[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28174-28177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12812]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01094]


Professional Education on Prostate Cancer: Primary Health Care 
Providers; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of funds for fiscal year (FY) 2001 for competing 
cooperative agreements for ``Professional Education on Prostate Cancer: 
Primary Health Care Providers.'' This program addresses the ``Healthy 
People 2010'' focus area of Cancer.
    The purpose of this program is to provide Primary Health Care 
Professional education on prostate cancer screening including potential 
benefits and harms, fundamentals of effective patient counsel, and 
informed decision making.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are private and public nonprofit medical 
organizations or associations that have established and conducted 
nationwide professional medical education programs and activities 
related to health promotion, cancer awareness, mortality and morbidity 
prevention. Organizations and associations that represent primary 
health care physicians, including but not limited to family practice 
physicians and internal medicine specialists, are examples of eligible 
applicants.
    The recommendations developed by the United States Preventive 
Services Task Force (USPSTF) currently guide programmatic activities at 
CDC. Therefore, the prostate screening recommendations of eligible 
organizations should be evidence-based, utilizing current research data 
and information published in Peer Reviewed medical journals.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code, Chapter 26, Section 
1611 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

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award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan, or any other 
form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $600,000 is available in FY 2001 to fund 
approximately two awards. It is expected that the average award will be 
$300,000 ranging from $200,000 to $400,000. It is expected that the 
awards will begin on or about September 1, 2001, and will be made for a 
12-month budget period within a project period of up to two years. 
Funding estimates may vary and are subject to change.
    Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds may not be expended for the purchase or lease of land or 
buildings, construction of facilities, renovation of existing space, or 
the delivery of clinical and therapeutic services. The purchase of 
equipment is discouraged but will be considered for approval if 
justified on the basis of being essential to the project and not 
available from any other source.

D. Program Requirements

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

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Develop strategies to increase the knowledge base of Primary 
Health Care Providers about issues related to prostate cancer 
screening, determinants of outcomes, and informed decision making.
    b. Educational materials may be designed to satisfy requirements 
for awarding American Medical Association (AMA) Category I continuing 
medical education credits. As a condition for maintaining a licence to 
practice medicine in most states, the educational materials developed 
under this program can provide an appropriate incentive and opportunity 
for medical providers to satisfy this requirement when attending 
professional conferences, or as provided through other mechanisms and 
offerings by medical organizations, associations, and institutions for 
continuing medical education credits.
    c. Establish measurable objectives that can be used to assess 
accomplishment of project activities.
    d. The expertise required to develop the quality of educational 
materials that are desired is not likely to be found in a single 
institution or organization because of the scope and complexity of 
concepts related to prostate cancer screening and patient management. 
Project objectives will greatly be assisted by establishing 
partnerships with other appropriate medical organizations that have 
specific expertise in areas of prostate cancer diagnosis, patient 
management, and informed decision making, all of which are necessary to 
increase primary care provider knowledge and reduce inconsistencies in 
patterns of medical practice.
    e. Opportunities for review and comment on the recommended 
educational materials arising from this program announcement are 
encouraged and may be provided to other stakeholders and representative 
organizations with prostate cancer expertise, such as the U.S. 
Preventive Services Task Force, American Urological Association, 
American Cancer Society, National Medical Association, AMA, National 
Cancer Institute, etc.
    f. Evaluate project achievements through a well-designed evaluation 
plan that assesses each objective.
    g. Publish and disseminate educational materials to organization 
members at national, State, and local venues conducive for earning and 
awarding Continuing Medical Education Credits for primary care 
providers who master and demonstrate competency in prescribed learning 
objectives as supplements to existing primary care provider continuing 
medical education opportunities and improve prostate cancer patient 
management and practice patterns.
    h. Demonstrate ability to engage racial/ethnically diverse health 
care providers and affiliated organizations by providing documentation 
of collaboration with racially and ethnically diverse institutions and 
medical organizations to develop and disseminate educational materials.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Provide technical assistance.
    b. Collaborate with recipients in the development, evaluation, and 
dissemination of educational materials designed to improve Primary 
Health Care Professionals' knowledge and awareness of prostate cancer 
screening issues.
    c. Provide periodic updates about public knowledge, attitudes, and 
practices regarding early detection and control of prostate cancer.
    d. Collaborate with recipients to develop meeting agendas.
    e. Collaborate with recipients to develop and publish recommended 
educational material to this program announcement.

E. Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than 30 double-spaced pages, 
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font. The 
original and each copy of the application must be submitted unstapled 
and unbound. Print all material, single-spaced, in a 12-point or larger 
font on 8\1/2\" by 11" paper, with at least 1-inch margins and printed 
on one side only.
    Applicant activities should focus on increasing the knowledge base 
of primary health care providers on prostate cancer screening and 
related issues, henceforth referred to in this announcement as Target 
Physician Population.

1. Background and Need

    a. Describe the population of primary care providers as it relates 
to the purpose of this program announcement, barriers to or gaps in 
prostate cancer screening knowledge, and strategies to overcome 
barriers, reduce knowledge gaps, and inconsistencies in patient 
management.
    b. Describe the organization's past and present education 
activities related to prostate cancer screening and disease control.
    c. Describe the applicant's experience related to services provided 
by primary care practitioners, and the rationale for use of previously 
conducted or newly developed strategies to enhance prostate cancer 
screening knowledge and improve patient counseling skills in ways that 
result in informed decision making.
    d. Describe the presence of explicit recommendations regarding 
prostate cancer screening and demonstrate that data and information 
used to develop recommendations are consistent with that used by the 
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Additional information can be 
obtained at the website below: http://hstat.nlm.nih.gov/ftrs/directBrowse.pl?dbNa me=cps&href=CH10&t=982852733

2. Goals and Objectives

    a. Objectives: Identify time-framed, measurable objectives 
consistent with

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the purpose of this program announcement.
    b. Activities: Clearly identify specific activities and strategies 
that will be undertaken to achieve each project objective during the 
budget period.
    c. Milestone Chart: Submit a milestone-to-completion chart 
consistent with the time-frame of the project period.

3. Capabilities

    a. Describe the nature and extent of constituent support for past 
and present organizational activities related to prostate cancer 
screening, patient counseling, and follow-up.
    b. Describe the nature and extent of health care provider education 
activity, especially those related to prostate cancer screening, 
patient counseling, follow-up, and informed decision making.
    c. Provide a comprehensive plan for national dissemination of 
educational material and information recommended in connection with 
this program announcement.

4. Project Management

    a. Submit a copy of the organization's mission statement.
    b. Describe the organization's structure and function, size, 
membership, substructure, professional education activities on a 
regional, State, or local level, and methods of routine communication 
with members (newsletters, journals, meetings, etc.).
    c. Describe each current or proposed position for this project by 
job title, function, general duties, and activities with which that 
position will be involved. Include the level of effort and allocation 
of time for each project activity by staff position. Minimal staffing 
should include a full-time project coordinator. Accountability and 
guidance for all activities under this program announcement should have 
direct oversight provided by senior staff of the funded organization 
who are knowledgeable about prostate cancer screening, patient 
management, as well as other related issues.

5. Collaborative Activities

    Describe past and proposed collaborative working partnerships with 
primary health care providers, medical organizations or associations 
that represent primary health care providers or that have established 
linkages with that group of providers. Include evidence of formal 
collaborations and partnerships such as Memorandums Of Agreement.

6. Program Evaluation Plan

    Identify methods for measuring progress toward attaining project 
objectives and monitoring activities. The evaluation plan should 
include qualitative and quantitative data collection and assessment 
mechanisms. The plan should include baseline data or mechanisms that 
will be used to establish baseline data, expected outcomes, minimum 
data to be collected, systems for collecting and analyzing the data. 
Examples of the type and scope of data necessary for evaluation 
purposes may include the following:
    a. Describe the access strategy that will be used to reach primary 
care providers, the number expected to be reached, and a plan for 
determining how well providers satisfactorily master the information 
and concepts embodied in the educational materials recommended.
    b. Demographic information such as age, sex, race, practice 
setting, etc.
    c. Recommendations for when, where, and how often educational 
activities should be conducted.

