[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 136 (Friday, July 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43770-43771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17836]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 00130]


HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Development and Technical Assistant 
Collaboration with Countries Targeted by the Leadership and Investment 
in Fighting the Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative; Notice of Availability of 
Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Development and Technical 
Assistance Collaboration with Countries Targeted by the LIFE 
(Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic) Initiative.
    In July 1999, the Administration announced the LIFE Initiative to 
address the global AIDS pandemic. The LIFE initiative, an effort to 
expand and intensify the global response to the growing AIDS pandemic 
and its serious impact, is part of the United States (U.S.) 
Government's participation in the International Partnership Against 
HIV/AIDS in Africa (IPAA). A central feature of the LIFE Initiative is 
a $100 million increase in U.S. support for sub-Saharan African 
countries and India, which are working to prevent the further spread of 
HIV and to care for those affected by this devastating disease. This 
additional funding is a critical step by the U.S. Government in 
recognizing the impact that AIDS continues to have on individuals, 
families, communities, and nations and responding to the imperative to 
do more. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is administering $35 
million of the $100 million allocated to the LIFE Initiative by 
Congress.
    The purpose of the program is to support HIV/AIDS prevention 
program development and technical assistance for countries designated 
by the U.S. Congress under the LIFE Initiative. At present, those 
countries are Botswana, Cote D'Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, 
Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, 
Senegal, Zambia and India. The countries targeted represent those with 
the most severe epidemic and the highest number of new infections. They 
also represent countries where the potential for impact is greatest and 
where U.S. government agencies are already active.
    The goals of the program are to address and support three program 
elements of the LIFE initiative: Primary Prevention, Capacity and 
Infrastructure Development, and Community and Home-Based Care and 
Treatment. The program described in this announcement calls for the 
delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention program development and technical 
assistance to the LIFE countries through a variety of recipient 
activities. The result will be enhancement of the skills of officials 
from LIFE country national AIDS program in strategic planning, 
implementation, evaluation, and communication relating to HIV/AIDS 
prevention and care programs.

B. Eligible Applicant

    Assistance will be provided only to the National Alliance of State 
and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) for this project. No other 
applications are solicited or will be accepted. This announcement and 
application will be sent to NASTAD. NASTAD is the appropriate and only 
qualified agency to provide the services specified under this 
cooperative agreement because:
    1. NASTAD is the only officially established organization that 
represents the State and Territorial AIDS Directors in all 50 U.S. 
States and all U.S. Territories. As such, it represents the officials 
from throughout the U.S. who have responsibility for designing, 
implementing, and evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention programs protecting 
the health of U.S. citizens against the threat of HIV and acquired 
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This place NASTAD in a unique 
position to act as a liaison between state and territorial HIV/AIDS 
prevention programs and LIFE country public health officials. In 
addition, the same set of knowledge, skills, and abilities NASTAD has 
developed in working with State and Territorial AIDS Directors are of 
critical importance in improving the technical capacity of national 
AIDS control programs in African countries and India.
    2. Health threats such as HIV are not confined by geographic 
boundaries.

[[Page 43771]]

NASTAD was formed to promote coordination of HIV/AIDS prevention 
efforts among the States and territories. The organization is uniquely 
positioned to collaborate not only with national organizations, 
including Federal agencies, but also with national AIDS control program 
officials in the LIFE countries, on policy and program issues from a 
U.S. government model, multi-state perspective. In this collaboration 
NASTAD is positioned to monitor, assess, and improve HIV/AIDS 
prevention program design, implementation, and evaluation in the LIFE 
countries.
    3. In the U.S., NASTAD coordinates the effort of HIV/AIDS 
Prevention Program Directors, who work together with CDC to monitor the 
implementation of prevention programs across States and territories, 
assess the impact of prevention programs, share successes and 
challenges, monitor issues and obstacles to implementation of effective 
interventions, provide technical assistance and consult with CDC, one 
another, and other governmental and non-governmental prevention 
partners on these issues. Therefore, NASTAD possesses unique knowledge 
and insight that can be applied to the LIFE initiative through the 
provision of technical assistance aimed at strengthening the ability of 
national AIDS control programs to develop HIV/AIDS prevention programs 
based on the best practices of U.S. State and territory programs.
    4. NASTAD represents the nation's HIV/AIDS Prevention Program 
Directors who have responsibility for HIV prevention within their 
jurisdictions, and whose mission is to work collaboratively with 
individual AIDS Directors to provide multi-jurisdiction perspectives 
and translate knowledge, skills, and abilities to State AIDS control 
programs. Thus NASTAD is in a unique position to facilitate the 
transfer of the same body of knowledge, skills and abilities to 
national AIDS control program officials in the LIFE countries.
    5. NASTAD has already established mechanisms for communicating HIV/
AIDS prevention information to the States and the political 
subdivisions of the States that carry out the nation's HIV/AIDS 
prevention programs. These mechanisms can serve as models to exchange 
information between the States and public health officials in the LIFE 
countries to identify and develop effective prevention information 
networks and dissemination systems. Because of their experience and 
established communications mechanisms, NASTAD is in a unique position 
to assist national AIDS control program officials with the 
dissemination of HIV/AIDS prevention information.

    Note:  Public Law 104-65 states than an organization described 
in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that 
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 $500,000 is available in FY 2000 to support this 
award. It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 
30, 2000 and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of up to 3 years. Funding estimates may change. Continuation 
awards within an approved project period will be made on the basis of 
satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports and the 
availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the 
purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV 
infection, occupational exposures, and non-occupational exposures and 
will not be used for the purchase of machines and reagents to conduct 
the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient care.
    Peer-to-peer training, technical assistance, and other activities 
(including but not limited to those described below under Program 
Requirements--Recipient Activities) conducted outside the U.S. by 
persons under this award are limited to forty-five (45) days per person 
per year.
    Applicant may contract with other organizations under these 
cooperative agreements, however, the applicant must perform a 
substantial portion of the activities (including program management and 
operations and delivery of prevention services for which funds are 
requested).

D. Where to Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Scroll down the page, then click 
on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    To receive additional written information and to request an 
application kit, call 1-888-GRANTS (1-888 472-6874). You will be asked 
to leave your name and address and will be instructed to identify the 
Announcement number of interest.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from: Sharon Robertson, Grants Management Specialist, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Procurement and Grants Office, 
Room 3000, 2920 Brandywine Road, Mailstop E-15, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, 
Telephone: (770) 488-2782, E-mail: [email protected]
    Programmatic technical information may be obtained from: Leo 
Weakland, Deputy Coordinator, Global AIDS Activity (GAA), National 
Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-07, Atlanta, GA 30333, 
Telephone number (404) 639-8016, Email address: [email protected]

    Dated: July 10, 2000.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-17836 Filed 7-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-M