Louis Belmonte--(215) 861-
4641; Cristino Rodriguez--(404) 562-7900; Region V, Janice Ely--(312) 
886-3864; Region VI, Evelyn Glass--(214) 767-3088; Region VII, 
Elizabeth Curtis--(816) 426-2924; Region VIII, John McCarthy--(303) 
844-6163, Extension 399; Region IX, Nadine Simons--(415) 437-7984; 
Region X, Janet Wildeboor--(206) 615-2776.

Administrative and Budgetary Requirements

    Maudeen Pickett, Grants Management Officer, Office of Grants 
Management for Family Planning Services--214/767-3401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et 
seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award 
grants for projects to provide training for family planning service 
personnel. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.260). This 
notice announces the availability of approximately $3,200,000 in 
funding and solicits applications for general training and technical 
assistance projects to assist in the establishment and operation of 
regional training centers in the ten PHS regions. Grants will be funded 
within certain ranges as set out below. Funding of individual grants 
within each funding range will be based on the RHA's assessment of such 
factors as the training and technical assistance needs within the 
region and the cost and availability of personnel for the project. 
Competing grant applications are invited for training and technical 
assistance projects as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Region                    States               Funding range
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.......................  CN, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT..     $226,000-$256,000
II......................  NJ, NY, PR, VI..........       359,000-389,000
III.....................  DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV..       373,000-403,000
IV......................  KY, MS, NC, TN, AL, FL,        436,000-466,000
                           GA, SC.
V.......................  IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI..       377,000-407,000
VI......................  AR, KA, NM, OK, TX......       352,000-382,000
VII.....................  IA, KS, MO, NE..........       225,000-255,000
VIII....................  CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY..       219,000-249,000
IX......................  AZ, CA, HI, and 6 US           314,000-344,000
                           Associated Pacific
                           Jurisdictions.
X.......................  AK, ID, OR, WA..........       219,000-249,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additional information may be obtained from the appropriate 
Regional Health Administrator (RHA) at the address below:

Region I: DHHS/PHS Region, I, John F. Kennedy Federal Building, 
Government Center, Room 2100, Boston, MA 02203;
Region II: DHHS/PHS Region II, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 3337, New York, 
NY 10278;
Region III: DHHS/PHS Region III, 150 S. Independence Mall West, 
Philadelphia, PA 19106;
Region IV: DHHS/PHS Region IV, 61 Forsyth Street, Rm. 5B95, Atlanta, GA 
30303;
Region V: DHHS/PHS Region V, 105 West Adams Street, 17th Floor, 
Chicago, IL 60603;
Region VI: DHHS/PHS Region VI, 1301 Young Street, Suite 1124, Dallas, 
TX 75202;
Region VII: DHHS/PHS Region VII, 601 East 12th Street, Room 210, Kansas 
City, MO 64016;
Region VIII: DHHS/PHS Region VIII, 1961 Stout Street, Room 498, Denver, 
CO 80294;
Region IX: DHHS/PHS Region IX, 50 United Nations Plaza, Room 327, San 
Francisco, CA 94102;
Region X: DHHS/PHS Region X, Blanchard Plaza, 2201 Sixth Avenue, M/S 
RX-29, Seattle 98121.

Statutory and Regulatory Background

    Title X of the PHS Act, enacted Pub. L. 91-572, authorizes grants 
for projects to provide family planning services to persons from low-
income families and others. Section 1001 of the Act, as amended, 
authorizes grants ``to assist in the establishment of operation and of 
voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of 
acceptable and effective family planning methods and services 
(including natural family planning methods, infertility services and 
services for adolescents).'' Section 1003 of the Act, as amended, 
authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide the 
training for personnel to carry out the family planning service 
programs.
    The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern grants 
to provide training for family planning service providers. Prospective 
applicants should refer to the regulations in their entirety.

