[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25740-25742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11016]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Federal Set-Aside Program; Special Projects of Regional and 
National Significance; Data Utilization and Enhancement: Cooperative 
Agreements for State Information Systems

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces that approximately $428,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds is 
available for 6 to 10 cooperative agreements to improve maternal and 
child health State information systems. All awards will be made under 
the program authority of section 502(a) of the Social Security Act, the 
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Federal Set-Aside Program (42 U.S.C. 
702(a)). This Data Utilization and Enhancement (DUE) Cooperative 
Agreement Program (CFDA #93.110 U) will be administered by the Maternal 
and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), HRSA. Projects will be approved for a 
3-year period, with awards at average yearly amounts ranging from 
$30,000 to $80,000. Funds for DUE cooperative agreements are 
appropriated by Public Law 106-113.
    The DUE competition announced in this notice is a successor to a 
similar

[[Page 25741]]

competition that was published in the Fall 1999 HRSA Preview and 
withdrawn in the Federal Register notice of March 30, 2000 (65 FR 
16924). The competition has been modified to adjust project 
expectations to available funding. This announcement will only appear 
in the Federal Register and on the HRSA Home Page at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications is July 3, 2000. 
Applications will be considered ``on time'' if they are either received 
on or before the deadline date or postmarked on or before the deadline 
date. The projected award date is August 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: To receive a complete application kit, applicants may 
telephone the HRSA Grants Application Center at 1-877-477-2123 (1-877-
HRSA-123) beginning April 21, 2000, or register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/, or by accessing http://www.hrsa.gov/g-order3.htm 
directly. Applicants must use the appropriate Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number when requesting application 
materials. The CFDA is a Governmentwide compendium of enumerated 
Federal programs, projects, services, and activities which provide 
assistance. The CFDA Number for the DUE program is: #93.110 U.
    This notice and application guidance for the DUE program may be 
downloaded in either WordPerfect 6.1 or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) 
from the MCHB HomePage at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/. Please contact 
Alisa Azarsa at 301/443-8989 or [email protected]/, if you need 
assistance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Kogan, Ph.D., 301/443-3145, 
email: [email protected]/ (for questions specific to project activities 
of the program, program objectives, or the required Letter of Intent 
which is further described in the application kit); Curtis Colston, 
301/443-3438, email [email protected]/ (for grants policy, budgetary, 
and business questions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

DUE Program Background and Objectives

    The MCHB is directing significant attention to advancing and 
strengthening essential public health functions, and assisting State 
programs for MCH and Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) to 
enhance the State's analytic capability and information infrastructure. 
The importance of this issue is evidenced by the recent inclusion of 
Core Health Status Indicator 08 on ``State MCH Data Capacity'' in the 
MCHB's Title V Block Grant reporting system, which focuses on the 
ability of States to access key public health data sets related to 
women, children, and families.
    MCHB recognizes the need to improve information collection and 
analysis by local, State, and Federal agencies. Data collected through 
separate data collection systems, such as birth certificates or 
Medicaid, would be more useful for identifying and addressing emerging 
trends if they were linked. Federal funds have been used to support 
development of individual State information systems through several 
initiatives, and there continues to be the need for a Federal role in 
linking datasets and enhancing information systems.

    Authorization: Section 502(a) of the Social Security Act, 42 
U.S.C. 702(a).

Purpose:

    This initiative requires the creative application of information 
technologies to improve the delivery of health care services to mothers 
and children. It will fund Cooperative Agreements to State MCH, CSHCN, 
health data agencies, or to an entity designated by one of the above 
agencies for the use and enhancement of extant technologies and 
resources to better collect, manage, link, and disseminate information 
to improve the health status of mothers and children. Support will be 
provided for developing linkages between annual data, registries and 
surveys. Examples of such systems include: infant birth and death 
certificates, Medicaid claims or eligibility files, Special 
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 
files, newborn screening data, hospital discharge information, birth 
defects surveillance data, and survey data from the Centers for Disease 
Control-sponsored Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) 
and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS). The information 
obtained should increase the ability of States to monitor health 
status, investigate health problems and evaluate initiatives related to 
women, children and families.
    Awards are intended to supplement and/or complement existing 
activities initiated by States, local communities, and Federal 
agencies, thus fostering and strengthening collaboration between 
Federal, State and local public health agencies.

Eligibility

    Under project grant regulations at 42 CFR Part 51a.3, any public or 
private entity, including an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as 
defined at 25 U.S.C. 450(b)), is eligible to apply for cooperative 
agreements covered by this announcement. This initiative, however, is 
particularly directed at State MCH, CSHCN, health data agencies, or to 
an entity designated by one of the above agencies that are committed to 
developing or improving the coordination of their maternal and child 
health-related datasets and are willing to demonstrate this commitment 
through specified actions.

Funding Level/Project Period

    The total funding level for these cooperative agreements is 
$428,000 annually over a three-year project period, from September 1, 
2000 through May 31, 2003. The project period consists of one or more 
budget periods, each generally of one year duration. Continuation of 
any project from one budget period to the next is subject to 
satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and program 
priorities. The initial budget period is expected to be 9 months, with 
subsequent budget periods being 12 months.
    An estimated six to ten awards will be made annually, with average 
first-year awards ranging from $30,000 to $80,000.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

    In view of the demonstrable State commitment required, preference 
in making awards will be given to State MCH, CSHCN, health data 
agencies, or to an entity designated by one of the above agencies.

Federal Involvement in Cooperative Agreements

    It is anticipated that substantial Federal programmatic involvement 
will be required in these Cooperative Agreements during their 
performance. This means that after award, Federal staff will provide 
technical assistance and guidance to, or coordinate and participate in, 
certain programmatic activities of award recipients beyond their normal 
stewardship responsibilities in the administration of grants. In 
addition to the usual monitoring and technical assistance provided 
under grants, MCHB responsibilities for the DUE cooperative agreements 
will include the following:
    (1) Provision of the services of experienced MCHB personnel through 
participation in the planning and development of all phases of this 
project;
    (2) Participation, as appropriate, in any conferences and meetings 
conducted during the period of the Cooperative Agreement;

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    (3) Review, approval and implementation of procedures established 
for accomplishing the scope of work for the project funded under this 
cooperative agreement;
    (4) Assistance, including referral, in establishing Federal 
interagency contacts necessary to the successful completion of tasks 
and activities identified in the approved Scope of Work. MCHB will 
assist in identifying and establishing Federal interagency contacts 
required to achieve MCHB dissemination of program communication goals;
    (5) Participation in the dissemination of project products.

Review Criteria

    The following are generic review criteria applicable to MCHB 
programs:
    (1) The extent to which the project will contribute to the 
advancement of maternal and child health and/or improvement of the 
health of children with special health care needs;
    (2) The extent to which the project is responsive to policy 
concerns applicable to MCH grants and to program objectives, 
requirements, priorities and/or review criteria for specific project 
categories, as published in program announcements or guidance 
materials;
    (3) The extent to which the estimated cost to the Government of the 
project is reasonable, considering the anticipated results;
    (4) The extent to which the project personnel are well qualified by 
training and/or experience for their roles in the project and the 
applicant organization has adequate facilities and personnel; and
    (5) The extent to which, insofar as practicable, the proposed 
activities, if well executed, are capable of attaining project 
objectives.
    The final review criteria used to review and rank applications for 
the DUE program are included in the application kit. Applicants should 
pay strict attention to addressing these criteria as they are the basis 
upon which their applications will be judged.

    Dated: April 27, 2000.
Claude Earl Fox,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-11016 Filed 5-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-U