[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 171 (Friday, September 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48398-48401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22945]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office of Public Health and Science; Announcement of Availability 
of Grant for Family Planning General Training

AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, OPA, OPHS, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of 
Population Affairs (OPA) requests applications for a grant under the 
Family Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003 
of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. Funds are available to provide 
training, with a specific focus on male reproductive health, for 
personnel in OFP-funded family planning services projects. it is 
anticipated that one grantee will be funded to serve as the training 
site.

DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the 
Office of Grants Management, Office of Population Affairs no later than 
October 4, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Aplication kits may be obtained from and applications must 
be submitted to the Grants Management Office, Office of Population 
Affairs, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Program Requirements: George Jones, Office of Family Planning, OPA, 
(301) 594-4014.
    Administrative and Budgetary Requirements: Andrea Brandon, Office 
of Grants Management, OPA, (301) 594-6554.

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 $450,000-$475,000 in 
funding and solicits applications for one training project which will 
provide training for personnel providing family planning/reproductive 
health-related information and services specifically targeted to males 
served by family planning agencies throughout the United States.

Statutory and Regulatory Background:

    Title X of the PHS Act, enacted by Pub. L. 91-572, authorizes 
programs related to family planning. The family planning services 
program authorized by section 1001 of Title X is required by law to 
provide family planning services, including education and counseling, 
to all persons desiring such services. Section 1003 of the Act, as 
amended, authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide 
training for personnel to carry out the family planning service 
programs authorized by section 1001. Implementing regulations for 
family planning services training appear at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C. 
Prospective applicants should refer to the regulations in their 
entirety.

Purpose of the Grant

    Within the last several years, Federal and provide sector programs 
have begun to focus more attention on male involvement in family 
planning and reproductive health-related issues, as evidenced by the 
President's Fatherhood Initiative, the Department of Health and Human 
Services' National Strategy to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, the ``Personal 
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,'' and 
the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Research has shown 
that males are both interested in and want to play an active role in 
reproductive health decision-making, and that males will participate in 
reproductive health programs if they are offered in an appropriate 
manner. Recognizing the need for increased emphasis on male family 
planning/reproductive health services, in 1997 the Office of Family 
Planning began funding a number of community-based-organizations to 
encourage the investigation and development of approaches that 
facilitate the provision of family planning/reproductive health-related 
information and services to males, and approaches that involve males in 
building community support for the prevention of unintended pregnancy 
and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Currently, many of these 
projects are funded under section 1001 of the Act, as part of existing 
services projects funded under section 1001.
    While it is now recognized that addressing male reproductive health 
needs is important, there is currently little in the published 
literature about the standard for providing reproductive health 
services for males. Most of what is currently known about male 
reproductive health and reproductive behavior has come from either 
small studies or from a few national surveys that were conducted on a 
one-time basis. Our current understanding about what types of 
communication are most effective in providing training to males and 
male-oriented organizations around issues of family planning/
reproductive health is also severely limited.
    There are a number of research efforts that are recent or are 
currently under way that will help us gain a clearer understanding of 
male sexual and reproductive behaviors and attitudes. this will aid us 
in identifying reproductive health care service standards and 
strategies for effectively providing services to males. An ongoing 
national survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 
collects some data on sexual behavior--among other health risk 
behaviors--for

[[Page 48399]]

youth, both male and female. Other national surveys that have collected 
information about male reproductive behavior include: The National 
Health and Social Life Survey (1994); the National Survey of Men 
(1993); the Survey of Adolescent Males (1988, 1995); and the National 
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHEALTH). Examples of 
research efforts currently under way include: (1) A male sample in the 
upcoming (2001) cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth, and (2) 
a study by the Urban Institute addressing reproductive health needs for 
young men.
    It is clear that training personnel of agencies that provide family 
planning/reproductive health services to males will require a unique 
type of organization that will be able to continuously incorporate 
science-based information as it becomes available in all phases of 
training design, delivery and evaluation.
    This announcement seeks to fund a training program that will use 
science-based information and approaches in all aspects of training 
Title X service grantee employees, to facilitate the effective delivery 
of family planning/reproductive health related information and services 
to males. In addition, the funded training program will provide 
training consultation to a variety of Title X providers, including 
other Title X training grantees, regarding family planning/reproductive 
health for males. The purpose of this training program is to ensure 
that programs serving males have the skills, knowledge and abilities 
necessary for effectively planning, implementing and evaluating their 
programs.