Role and Operation of the Training and Technical Assistance Program

    The regulations set out at 42 CFR, Part 59, subpart C, define 
``training'' as ``job-specific skill development, the purpose of which 
is to promote and improve the delivery of family planning services.'' 
The purpose of the general training program is to ensure that entities 
that

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provide family planning services have the skills, knowledge and 
attitudes necessary for the effective delivery of family planning 
services.
    General training programs funded under this announcement are 
focused on the provision of specialized information that is science-
based and that will enhance the ability of family planning providers to 
deliver high quality family planning services. Successful applicants 
will be responsible for the overall management of the general training 
program within the geographic area for which the grant is awarded. The 
PHS Project Officer will have final approval for all training plans and 
plans for the use of resources. Grantee plans must provide for 
flexibility in resource utilization, including training plan design. 
The applicant should demonstrate an awareness of electronic 
technologies and new training delivery techniques. The grantee will be 
required to work closely with other federal, state or local government 
entities, family planning providers and other community-based 
organizations in achieving program objectives.
    Applicants should be familiar with public health initiatives and 
programs, such as Healthy People 2000 health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives for family planning, as well as Title X program 
regulations. In responding to the Request for Applications (RFA), the 
applicant must be familiar with the Title X program priorities and key 
issues impacting family planning identified below:

Title X Program Priorities

     Expansion and enhancement of the quality of clinical 
reproductive health services through partnerships with entities that 
have related interests and that work with similar priority populations;
     Increased emphasis on services to adolescents, including 
emphasis on postponement of sexual activity and more accessible 
provision of contraceptive counseling and services;
     Increased services to hard-to-reach populations by 
partnering with community-based organizations and others that have a 
stake in the prevention of unintended pregnancy;
     Expansion of comprehensiveness of reproduction health 
services, including STD and cancer screening and prevention, HIV 
prevention, education and counseling, and substance abuse screening and 
referral;
     Increased services to males, emphasizing shared 
responsibility for preventing unintended pregnancy and STD/HIV 
infection.

Key Issues

    Other key issues are impacting the current and future delivery of 
family planning services and will require significant specialized 
training efforts. These issues include:
     Medicaid waivers and managed care;
     Implications of welfare reform and other issues that are 
affecting family planning services, such as Temporary Assistance to 
Needy Families (TANF) and the Children's Health Insurance Program 
(CHIP) as well as other Federal and State initiatives;
     Electronic technology;
     Research findings;
     Legislative mandates, such as counseling teens on 
involving families and avoiding coercive sexual relationships.
    Specifically, the applicant will have expertise and the ability to 
train in areas of information, education and communication; management; 
and clinical activities. Within each of these areas, at a minimum, the 
grantee will be expected to provide training that includes the 
following:

Information, Education and Communication

     Assist grantees with designing, implementing and 
evaluating information, education and communication strategies;
     Train grantee staff on how to utilize research findings 
and data reports in project operations;
     Train grantee staff in the use of print and mass media to 
achieve program goals and objectives.

Management

     Improve the management skills of family planning grantee 
staff;
     Increase the ability of family planning grantee staff to 
assess their requirements for the design and utilization of management 
information systems;
     Increase the ability of family planning grantee staff to 
utilize computer and other electronic technologies;
     Assist grantee to structure financial systems to monitor, 
record and control financial resources;
     Assist grantees in implementing income generating 
activities and creating cost recovery mechanisms.

Clinical Activities

     Provide training to improve the performance of clinical 
staff involved in health care delivery;
     Convene an annual regional clinical conference for health 
care providers where continuing education units are provided.
    Successful applicants will also need to demonstrate that they have 
the capacity for facilitating the provision of regional technical 
assistance. Technical assistance generally consists of specialized or 
highly skilled assistance that is usually provided to a single 
organization, such as the Regional Office or a grantee or clinic. The 
objective of this assistance is to provide projects with the technical 
resources needed to address Title X priorities and key issues impacting 
family planning. In facilitating the provision of technical assistance, 
the PHS Project Officer will work with the successful applicant to 
develop a system for providing technical assistance. All forms required 
for reporting and tracking technical assistance will be provided by the 
Project Officer. All technical assistance must have prior approval of 
the PHS Project Officer. The successful applicant will be responsible 
for identifying qualified and competent consultants who will be able to 
effectively address highly technical and often specialized issues that 
are relevant in providing family planning services. The grantee is 
responsible for making all necessary arrangements (transportation, per 
diem, fees, etc.), with consultants in association with approved 
requests for technical assistance. A separate budget for technical 
assistance will be developed between the Project Officer and the 
successful applicant after the training grant is awarded.
    Application Requirements: Applications must be submitted on the 
forms supplied (PHS-5161-1, Revised 5/96) (OMB Approval No. 0937-0189) 
and in the manner prescribed in the application kits available from the 
Office of Grants Management for Family Planning Services at Dallas, TX. 
Applicants are required to submit an application signed by an 
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization 
and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms 
and conditions of the grant award. Applicants are required to submit an 
original application and two copies.
    Applicants should ensure that they submit their applications in 
accordance with the deadline requirements of this announcement. A 
legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service 
will be accepted in lieu of a postmark. Private metered postmarks will 
not be accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications which are 
postmarked or delivered to the Grants Management Office later than 
April 30, 1999 will be judged late and will not be

