[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37484-37486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17979]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Program Announcement for Delta State Rural Development Network 
Grants

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds; request for applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) in the Health 
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces that 
applications are being accepted for grants for Delta State Rural 
Development Networks (DSRDN). One grant will be awarded in each of the 
eight States designated by Congress for inclusion in the service area 
of the Delta Regional Authority: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, 
Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. Public Law 104-299, 
enacted in 1996, authorizes the Rural Health Outreach, Network 
Development and Telemedicine Grant program. The Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law 106-554 includes, in the Rural 
Health Outreach appropriation line, funding for a special initiative. 
ORHP will use these special initiative funds to award grants to rural 
networks in the eight Delta States. Grants will be for a three-year 
project period, with annual renewal dependant on availability of funds 
and evaluation of grantee performance.
    Application Requests, Dates and Addresses: The application form and 
guidance for this Grant Program are available at the ORHP web site 
address at http://ruralhealth.hrsa.gov. Applicants may request a hard 
copy of these materials from the HRSA Grants Application Center (GAC) 
at 1815 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209; 
telephone number 1-877-477-2123. The GAC email address is 
[email protected].
    In order to be considered for competition, an original and one copy 
of the applications for this grant program must be received by August 
15, 2001. To be considered submitted on time applications must be 
OFFICIALLY POSTMARKED BY 11:59 P.M. August 14, 2001. Postmarked means 
Official Post Office cancellation mark, Federal Express Shipping 
Receipt Form, United States Parcel Company receipt or other carrier 
that Officially records the pick-up or drop-off time of a package. 
PRIVATE POSTAGE METER CANCELLED PACKAGES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS 
THE PACKAGE ARRIVES ON OR BEFORE THE DUE DATE.
    Applications must be mailed or delivered to: HRSA Grants 
Application Center (GAC), 1815 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 300, 
Arlington, VA 22209.
    Applications postmarked after the deadline date or sent to any 
address other than the address above will be returned to the applicant 
and not reviewed.

[[Page 37485]]

    Funds Available: ORHP expects to award $5,431,000 among the eight 
States identified by the Delta Regional Authority as being in the 
Delta. These States are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, 
Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. Approximate State 
allocations are expected to be as follows: Alabama $398, 000; Arkansas 
$991,000; Illinois $424,000; Kentucky 503,000; Louisiana $768,000; 
Missouri $742,000; Mississippi $1,193,000; Tennessee $503,000. There 
are 205 designated rural counties in these Delta States including 15 in 
Alabama, 38 in Arkansas, 16 in Illinois, 19 in Kentucky, 29 in 
Louisiana, 28 in Missouri, 41 in Mississippi and 19 in Tennessee. To 
determine the amount of funding each DSRDN will receive, ORHP will 
consider the following factors: (1) The number of rural Delta counties 
in each State, and (2) The extent to which the DSRDN grant applicant 
justifies the amount of funds requested. (For the list of the eligible 
counties see Appendix I.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning programmatic 
aspects of the DSRDN grants may be directed to Dr. Marcia Brand, 
Director of the Office of Rural Health Policy, at 301-443-0835, or by 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Program Objectives: DSRDN will work closely 
with State Offices of Rural Health and other stakeholders to publicize 
to eligible communities and organizations the opportunities available 
through the DSRDNs. ORHP expects DSRDNs to award subcontracts to help 
local providers and organizations form a culturally appropriate Rural 
Health Outreach Network covering each designated rural Delta County. 
Subcontract guidelines can be found in the Program Guide, which is part 
of the application materials. Such networks may, with the consent of 
the participating counties, be designed along prevailing service area 
boundaries rather than county lines. These locally controlled networks 
will receive funds to enhance network development, assess health needs, 
plan projects and seek funding, which will focus on improved access to 
primary health care to the medically underserved such as the under and 
uninsured. As a demonstration of community support, it is encouraged 
that the networks receive the endorsement of the county Chief 
Executive(s) for the geographic area to be served. These subcontracts 
should account for approximately two-thirds of the DSRDN's first year 
budget, or approximately $17,700 per eligible county.
    Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to receive a grant through this 
program, an entity shall be a rural public or private not-for-profit 
entity that is or represents a network or potential network that 
includes three or more health care providers or other entities that 
provide or support the delivery of health care services. The lead 
applicant for each State must be based in one of the 205 identified 
rural Delta counties. Except for the lead applicant, other network 
members may be for-profit entities and may be located in a rural or 
urban area. The DSRDN must have the capacity and expertise to work with 
all the counties in the State. Examples of organizations that could 
work together to form a DSRDN network would be rural hospitals, 
universities, AHECs, Emergency Medical Services offices, community 
health centers, private providers, county councils, county health 
departments, mental health organizations, Faith-based and other 
organizations that will contribute significantly to goals of the 
network.
    Evaluation Criteria: Reviewers will rank review and rank 
applications based upon the following criteria.
    1. Ability to make staff reliably available in person in the rural 
Mississippi Delta Counties of the State to be served. (20 points)
    2. Capacity to manage multiple subcontracts totaling several 
hundred thousand dollars. (15 points)
    3. Organizational experience in rural health (e.g., working with 
rural health providers, addressing health care needs of rural 
communities). (15 points)
    4. Demonstrated successful experience in developing and 
strengthening community-based organizations. (15 points)
    5. Organizational experience working in rural counties in the 
Mississippi River Delta Region. (15 points)
    6. Expertise in planning and implementing community health 
improvement projects. (10 points)
    7. Demonstrated success in implementing rural community health 
improvement projects. (10 points)

