[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13548-13550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-5500]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Poison Control Stabilization and Enhancement Grant Program

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 up to $15 million in fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds is 
anticipated for up to 80 grants to regional poison control centers 
(PCCs) for the implementation of project grants to enhance and improve 
poison education, prevention and treatment services. Grants will be 
made in the following categories: financial stabilization grants to 
certified PCCs across the Nation; certification grants to non-certified 
PCCs; incentive grants to encourage collaboration; and system 
development and service access grants for rural and geographically 
isolated areas to allow time to obtain certified poison control 
services. All awards will be made under the program authority of the 
Poison Center Enhancement and Awareness Act (Pub. L. 106-174). This 
Poison Control Stabilization and Enhancement Grant Program (CFDA 
#93.253) will be administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau 
(MCHB), HRSA. Projects in the following four categories will be 
approved for up to a 3-year period, with awards in subsequent years 
contingent upon the availability of funds: (1) Stabilization grant 
awards will range from approximately $60,000 to $1,600,000 annually, 
depending on the size of the population served, and will be awarded for 
up to three years; (2) Certification grants, also population based, 
will range from $50,000 to $200,000 annually and will be awarded for up 
to three years; (3) Incentive grants will be awarded at $125,000 
annually for up to two years; and (4) Service Access grant awards will 
be $50,000 for one year only. Funding for Poison Control Stabilization 
and Enhancement Grants in FY 2001 is made available under the FY 2001 
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 106-554).

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications is May 8, 2001. 
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 September 1, 2001.

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 March 12, 2001, or register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/, or by accessing http://www.hrsa.gov/g__order3.htm 
directly. This program uses the standard Form PHS 5161-1 (rev. 7/00) 
for applications (approved under OMB No. 0920-0428). Applicants must 
use Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 93.253 when 
requesting application materials. The CFDA is a Government wide 
compendium of enumerated Federal programs, projects, services, and 
activities which provide assistance. All applications should be mailed 
or delivered to: Grants Management Officer, MCHB; HRSA Grants 
Application Center, 1815 N. Fort Meyer Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, 
Virginia 22209; telephone: 1-877-477-2123; E-mail: hrsagac @ hrsa.gov.
    This application guidance and the required forms for the Poison 
Control Center Stabilization and Enhancement Grant Program may be 
downloaded in either WordPerfect 6.1 or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) 
from the MCHB Home Page at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/. Please contact 
Joni Johns, at 301/443-2088, or hrsa.gov">jjohns@hrsa.gov/, if you need technical 
assistance in accessing the MCHB Home Page via the Internet.
    This announcement will appear in the Federal Register and on the 
HRSA Home Page at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/. Federal Register notices 
are found on the World Wide Web by following instructions at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/su__docs/aces/aces140.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol A. Delany, 301/443-5372, email: 
hrsa.gov">cdelany@hrsa.gov/ (for questions specific to project activities of the 
program, program objectives); Theda Duvall, 301/443-1440, email 
hrsa.gov">tduvall@hrsa.gov/ (for grants policy, budgetary, and business 
questions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Program Background and Objectives

    Of an estimated four million poisonings in the United States each 
year, more than two million are reported to PCCs. More than 90 percent 
of these poisonings occur in the home and 60 percent of the poisoning 
victims are children under age six. United States PCCs provide easy 
access, free of charge, to persons seeking help, including a telephone 
hotline staffed by toxicology professionals and immediate information 
and treatment advice regarding suspected toxic exposures to drugs, 
chemicals, plants, and other substances.
    The ready accessibility of high quality poison control services has 
been proven to decrease the severity of illness, prevent deaths and 
significantly reduce health care costs. Despite the life-saving, cost-
effective contributions of poison control centers to the health and 
well-being of the U.S. population, chronic underfunding has reduced the 
number of centers significantly in the past three decades. At the 
present time, funding instability continues to threaten the existence 
of the poison control centers which serve this country. Unstable 
funding has also had an adverse impact on the capacity of the PCCs to 
enhance and improve services and develop a comprehensive National 
system.
    Public Law 106-174, the ``Poison Control Center Enhancement and 
Awareness Act,'' was enacted on February 25, 2000, to respond to this 
crisis. It authorizes funding to stabilize centers financially and 
encourage the enhancement and improvement of poison education, 
prevention and treatment services. It contains provisions designed to 
increase the number of Americans with access to quality poison control 
services and decrease the use of more expensive emergency medical 
services, by: establishing a national toll-free telephone number with 
related nationwide media and advertising campaigns to ensure access to 
PCCs for all Americans; educating the public and health care providers 
about poison prevention and the availability of poison control 
resources in local communities; and establishing a grant program to 
improve the financial stability of PCCs and strengthen poisoning 
prevention and treatment programs and services.
    Public Law 106-554 includes an appropriation of $20 million to fund 
activities specified under Public Law 106-174. This Notice addresses 
the establishment of the grant program for poison centers authorized 
under Section 6(a) of Public Law 106-174 . The law prohibits use of 
these grant funds for the supplantation of other Federal, State, and 
local funds and requires maintenance of effort by the poison control 
centers.
    The MCHB has sought input from interested parties as it develops 
its plan for a realistic and effective response to the crisis in the 
Nation's PCCs. It has worked in consultation with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention and

[[Page 13549]]

has met with key stakeholders over the last year.

    Authorization: Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness 
Act (Pub. L. 106-174).