Role and Operation of the Training Program

    Under the regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, 
``training'' is defined as ``job-specific skill development, the 
purpose of which is to promote and improve the delivery of family 
planning services.'' The program funded under this announcement will be 
responsible for providing training to personnel working in family 
planning service agencies that provide family planning/reproductive 
health information and services specifically targeted to males.
    The successful applicant must have extensive experience working 
with males and male-oriented organizations, and with delivering 
training and other services to males. Evidence that substantiates a 
history of the applicant's provision of services that are both relevant 
and sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity must be provided. The 
ability to incorporate research findings throughout the design, 
delivery and evaluation of all training efforts must be evident. The 
successful applicant must have experience in evaluation, with emphasis 
on areas such as organization, program planning, curriculum development 
and utilization, and the effectiveness of various types of electronic 
technology for training.
    The training grantee will be required to design, deliver and 
evaluate training for personnel in OFP-funded family planning services 
projects that focuses on the reproductive health needs of males. The 
training grantee will also provide a venue for exchanging information 
with other Title X General Training grantees on male reproductive 
health needs and services.
    Evidence must be provided to support the applicant's capability for 
providing training on core organizational infrastructure components 
that are needed to operate a health-related or public health program 
within a larger service organization. For the purpose of this 
announcement, example of core organizational infrastructure components 
may include program planning, administration, implementation and 
evaluation. The diversity of training needs will necessitate the use of 
electronic technologies as an integral part of training and evaluation 
design.
    The training plan should reflect the applicant's ability to 
incorporate public health initiatives in training plan design, such as 
Healthy People 2000 health promotion and disease prevention objectives 
for family planning, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) priorities of assuring a healthy start for every child 
by increasing the proportion of pregnancies that are intended, 
promoting personal responsibility for healthy lifestyles, and 
addressing the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health 
as identified by the President's Initiative on Race.
    The Title X family planning program priorities complement the DHHS 
priorities and focus on the fundamental purpose of Title X. The Title X 
program priorities and other key issues that are impacting family 
planning should be integrated into the training plan.
    The Title X program priorities are listed below:
     Expansion and enhancement of the quality of clinical 
reproductive health services through partnerships with entities that 
have related interest 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 reproductive 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.
    Other key issues that are impacting the current and future delivery 
of family planning/reproductive health services include: (1) Medicaid 
waivers and managed care; (2) 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; (3) 
electronic technology; (4) research findings; and (5) legislative 
mandates, such as counseling teens on involving families and avoiding 
coercive sexual relationships.

Project Requirements and Management:

    The successful applicant will be required to work closely with the 
OFP Project Officer, the ten PHS regional offices, and with a network 
of other public and private institutions and entities in its training 
program. All training must meet the applicable requirements of the 
Title X statute and training regulations and be consistent with the 
Title X program priorities listed above. The training plans and all 
training events must be approved by the OFP Project Officer or designee 
prior to implementation.
    The successful applicant will be responsible for the overall 
management of training activities for which the grant is made. This 
responsibility includes:
    (1) In collaboration with the OFP Project Officer, designing, 
implementing, and evaluating a training program which incorporates the 
use of science-based research and evaluation, client input, and various 
training methodologies, such as the use of electronic technologies. The 
training program must be implemented within 120 days after the initial 
notice of grant award and should budget for the following:
    (a) Two one-week on-site training sessions for up to 40 
participants each; the training grantee will assume all

[[Page 48400]]

