[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 80 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20535-20536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10089]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Poison Control Program; Cooperative Agreement for the Development 
of Patient Management Guidelines for Poisonings

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 $300,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2002 funds is 
available to fund one cooperative agreement for the development of 
guidelines for patient management following exposure to toxic 
substances. The award will be made under the authority of the Poison 
Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act (Public Law 106-174). The 
purpose of this cooperative agreement is to develop evidence-based 
guidelines to assure greater consistency in the treatment of poisoning 
episodes both within and among different Poison Control Centers 
throughout the country. HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) 
will administer the cooperative agreement (CFDA #93.253). Funding for 
the cooperative agreement in FY 2002 was appropriated under Public Law 
107-116.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications is July 1, 2002. 
Applications will be considered on time if they are: (1) received on or 
before the deadline date or (2) postmarked by on or before the deadline 
date. The project award date is September 1, 2002.

ADDRESSES: To receive a complete application kit, applicants may 
telephone the HRSA Grants Application Center at 1-877-477-2123 
beginning May 1, 2002, 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 that provide assistance. All applications should be mailed 
or delivered to: Grants Management Officer, MCHB; HRSA Grants 
Application Center, 901 Russell Avenue, Suite 450, Gaithersburg, MD 
20879; telephone: 1-877-477-2123; e-mail: [email protected].
    This application guidance and the required forms for the 
cooperative agreement for the patient management guidelines 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 [email protected] 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 by following instructions at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol A. Delany, 301/443-0926, e-mail: 
[email protected] (for questions specific to project activities of the 
program, program objectives); Theda Duvall, 301/443-1440, e-mail 
[email protected] (for grants policy, budgetary, and business 
questions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Patient Management Guidelines Cooperative 
Agreement Background and Objectives:
    The Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act (Pub. L. 
106-174) (the Act) was enacted in February 2000 to provide funding to 
stabilize and enhance Poison Control Centers. The Act also provided 
funding the establishment of a nationwide toll free number for greater 
access to Poison Control Centers in the United States, and for the 
development of standard patient management protocols for commonly 
encountered toxic exposures.
    Each year, more than 2,000,000 poison exposures are reported to 
poison control centers (PCCs). More than 90 percent of these exposures 
occur in the home and more than half of the victims are children 
younger than 6 years of age. Persons seeking help with a poisoning 
exposure have access to PCCs staffed by toxicology professionals who, 
via a telephone hotline, give immediate information and treatment 
advice about suspected toxic exposures. About 70 percent of the 
exposure cases reported

[[Page 20536]]

to PCCs are successfully managed at home without further need for 
treatment at a healthcare facility.
    Currently, while there are patient management guidelines for 
individual centers, there are no uniform national guidelines to provide 
a framework for the advice given by toxicology professionals. Since 
there is no requirement for consistency among centers, the treatment of 
patients may differ from center to center. The implementation of a 
single national telephone number has increased the need for uniform 
guidelines and consistency in care and advice since the same poison 
exposure case may be handled by multiple Poison Control Centers.
    In 2001, following input from an ad hoc group of national 
stakeholder organizations, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) 
began the process of developing uniform guidelines for the management 
of poisoned patients. A competitive contract was awarded to the 
American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in collaboration 
with the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and the American 
College of Medical Toxicology to develop an approach to guideline 
development, and apply it to the development of guidelines for the 
treatment of non-toxic exposures.
    The approach developed by the AAPCC uses an evidence-based review 
of available medical literature and poisoning data. Guidelines are 
drafted and reviewed by a consensus panel comprised of qualified 
clinical toxicologists. A secondary review includes all Poison Control 
Center personnel and outside groups with interest in this area such as 
the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAPCC tested this approach by 
using it to draft guidelines for handling exposures to nontoxic 
substances.

Authorization

    Section 6(b)(2) of the Poison Control Center Enhancement and 
Awareness Act (Public Law 106-174).

Purpose

    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to use the AAPCC-
developed approach to draft guidelines for the treatment of patients 
following exposures to individual or classes of related poisonous 
substances. MCHB will expect the awardee to propose toxic substances 
for guideline development, draft selected guidelines, and propose a 
plan for the distribution, utilization, feedback, and periodic review 
of the guidelines.

Eligibility

    Any public or private entity is eligible to apply for the 
cooperative agreement. Under the President's initiative, faith-based 
organizations that are otherwise eligible and believe they can 
contribute to HRSA's program objectives are urged to consider this 
initiative.

Funding Level/Project Period

    Approximately $300,000 is available to support the award of this 
cooperative agreement in FY 2002, with a project period of up to three 
years. Funding for this cooperative agreement beyond FY 2002 is 
contingent upon satisfactory performance, the availability of funds, 
and program priorities. The initial budget period is expected to be 12 
months, with subsequent budget periods being 12 months.

Funding Mechanism

    The administrative and funding instrument to be used for this 
project will be a cooperative agreement, in which substantial MCHB 
scientific and/or programmatic involvement with the awardee is 
anticipated during the performance of the project. Under the terms of 
this cooperative agreement, in addition to the required monitoring and 
technical assistance, Federal responsibilities will include:
    (1) Provision of services of experienced Federal personnel as 
participants in the planning and development of all phases of this 
activity.
    (2) Participation, as appropriate, in meetings conducted during the 
period of the cooperative agreement.
    (3) Ongoing review and concurrence with activities and procedures 
to be established and implemented for accomplishing the scope of work.
    (4) Participation in the preparation of project information prior 
to dissemination.
    (5) Participation in the presentation of information on project 
activities.
    (6) Assistance with the establishment of contacts with Federal and 
State agencies, MCHB grant projects, and other contacts that may be 
relevant to the project's mission; and referrals to these agencies.

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:
    1. Completeness and clarity of the project narrative;
    2. Practicability and achievability of the plan to use requested 
funds;
    3. Technical qualifications and capabilities of the organization 
and project personnel;
    4. Strength of the project's plans for evaluation;
    5. Clarity and appropriateness of the budget and coordinated budget 
narrative.
    The final review criteria used to review and rank applications for 
this cooperative agreement are included in the application kit. 
Applicants should pay strict attention to addressing these criteria, as 
they are the basis upon which their applications will be judged.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    OMB approval for any data collection in connection with this 
cooperative agreement will be sought, as required under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.

    Dated: April 18, 2002.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-10089 Filed 4-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P