[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33971-33973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15964]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of A Cooperative Agreement To Support Innovative Projects 
Relating to Public Health Education and Services

    The Health Resources and Services Administration announces that 
applications will be accepted for a Cooperative Agreement for fiscal 
year (FY) 2001 to plan, develop, and implement a series of 
collaborative projects relating to public health education and special 
projects. This Cooperative Agreement is expected to support a program 
of innovative training and education projects to demonstrate the 
sharing of expertise between public health faculty and public health 
practitioners in State and local communities. The goal of the 
Cooperative Agreement is to improve public health, public health 
services, and health care services at the State and local community 
levels while providing meaningful feedback to schools of public health 
concerning the efficacy of their curricula in educating and training 
the future and existing public health workforce.
    There are three purposes for this Cooperative Agreement: (1) To 
develop training, placement, recruitment and retention mechanisms to 
address the shortfall of individuals in various public health 
disciplines and professions as defined by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics Standard Occupational Classification; (2) to strengthen and 
institutionalize practice oriented linkages between the schools of 
public health and the public health practice community so that 
individuals are better trained to meet the needs of HRSA-sponsored 
grantees in community settings; and (3) to provide assistance in 
curricula development and related initiatives that will address the 
need for better educated and culturally competent entry-level and mid-
level public health practitioners in public health practice settings.
    Activities under this Cooperative Agreement must include:
    (1) The convening of communities of interest, including rural 
organizations, to produce policy recommendations to HRSA to improve 
education, training, recruitment, and diversification of the public 
health workforce, especially as it impacts the needs of underserved 
communities.
    (2) The development of an internship and fellowship program for 
students and graduates of schools of public health to provide exposure 
and work experience in front line urban and rural public health 
agencies, organizations, and systems, and policy/program development.
    (3) The analysis of training, delivery methods and new technologies 
for adult learners.
    (4) The establishment of a geographically diverse Steering 
Committee for the development and pilot testing of activities to 
provide technical assistance to public health practice sites.
    (5) The establishment of linkages between academic training 
institutions and public health practice organizations to demonstrate 
innovative models and initiatives supportive of academic practice.
    (6) The improvement of public health research in urban and rural 
community populations and linkages with these stakeholders and other 
national associations to highlight both public health education and the 
efficient delivery of health services, especially as it impacts the 
needs of underserved communities and minority and disadvantaged 
practitioners.
    (7) The coordination of the development of curricula that support 
health care delivery and health service projects funded by HRSA.
    (8) The evaluation of outcome measures and performance standards 
used by HRSA's public health programs for the delivery of various 
health services, patient health status, consumer satisfaction, systems 
of care and quality.

Authorizing Legislation

    This Cooperative Agreement is solicited under the authority of 
title VII, section 765 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as 
amended. Section 765 authorizes the award of grants to increase the 
number of individuals in the public health workforce, to enhance the 
quality of such workforce, and to enhance the ability of the workforce 
to meet national, State, and local health care needs.
    The Federal role in the conduct of this Cooperative Agreement is 
substantial and will be maintained by the Bureau of Health Professions 
(BHPr) staff through technical assistance and guidance to the awardee 
considerably beyond the normal stewardship responsibilities in the 
administration of grant awards. Such activities under this Cooperative 
Agreement include the:
    (a) Planning, development, and implementation of all phases of the 
program, including consultation regarding contracts, agreements, and 
sub-awards developed, as well as participation in the review and 
selection of contracts, agreements and sub-awards;
    (b) Participation in the development of all curricula for the 
program, and approval of the content and delivery of training 
experiences;
    (c) Participation in the development of an evaluation plan for the 
project initiated at the inception of the project;
    (d) Assistance with identification of Federal and other 
organizations with whom collaboration is essential in order to further 
the Cooperative Agreement's mission and to develop specific strategies 
to support the work of these related activities;
    (e) Participation in the development of funding projections;
    (f) Participation in the development of data collection systems and 
procedures;
    (g) Participation in all appropriate meetings, committees, 
subcommittees, and working groups related to this Cooperative Agreement 
and its projects, as well as site visits;
    (h) Participation in the review of curricula vitae documenting 
credentials and experience for the Steering Committee, key faculty, and 
key staff before commitments are made by the awardee;
    (i) Participation in the identification of emerging health 
management practice issues for technical assistance purposes;
    (j) Identification of HRSA programmatic issues for special 
attention through the Cooperative Agreement;
    (k) Identification of appropriate consultation for proposed 
projects, and/or annual plans for any succeeding project years;
    (l) Assistance in defining the objective, method, evaluation and 
use of project results and translation into the knowledge, skills, and 
attributes for educational objectives,
    (m) Assistance in ensuring appropriate linkages with public health 
practice, health services, and health care delivery sites; and
    (n) Participation in monitoring the implementation, conduct and 
results of projects implemented under this Cooperative Agreement.