7. Budget and Narrative Justification

    Provide a detailed line-item budget and narrative justification of 
all operating expenses consistent with the proposed objectives and 
planned activities. Provide precise information about the project 
purpose for each budget item and itemize calculations when appropriate.
    Applicants should budget for the following costs:
Travel
    a. A minimum of three persons to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the 
Annual National Cancer Prevention and Control Conference (3 days).
    b. A minimum of three persons to Atlanta, Georgia to report program 
implementation progress (reverse site visit) and for consultation and 
technical assistance (2 days) (1 trip per year).
    c. Up to 2 additional 2-person trips to Atlanta, or other specified 
destination to attend national training center educational programs on 
national work groups, task forces or committees (1-3 days).

F. Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS-5161 (OMB Number 0925-
0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for 
PHS 398). Forms are available in the application kit and at the 
following Internet address: http://forms.psc.gov
    On or before June 20, 2001, submit the application to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional 
Information'' section of this announcement.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are either:
    Received on or before the deadline date; or 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 which do not meet the criteria in 1. or 2. above 
will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria (100 Points)

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.

1. Background and Need (10 Points)

    a. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates understanding of 
the project's purpose, objectives, and special challenges created by 
the wide disparity in prostate cancer experienced by high risk and low 
risk groups. Evidence of efforts to address these special challenges 
may be demonstrated by the assembly and inclusion of prostate cancer 
experts throughout all project activities who can articulate concerns 
unique to certain racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
    b. The extent to which the applicant identifies the population of 
primary care providers population and assess the need for the proposed 
activities.
    c. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates possession of 
evidence-based recommendations regarding prostate cancer screening.

2. Goals and Objectives (20 Points)

    The degree to which specific, time-framed, and measurable 
objectives, process, and outcome measures are consistent with the 
stated purpose of the program announcement.

3. Capabilities (25 Points)

    a. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the availability 
of staff who have participated in professional education activities 
similar to those described in the proposed project. The staff should 
possess appropriate qualifications and experience to accomplish project 
activities (10 points).
    b. The quality of the available organizational infrastructure 
including: office space, administrative and

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organizational support, and a demonstrated history of effective 
independent programs, and partnerships with other physician 
organizations, that have successfully educated large numbers of primary 
health care providers regarding preventive measures such as cancer 
screening (10 points).
    c. The extent to which applicant demonstrates an ability to engage 
racial/ethnically diverse health care providers and affiliated 
organizations by providing documentation of collaboration with racially 
and ethnically diverse institutions and medical organizations to 
develop and disseminate educational materials. (5 points).

4. Project Management (15 Points)

    The quality and feasibility of the proposed activities for 
achieving project objectives, including the adequacy of proposed 
personnel time allocations and the extent to which proposed staff 
exhibit appropriate qualifications and experience to accomplish project 
activities. Personnel assigned to complete tasks under this program 
announcement should hold senior positions within the funded 
organization as well as in any other organization that may collaborate 
to complete assigned tasks under this agreement.

5. Collaborative Activities (15 Points)

    The appropriateness and relevance of collaborative linkages with 
Primary Care Physicians or affiliated professional organizations, and 
the extent to which the applicant demonstrates its ability to access 
the targeted physician group and disseminate recommended educational 
materials on a national basis.

6. Program Evaluation Plan (15 Points)

    The quality of the evaluation plan for monitoring progress that 
relates to intervention activities and objectives that are described in 
the announcement.

7. Budget and Justification (Not scored)

    The extent to which the budget is reasonable and consistent with 
the purpose and objectives of the cooperative agreement.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
    1. Annual progress reports;
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period; and
    3. Final financial and performance reports, 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 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
announcement.
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
AR-14  Accounting System Requirements
AR-15  Proof of Non-Profit Status

I. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized by sections 317(k)(2) [42 U.S.C. 
247b(k)(2)] of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. 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 Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements.''
    Should you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from: Jesse Robertson, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Program Announcement 01094, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 
3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone number: (770) 488-2747, E-Mail 
address: [email protected].
    Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from: Fred L. 
Stallings, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center 
for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway NE., Mail 
Stop K-55, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone number: (770) 488-4293, E-
mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 16, 2001.
Henry S. Cassell, III,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-12812 Filed 5-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P