costs associated with training, including room and board (but not 
including travel to and from training site or personal expenses);
    (b) A minimum of thirty one-day training sessions on various 
topics. Sessions may be on-site or off-site, and electronic technology 
may be used. The training grantee is not responsible for trainee 
expenses for these one-day sessions;
    (2) Maintaining a system for ongoing retrieval and dissemination of 
public health information and research findings related to male-
productive health from a variety of public and private institutions and 
entities;
    (3) Maintaining a system for providing ongoing science-based 
information to family planning service projects, and other providers 
serving the target population;
    (4) Maintaining formal working relationships with multiple 
disciplines within public and private institutions for carrying out the 
objectives of the training program;
    (5) Developing a working relationship with current Title X service 
and training grantees that promotes the inclusion of male reproductive 
health needs and services;
    (6) Developing admissions policies and procedures, and criteria for 
selection of candidates for training. Criteria should reflect a 
sensitivity to the unique needs or grantees or trainees for certain 
types of training. These policies and procedures must be submitted to 
the OFP Project Officer for review and approval within 120 days after 
the initial notice of grant award;
    (7) Developing and implementing an ongoing evaluation plan for the 
total training program that allows for evaluation of each training 
program component;
    (8) Providing semi-annual progress reports of OFP covering all 
aspects of the training program;
    (9) Making available at cost all materials developed with Title X 
funds to other Title X projects upon request; and
    (10) Participating in at least two meetings with the Office of 
Family Planing annually.
    Application Requirements: Any public or private nonprofit 
organization is eligible to apply for a grant. An award will be made 
only to an organization or agency which has demonstrated the capability 
of providing the proposed services, and which has met all applicable 
requirements.
    Applications must be submitted on the form PHS-5161-1, Revised 6/99 
(http://forms.psc.gov/phsforms.htm) and in the manner prescribed in the 
application kit in order to be considered complete. 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.
    A copy of the Title X legislation and regulations that govern this 
program will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit 
package. Copies of the Healthy People 2000 Objectives for Family 
Planning and the DHHS documents on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in 
Health will also be sent as part of the application kit package. 
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and other 
information included in the application kit for this announcement to 
guide them in developing their applications.
    Applications should be limited to 50 double-spaced pages, not 
including appendices providing curriculum vitae, training designs, or 
statements of organizational capabilities. An award will be made only 
to an applicant who has met all applicable requirements.
    Applications must be received on or before the deadline date to be 
accepted for review. An application received after the deadline may be 
acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing date assigned by 
the carrier and the proof-of-mailing date is not later than one week 
prior to the deadline date. Private metered postmarks will not be 
accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications which are received by 
the Office of Grants Management after the deadline will not be accepted 
for review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of 
this program announcement or meet the applicable parts of 42 CFR part 
59, subpart C, will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be so 
notified and applications will be returned.
    Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review 
process. The results of this review will assist the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Population Affairs in considering competing applications 
and in making the final funding decision.
    Application Consideration and Assessment: Eligible competing grant 
applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of 
independent reviewers and will be assessed against the following 
criteria:
    (1) The extent to which the proposed training program will increase 
the ability of family planning services projects to deliver services 
primarily to males with a high percentage of unmet need for family 
planning services. (5 points);
    (2) The extent of which the proposed training 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: (a) 
requirements set our under ``Role and Operation of the Training 
Program;'' (b) development of a capability within family planning 
services projects with a male-services component to provide pre- and 
in-service training to their own staffs; and (c) improvement of the 
family planning/reproductive health skills of personnel in family 
planning services project that have a make-services component. (25 
points);
    (3) The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use 
of the training grant, as evidence by the applicant's ability to 
implement the training program within 120 days of receiving the grant. 
(5 points);
    (4) The administrative and management capability and competence of 
the applicant. (10 points);
    (5) The competence of the project staff in relation to the services 
to be provided, including the applicant's history of male-focused 
research, training and services to males, and the ability to document 
relevant previous experience and formal linkages with public and 
private entities that have a specific focus on males (e.g., 
universities with an array of relevant disciplines, research 
institutions, federal and/or state program). (30 points); and
    (6) The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for 
the requirements set forth in 42 CFR 59.205, including the applicant's 
presentation of the project's objective, the methods for achieving 
project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the results or 
benefits expected. (25 points).
    In making grant award decisions, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Population Affairs (DASPA) will fund one project which will, in her 
judgment, best promote the purposes of section 1003 of the Act, within 
the limits of funds available for such project.
    The grant will be available for a project period of up to three 
years and will be 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 the availability of funds.
    Review Under Executive Order 12372: Applicants under this 
announcement are subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal

[[Page 48401]]

Programs,'' as implemented by 45 CFR part 100, ``Intergovernmental 
Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and 
Activities.'' As soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the 
project with the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the state in 
which the applicant is located. 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 to the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's 
comment(s) should be forwarded to the Office of Grants Management, 
Office of Population Affairs, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Such comments must be received by the Office 
of Population Affairs within 60 days of the closing date of this 
announcement, 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 application 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.

    Dated: August 30, 1999.
Denese O. Shervington,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-22945 Filed 9-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M