[[Page 33972]]

    The BHPr's Center for Public Health will provide technical 
assistance for this Cooperative Agreement.

Availability of Funds

    Up to $700,000 will be available in FY 2001 to fund this 
Cooperative Agreement. Funding will be for a 5-year project period. It 
is expected the award will be made on or before September 30, 2001. 
Continuation awards beyond the first year of the project period will be 
based on the achievement of satisfactory progress and the availability 
of funds.

Background

    As part of its overall mission, HRSA is responsible for providing 
national leadership to assure that high quality health care and public 
health services are provided to the most vulnerable populations in the 
Nation. HRSA is also responsible for improving the basic and continuing 
education of public health professionals to assess, develop and assure 
that a high level of services is available to these vulnerable 
populations. In carrying out this responsibility, HRSA works 
collaboratively with educational institutions, especially schools of 
public health and with professional organizations to develop and 
implement improved basic and continuing education curricula to assure 
competent public health practice and leadership in the United States.
    It has been recognized that the quality, number and diversity of 
public health personnel plays a critical role in the promotion of 
health, prevention and control of disease, and the management of health 
resources. The principal purpose of schools of public health is to 
promote and improve the education and training of professional public 
health personnel.
    An area of major concern to HRSA is the lack of individuals trained 
and prepared to manage and/or provide services in community settings. 
It is these settings where a majority of HRSA funding and attention is 
directed, because it is at the community-level that our most vulnerable 
populations need care. The disconnect between public health training 
and community settings where these individuals are needed continues to 
be a significant problem in public health and for the efficient 
delivery of HRSA-sponsored care and services.
    A second major concern of HRSA is over the low number of faculty, 
students and practitioners from minority backgrounds in academic and 
practice settings. The schools of public health can play a crucial role 
in alleviating these shortcomings, especially in training minority and 
disadvantaged public health workers. HRSA is proposing to develop a 
range of activities utilizing the strengths of the schools of public 
health to address the identified as well as emerging concerns. This 
Cooperative Agreement will serve as an incentive to the academic public 
health community to become more involved in public health practice 
issues, increase the number of minority professionals working in public 
health settings, and introduce cultural diversity training into the 
curriculum in schools of public health.
    By the end of the demonstration period, the awardee must have 
developed written curricula for its program, comprehensively described 
its implementation plan and local experience in educating students, 
training faculty and public health professionals, and reported on the 
effectiveness of its program in changing its stakeholder's knowledge, 
skills, attitudes, and practices. National and local dissemination of 
information and lessons learned by the recipient is required throughout 
the project period. This Cooperative Agreement is expected to 
contribute significantly to the identification of future best practices 
for the education and training of public health professionals.

Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are a health professions school (including an 
accredited school or program of public health, health administration, 
preventive medicine, or dental public health or a school providing 
health management programs), academic health centers, State or local 
governments, and any other appropriate public or private non-profit 
entity.