Funding Preferences

    As provided in the law a funding preference will be awarded to any 
qualified organization that can demonstrate substantial inclusion of 
any one of the following:
    A. The project includes a majority of the health care providers 
serving in the area or region to be served by the network participants. 
(The applicant must document the number of health care providers in the 
service area or region and the percentage of those providers that will 
be involved in the project.)
    B. The project includes any Federally qualified health centers, 
rural health clinics, and local public health departments serving the 
area or region. The involvement must be more than a referral 
relationship with other providers in the area. The entity must be a 
full and active member of the network. A letter of commitment must 
demonstrate the organization's roles, responsibilities, and 
contribution of resources to the project.
    C. The project includes outpatient mental health providers serving 
in the area or region. (The applicant must identify the mental health 
providers in the area and demonstrate their level of participation in 
the project.)
    D. Appropriate social service providers, such as agencies on aging, 
school systems, and providers under the Women, Infants and Children 
(WIC) program that are working to improve access to care and the 
coordination of health care services in the service area or region. 
(The applicant must identify the social service providers in the area 
and demonstrate their level of participation in the project.)
    Applicants receiving the preference will be placed in a more 
competitive position among the applications that can be funded. 
Applications that do not receive a funding preference will be given 
full and equitable consideration during the review process. However, 
all applications that request and are eligible to receive a funding 
preference will be funded before applications in the funding line that 
do not have a funding preference.
    To receive a funding preference, you must request it. Further, you 
must identify the type of preference for which you are eligible and 
demonstrate your eligibility in your application.
    Requirements for Cost Sharing or Matching: None.

Executive Order 12372

    This grant 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. Applicants (other than federally recognized Indian 
tribal governments) should contact their State Single Point of Contact 
(SPOCs), a list of which will be included in the

[[Page 37486]]

application kit, as early as possible to alert them to the prospective 
applications and receive any necessary instructions on the State 
process. All SPOC recommendations should be submitted to Larry Poole, 
Office of Grants Management, Bureau of Primary Health Care, 4350 East 
West Highway, 11th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 594-4260. The 
due date for State process recommendations is 60 days after the 
application deadline of August 15, 2001, for the Delta State Rural 
Development Network Program for competing applications. The granting 
agency does not guarantee to ``accommodate or explain'' State process 
recommendations it receives after that date. (See Part 148 of the PHS 
Grants Administration Manual, Intergovernmental Review of PHS Programs 
under Executive Order 12372, and 45 CFR part 100 for a description of 
the review process and requirements.)

Public Health System Impact Statement

    This program is subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements. Reporting requirements have been approved by the Office 
of Management and Budget--#0937-0195. Under these requirements, the 
community-based nongovernmental applicant 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 
apprised of proposed health services grant applications submitted by 
community-based 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. An abstract of the project 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.

OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.912C

    Dated: July 3, 2001.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Acting Administrator.

Appendix I--Rural Delta Counties Eligible for the Delta State Rural 
Development Network Grant Program

Alabama Counties (15)

    Barbour, Bullock, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, 
Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Washington and 
Wilcox.

Arkansas Counties (38)

    Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clay, 
Cleveland, Craighead, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Fulton, Grant, 
Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, 
Marion, Mississippi, Monroe, Ouachita, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, 
Randolph, St. Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, 
White, Woodruff

Illinois Counties (16)

    Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, 
Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Union, 
White, Williamson

Kentucky Counties (19)

    Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, 
Graves, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, 
McLean, Muhlenberg, Todd, Trigg, Union, Webster

Louisiana Parishes (29)

    Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, E. 
Carroll, E. Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, 
Iberville, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, 
Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Richland, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, 
Tensas, Union, Washington, W. Carroll, W. Feliciana, Winn

Mississippi Counties (41)

    Adams, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Carroll, Claiborne, 
Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, 
Issaquena, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lawrence, Leflore, 
Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Montgomery, Panola, Pike, Quitman, 
Sharkey, Simpson, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tunica, 
Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Wilkinson, Yalobusha, Yazoo

Missouri Counties (28)

    Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dent, Douglas, 
Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, 
Ozark, Pemiscott, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, Ste. Genevieve, 
St. Francois, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Texas, Washington, Wayne, 
Wright

Tennessee Counties (19)

    Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, 
Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, 
Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Weakley
[FR Doc. 01-17979 Filed 7-17-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P