[[Page 10092]]

accepted for review. Applicants which do not conform to the 
requirements of the program announcement or meet the applicable 
requirements of 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, will not be accepted for 
review. Applicants will be notified, and applications will be returned.
    Any public or private nonprofit organization or agency is eligible 
to apply for a grant. It is not required that an entity applying for a 
grant be physically located in the region to be served by the proposed 
project. Awards will be made only to those organizations or agencies 
which demonstrate the capability of providing the proposed services and 
which have met all applicable requirements.
    A copy of the legislation and regulations governing this program 
will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit package. 
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations, and information 
included in this announcement to guide them in developing their 
applications. Applications should be limited to 60 double-spaced pages, 
not including appendices, which may provide a roster of consultants, 
curriculum vitae, or statements of organizational capabilities.
    Application Consideration and Assessment: Eligible competing grant 
applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of 
independent reviewers and assessed according to the following criteria:
    1. The extent to which the proposed training and technical 
assistance program promises to fulfill the family planning services 
delivery needs of the area to be served, as evidenced by the 
applicant's ability to address the requirements set out under ``Role 
and Operation of the Training and Technical Assistance Program'' above 
and the factors set out at 42 CFR 59.206(a)(2)(i)-(iv) (35 Points);
    2. The extent to which the application includes evidence of the 
capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use of the grant 
assistance, including evidence of flexibility in the utilization of 
resources and training plan design (25 Points);
    3. The competence of the project staff, including qualifications 
and experience, in relation to the services to be provided, including 
the extent to which the applicant demonstrates an effective system for 
identifying qualified and competent consultants as necessary to address 
highly technical and specialized issues related to the delivery of 
family planning services (15 points);
    4. The extent to which the application reflects:
    (a) The administrative and management capability and competence of 
the applicant, including diversity of training experience, as evidenced 
by other training grants and/or contracts;
    (b) That the project plan adequately provides for the requirements 
set forth in 42 CFR 59.205; and
    (c) That the proposed training and technical assistance program 
will increase the delivery of services to people (particularly low-
income groups, with a high percentage of unmet needs for family 
planning services).
    Total consideration for the sum of sections 4(a)-(c): (25 Points).
    In making grant award decisions, the RHA will fund those projects 
which will, in his or her judgment, best promote the purposes of 
sections 1001 and 1003 of the Act, within the limits of funds available 
for such projects.
    Grants will be available for project periods of up to three years. 
Grants are funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for 
all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is 
contingent upon satisfactory progress of the project, efficient and 
effective use of grant funds provided, and availability of funds.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

    Applicants under this announcement are subject to the requirements 
of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Department of 
Health and Human Services Programs and Activities, as implemented by 45 
CFR part 100. As soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the 
project with the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for each state in 
the area to be served. The application kit contains the currently 
available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the 
submission of applications. For those states not represented on the 
listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding 
the submission of the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's comment(s) should be 
forwarded to the Office of Grants Management for Family Planning 
Services, 1301 Young Street, Suite 766, Dallas, Texas 75202. To be 
considered, such comments should be received by the Office of Grants 
Management for Family Planning Services within 60 days of the closing 
date listed under ``Dates'' above.
    When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be 
notified by letter of the outcome. The official document notifying an 
applicant that a project applicant has been approved for funding is the 
Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to the grantee the amount of 
money awarded, the purposes of the grant, and terms and conditions of 
the grant award.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 300a-1(a).

    Dated: February 18, 1999.
Denese O. Shervington,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-4869 Filed 2-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M