[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23261-23263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-11506]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01070]


Urban Commensal Rodent Control and Environmental Improvement and 
Safety Project; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program to undertake an Urban Commensal Rodent Control and 
Environmental Improvement and Safety Project. This project addresses 
the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus areas of: (1) Environmental Health, 
(2) Public Health Infrastructure, (3) Educational and Community-Based 
Programs, and (4) Injury and Violence Prevention. The purpose of this 
project is to demonstrate that a comprehensive approach to eliminating 
commensal rodent infestation also will prevent, eliminate, or reduce 
the consequences of diseases and injuries that are associated with 
unhealthy home environments; and it will serve as a model to stimulate 
the development of similar programs at state and local levels.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications will only be accepted from the top five Standard 
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA)/largest cities (i.e., New York 
City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia). Eligible 
applicants in these SMSA are local health departments or their bona 
fide agents. Competition has been limited to the nation's five largest 
cities where: (1) commensal rodent infestation and environmental 
conditions are generally regarded as the most severe (e.g., densely 
populated areas, poverty, old deteriorated or unsafe housing, exposed 
garbage and unapproved refuse storage, inadequate municipal services, 
etc.); and (2) a target area can be readily identified that consists of 
up to 50-contiguous residential blocks with high-population density, 
significant commensal rodent infestation, and risk factors that support 
infestation and promote the spread of disease and injury. Applicants 
must be able to substantiate that at least six percent of the premises 
in the selected target area have active exterior and/or interior rat/
mouse infestation based on a random or comprehensive premises survey.
    Note: Public Law 104-65 states that 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.
    Definition: For the purpose of this announcement, commensal rodents 
specifically refer to the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), roof rat 
(Rattus rattus), and house mouse (Mus musculus).

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $500,000 is available in FY 2001 to fund two awards. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 30, 
2001, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of up to three years. Funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress to reduce commensal rodent 
infestation and environmental hazards and deficiencies in the target 
area and the availability of funds.

D. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. 
(Recipient Activities), and CDC will be responsible for the activities 
under item 2. (CDC Activities).

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    1. Recipient Activities:
    a. Train, where necessary, health department staff and others who 
are responsible for implementing and carrying out project activities;
    b. Educate residents on the principles of environmental public 
health, including sanitation and safety;
    c. Conduct and coordinate intervention activities with other 
community-based agencies and organizations (e.g., sanitation 
departments, local housing authorities, fire departments) that focus on 
reducing commensal rodent infestation and environmental hazards and 
deficiencies in the target area;
    d. Conduct and analyze the results of semi-annual premises surveys 
of the target area to measure the effect of project activities on 
reducing commensal rodent infestation (including rat bites); 
environmental hazards and deficiencies such as the lack of smoke alarms 
and fall potentials that impact on the health and safety of target area 
residents;
    e. Evaluate the impact of target area interventions to eliminate 
commensal rodent infestation and environmental hazards and 
deficiencies; and
    f. Disseminate findings.
    2. CDC Activities:
    a. Provide technical consultation on data collection and 
management, and assist, as appropriate, in the analysis of data on the 
prevalence of commensal rodent infestation and environmental hazards 
and deficiencies in the target area; and
    b. Assist, if requested, in identifying approaches to eliminate 
identified environmental hazards and deficiencies.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. The application will be evaluated on the 
Evaluation Criteria listed, so it is important to follow them in laying 
out the program plan. The narrative should be no more than 30 double-
spaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and no more 
than a 12 point Courier font. Number each page consecutively and 
provide a complete table of contents. The total number of pages should 
not exceed 60, including the appendix. The application must be 
submitted unstapled and unbound. In developing the application, the 
applicant must also include a one-page, double-spaced abstract that 
describes the project and substantiates that a comprehensive or random 
premises survey of the target area was conducted that documents a 
premises prevalence rate for rodent (rat and/or mouse) infestation of 
at least six percent. It should be placed before the budget and 
narrative sections.
    The application should:
    1. Describe the applicant's agency and its position within the 
governmental structure;
    2. Describe how the project will be administered, including job 
descriptions for all project positions and the curriculum vitae of all 
key administrative staff;
    3. Provide copies of codes, ordinances, and regulations pertinent 
to achieving the short-and long-term objectives of the demonstration 
project;
    4. Provide data that support the reasons for selecting the target 
area (e.g., data on deteriorated and dilapidated housing, rat and mouse 
complaints, rat bites, premises prevalence rates for rodent infestation 
and related environmental deficiencies); and
    5. The application should contain a project plan that includes 
short-and long-range objectives for the target area. This will require 
that a random or premises-by-premises survey of the target area be 
conducted. Survey summary sheets that document at least a six percent 
rodent infestation rate should be included with the application. The 
project plan also should describe those activities designed to improve 
the integration of services into a comprehensive environmental 
improvement program.
    The project plan, should incorporate an ``attack'' and 
``maintenance'' concept (see definitions in addendum), and include a 
plan of action that is specific in terms of:
    (a) the period of time, types of activities, and resources required 
to achieve maintenance; and
    (b) activities and resources required to preserve a maintenance 
level.
    It should take into account:
    (a) size of the population;
    (b) the number of blocks; and
    (c) the extent of commensal rodent infestation and environmental 
hazards and deficiencies.
    The plan should be based on:
    (1) the nature of the commensal rodent infestation (e.g., rats 
versus mice and interior versus exterior infestation); and
    (2) premises prevalence rates for commensal rodent infestation and 
environmental hazards and deficiencies, and include the timetable to 
move blocks in the target area from a pre-attack phase, through attack 
and maintenance phases, to a maintenance level.

F. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    Your letter of intent should be submitted on or before June 1, 
2001, to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to 
Obtain Additional Information'' section of this announcement.

Application

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 0937-
0189). Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov or in the application kit. On or before July 2, 2001, 
submit the application to the Grants Management Specialist identified 
in the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of the 
application.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are either: (a) Received on or before the deadline date; or (b) 
sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for submission 
to the independent review group. (Applicants must request a legibly 
dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated receipt 
from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private metered 
postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)
    Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria in 
(a) or (b) above are considered late applications, will not be 
considered, and will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.
1. Background and Understanding of the Problem (15 points)
    a. The extent to which the applicant understands the public health, 
social, and economic consequences of urban commensal rodent infestation 
and the environmental factors that influence infestation;
    b. The extent to which the applicant describes the target area and 
is able to document the magnitude of the commensal rodent problem, 
environmental hazards and deficiencies, and their impact on target area 
residents;
    c. The extent to which the applicant documents current commensal 
rodent control activities in the target area and its experience in 
addressing the problem and its causal conditions.
    d. The extent to which the applicant provides evidence of its 
organizational structure and capacity to collect and

[[Page 23263]]

analyze data that describes the current problem and measures progress 
in reducing commensal rodent infestation and environmental hazards and 
deficiencies in the target area.
2. Objectives (15 points)
    The extent to which the applicant has developed sound, feasible 
objectives that are consistent with the activities described in the 
project plan, and are specific, measurable, and time-framed.
3. Project Plan (30 points)
    a. The extent to which the applicant provides evidence of its: (1) 
Ability to collect and analyze target area data and prepare reports of 
findings; (2) ability to accurately assess intervention costs; and (3) 
provide evidence of effective and well-defined relationships within the 
health department structure and with other governmental components and 
community-based organizations (CBOs) to ensure identified environmental 
hazards and deficiencies in the target area are appropriately 
addressed.
    b. The extent to which the project plan takes into account all of 
the elements of a comprehensive program (see addendum).
    c. The extent to which the applicant describes the specific 
activities and methods that are proposed to achieve each of the 
program's objectives. The commitment of local resources to sustain 
progress beyond expiration of Federal funding also should be addressed.
4. Coordination and Collaboration (15 points)
    a. The extent to which the applicant describes the relationship 
between the health department program and other health department 
components, other government agencies, academia, and CBOs and is 
supported by letters, memoranda of agreement, and other documented 
evidence in the appendix.
    b. The extent to which the applicant provides evidence of 
collaboration and coordination between the health department program 
and other health department components, other government agencies, 
academia, and CBOs to achieve the objectives of the project.
5. Project Management and Staffing (15 points)
    a. The extent to which the applicant documents skills and 
experience of key health department staff, including staff of 
collaborating agencies and organizations to carry out environmental 
public health programs, and specifically, urban commensal rodent 
control programs.
    b. The extent to which the applicant describes the allocation and 
roles of staff and devotes time to the activities described in the 
project plan.
6. Program Evaluation (10 points)
    The extent to which the applicant proposes to measure the overall 
impact of project. The plan should describe the methods used to 
evaluate the impact of project activities on commensal rodent 
infestation and environmental hazards and deficiencies in the target 
area, and on environmental public health practices and polices.
7. Budget Justification (not scored)
    The extent to which the budget is clearly explained, adequately 
justified, and is reasonable and consistent with the stated objectives 
and planned activities. Note: Please include any in-kind support for 
the project.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
    1. Semi-annual progress reports which are due within 30 days of the 
end of each six-month reporting period;
    2. The financial status report which is due no more than 90 days 
after the end of the budget period; and
    3. The final financial and performance reports which are due no 
more than 90 days after the end of the project period. Send all reports 
to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain 
Additional Information'' section of this announcement.
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
project. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I in the 
application kit.

AR-7 Executive Order 12372 Review
AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under Sections 301 and 317 of the Public 
Health Service Act, [42 U.S.C. Sections 241 and 247b]. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.283.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page 
Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov by clicking on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    To obtain additional information, contact: Virginia Hall-Broadnax, 
Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and 
Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop 
E13--2920 Brandywine Road, Suite 3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, 
Telephone number: (770) 488-2710, E-mail address: [email protected].

    For program technical assistance, contact: Jerry M. Hershovitz, 
Assistant to the Director for Program Development, Division of 
Emergency and Environmental Health Services, National Center for 
Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
Mailstop F-30--4770 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-2724, 
Telephone: (770) 488-4542, E-mail: [email protected].

    Dated: May 2, 2001.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-11506 Filed 5-7-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P