Review Criteria

    The specific review criteria used to review and rank applications 
are included in the application guidance that will be provided to each 
potential applicant. Applicants should pay strict attention to 
addressing these criteria, as they are the basis upon which 
applications will be judged by the reviewers.
    The following generic review criteria are applicable to this 
Cooperative Agreement:
    (a) That the estimated cost to the Government of the project is 
reasonable considering the level and complexity of activity and the 
anticipated results.
    (b) That the budget justifications are complete, appropriate, and 
cost-effective.
    (c) That project personnel are well qualified by training and/or 
experience for the support sought, and the applicant organization or 
the organization to provide training has adequate facilities and 
manpower.
    (d) That the proposed objectives are capable of achieving the 
specific program objectives defined in the program announcement and the 
proposed results are measurable.
    (e) That insofar as practical, the proposed activities, if well 
executed, are capable of attaining project objectives.
    (f) That the proposal includes an integrated methodology compatible 
with the scope of project objectives, including collaborative 
relationships with relevant institutions and professional associations.
    (g) That the method for evaluating proposed results includes 
criteria for determining the extent to which the program has achieved 
its stated objectives and the extent to which the accomplishment of 
objectives can be attributed to the program.
    (h) That, insofar as practical, the proposed activities, when 
accomplished, are replicable, national in scope, and include plans for 
broad dissemination.

Letters of Intent and Deadline Date

    Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent to apply for 
this Cooperative Agreement. The letter is requested to assist staff in 
planning for the review based on anticipated number of applications. 
The letter of intent is due July 10, 2001. Simultaneously mail or e-
mail one copy of the letter to each of the following representatives 
from the Center for Public Health (CPH), within the Bureau of Health 
Professions (BHPr):
    Jeffrey Dunlap, Acting Director, CPH, Bureau of Health Professions, 
HRSA, Room 8-103, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 
20857; or e-mail address at [email protected]. Mr. Dunlap's telephone 
number is (301) 443-6853.
    Capt. Barry Stern, Sr., Environmental Health Advisor, CPH, Bureau 
of Health Professions, HRSA, Room 8-103, Parklawn Building, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857; or e-mail address at 
[email protected]. Capt. Stern's telephone number is (301) 443-6758.

Application Requests, Dates and Address

    Federal Register notices and the application form and guidance for 
this Cooperative Agreement are available from the HRSA web site address 
at http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/grants2001/. Applicants may also request a hard 
copy of these materials from the HRSA Grants Application Center (GAC) 
at 1815 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 300, Arlington,

[[Page 33973]]

VA 22209; telephone number 1-877-477-2123. The GAC e-mail address is: 
[email protected].
    In order to be considered for competition, applications for this 
Cooperative Agreement must be received by mail or delivered to the GAC 
no later than July 26, 2001.
    Completed applications must be submitted to the GAC at the above 
address. Applications received after the deadline date or sent to any 
address other than the Arlington, Virginia address above will be 
returned to the applicant and not reviewed.

National Health Objectives for the Year 2010

    The PHS urges applicants to submit their work plans that address 
specific objectives of Healthy People 2010, which potential applicants 
may obtain through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 (telephone: (202) 783-3238). 
Particular attention should focus on Healthy People 2010 Workforce 
Objectives, such as Objectives 1-8 (achieving minority representation 
in the health professions) and 23-8 (incorporating specific 
competencies into the public health workforce).

Smoke-Free Workplace

    The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a 
smoke-free workplace; to promote the non-use of all tobacco products; 
and to promote Pub. L. 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, which 
prohibits smoking in certain facilities that receive Federal funds in 
which education, library, day care, health care, and early childhood 
development services are provided to children.

Additional Informaiton

    Questions concerning programmatic aspects of this Cooperative 
Agreement may be directed to the same representatives of the Center for 
Public Health listed above in the Letters of Intent section of this 
notice.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The standard application form HRSA-6025-1, the HRSA Competing 
Training Grant Application, has been approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB 
clearance number is 0915-0060. If the methods for developing the 
proposed comprehensive outcome evaluation of all efforts delivered 
through this Cooperative Agreement (as described in the Background 
section of this notice) fall under the purview of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, the awardee will assist HRSA in seeking OMB clearance 
for proposed data collection activities.
    This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented 
through 45 CFR part 100). This program is also not subject to the 
Public Health Systems Reporting Requirements.

    Dated: June 20, 2001.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-15964 Filed 6-25-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P