Purpose

    The purpose of this grant program is to stabilize certified poison 
control centers and to encourage the certification of non-certified 
centers in order to improve access to poison education, prevention and 
treatment services. Grants awarded will be used by PCCs for the 
purposes of achieving financial stabilization, assisting non-certified 
centers to achieve certification, promoting systems development and 
collaboration, and assuring the orderly transition or development of 
poison services by a certified center for rural or geographically 
isolated areas.

Eligibility

    Eligibility for funding under this grant program is limited to 
certified Poison Control Centers (PCCs). Centers must be certified by 
the American Association of Poison Control Centers or a State with 
equivalent standards, as determined by the Secretary. A waiver of 
certification may be granted by the Secretary to non-certified or 
newly-established PCCs that apply for a grant if the PCC can reasonably 
demonstrate that it will obtain certification within a three-year 
period.

Funding Categories

    (1) Financial Stabilization Grants: It is anticipated that 45-50 
grants, ranging from $60,000 to $1,600,000, will be awarded in this 
category to enable certified PCCs or Poison Control Systems to achieve 
financial stability, strengthen and maintain poison prevention programs 
and services, and strengthen the centers as sources of treatment 
information and recommendations for poisonings.
    (2) Certification Grants: It is anticipated that 10-15 grants, 
ranging from $50,000--$200,000, will be awarded, in order to improve 
access to poison prevention services, to non-certified centers or 
systems which demonstrate through progress after two years that they 
can attain certification within a three-year period.
    (3) Incentive Grants: It is anticipated that 8-10 competitive 
grants, at $125,000, will be awarded to encourage collaboration and 
systems development between centers to strengthen poison prevention and 
treatment alternatives. Applicants may be certified or uncertified PCCs 
applying to the Secretary for a waiver. Centers may apply in this 
category in addition to applying for a Financial Stabilization or 
Certification grant. This category carries a matching requirement of 
one non-Federal dollar for every two Federal dollars contributed. 
Specific guidance regarding collaboration between PCCs and the matching 
requirement is supplied in the application materials for this program.
    (4) Service Access Grants: It is anticipated that 2-4 grants will 
be awarded, at $50,000 each, for one year only, to certified centers 
acting as co-applicants with uncertified PCC's or organizations 
responsible for the provision of poison control services in rural or 
geographically isolated States, for the purpose of obtaining access to 
certified poison control services.

Funding Level/Project Period

    Projects will be approved for up to a three-year period, varying by 
category. The total funding level for these grants is approximately $15 
million for the one-year budget period from August 1, 2001 through July 
31. The project period consists of one or more budget periods, each 
generally of one year duration.
    Funding for this grant program beyond FY 2001 is contingent upon 
the availability of funds. The initial budget period is expected to be 
12 months, with subsequent budget periods being 12 months. Continuation 
of any project from one budget period to the next is subject to 
satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and program 
priorities.

Review Criteria

    In general, applications for this grant program will be reviewed on 
the basis of the extent to which they address the following criteria:

--Completeness and clarity of the project narrative;
--Practicability and achievability of the plan to use requested funds;
--Clarity and appropriateness of the budget and coordinated budget 
narrative;
--Strength and adequacy of current and/or proposed staff;
--Evidence from the responsible State agency that the applicant is 
designated to operate in the State; and
--Clarity and strength of letters of support or collaboration.

    Review criteria vary slightly from one grant category to another. 
Further specific guidance regarding review criteria is supplied in the 
application materials for this program.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    This program is subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements (approved under OMB No. 0937-0195). Under these 
requirements, community-based nongovernmental applicants must prepare 
and submit a Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The PHSIS 
is intended to provide information to State and local health officials 
to keep them apprized of proposed health services grant applications 
submitted by community-based nongovernmental organizations within their 
jurisdictions. Community-based non-governmental applicants are required 
to submit the following information to the head of the appropriate 
State and local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later 
than the Federal application receipt due date:
    (a) A copy of the face page of the application (SF 424).
    (b) A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
    (1) A description of the population to be served.
    (2) A summary of the services to be provided.
    (3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate 
State or local health agencies.
    The project abstract may be used in lieu of the one-page PHSIS, if 
the applicant is required to submit a PHSIS.

Executive Order 12372

    This program has been determined to be a program which is subject 
to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 concerning intergovernmental 
review of Federal programs by appropriate health planning agencies, as 
implemented by 45 CFR Part 100. Executive Order 12372 allows States the 
option of setting up a system for reviewing applications from within 
their States for assistance under certain Federal programs. The 
application packages to be made available under this notice will 
contain a listing of States which have chosen to set up such a review 
system and will provide a single point of contact (SPOC) in the States 
for review. Applicants (other than federally-recognized Indian tribal 
governments) should contact their State SPOCs as early as possible to 
alert them to the prospective applications and receive any necessary 
instructions on the State process. For proposed projects serving more 
than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each 
affected State. The due date for State process recommendations is 60 
days after the application deadline for new and competing awards. The 
granting agency does not guarantee to ``accommodate or explain'' for 
State process recommendations it receives after that date. (See Part 
148, Intergovernmental Review of PHS

[[Page 13550]]

Programs under Executive Order 12372 and 45 CFR Part 100 for a 
description of the review process and requirements).

    Dated: February 28, 2001.
Claude Earl Fox,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-5500 Filed 3-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-U