[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54220-54222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21340]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Rural Assistance Center

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration announces up 
to $600,000 in FY 2002 funds is available to fund a single competitive

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cooperative agreement to support the development of a Rural Assistance 
Center (RAC) demonstration project. The RAC will assist rural 
communities and individual rural citizens in building and sustaining 
high-quality rural health care delivery systems.
    Eligibility is open to any public or private entity. Faith-based 
organizations are eligible to apply for these funds. Awards will be 
made under the program authority of Section 301 of the Public Health 
Service Act. Funds for this award were appropriated under Public Law 
107-116. The award will be for a period of three years. Additional 
funding of up to $600,000 annually in the second or third years is 
contingent on the availability of funds and grantee performance.

DATES: Applicants for this program are requested to notify the Office 
of Rural Health Policy by September 1, 2002. Notification of intent to 
apply can be made in one of three ways: telephone: 301-443-0835; e-mail 
[email protected]; mail, Office of Rural Health Policy, Room 9A-55, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. The deadline for receipt of grant 
applications is September 16, 2002. Applications will be considered on 
time if received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: To receive a complete application kit, applicants may 
telephone the HRSA Grants Application Center at 1-877-477-2123 (1-877-
HRSA-123) beginning August 16, 2002, or register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.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 the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 93.223 
when requesting application materials. The CFDA is a Government wide 
compendium of enumerated Federal programs, projects, services, and 
activities that provide assistance. An original and paper copies of 
applications should be mailed to: HRSA Grants Application Center, 901 
Russell Avenue, Suite 450, Gaithersburg MD, telephone: 1-877-HRSA-123 
(477-2123), E-mail: [email protected].
    This application guidance and the required form for the Rural 
Assistance Center Program may also be downloaded in either Microsoft 
Word or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) from the ORHP Homepage at http://www.ruralhealth.hrsa.gov. Please contact Steve Hirsch at 301-443-0835 
or [email protected] if you need technical assistance in accessing the 
ORHP Home Page via the Internet.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Program Background and Objectives

    For the 65 million people living in rural America, the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services' mission to protect health and 
to provide assistance for those in need is especially relevant. Health 
care and social service programs in rural communities provide needed 
support of communities' well-being and represent a significant segment 
of the local economies. These programs, however, frequently lack 
adequate funds, personnel and support network.
    For more than a decade, the Office of Rural Health Policy has 
supported activities that assist states, localities and rural citizens 
as they work to build and sustain high-quality rural health care 
delivery systems. One component of that support has been the Rural 
Information Center Health Service (RICHS). The intent of the RAC is to 
demonstrate that this activity can be expanded and enhanced to better 
serve rural communities by identifying private and public resources, 
collecting and sharing information about models that work, and serving 
as a technical resource for a wide range of health and social service 
issues.
    In July of 2001, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. 
Thompson created a rural task force to assess how the Department serves 
rural communities. Among the key findings of this year-long initiative 
is that DHHS operates more than 220 discrete programs that affect rural 
communities. As part of the rural initiative, the Department's Rural 
Task Force also collected more than 450 public comments on a variety of 
issues affecting rural communities. One of the key themes that emerged 
from these public comments is the need to reach out to rural 
communities and help them identify how best to access the broad range 
of health and social services programs that are available to rural 
communities.
    The Rural Assistance Center will serve as a focal point of 
information about the broad range of public and private opportunities 
that are available to support rural communities. The RAC will help 
rural communities navigate these opportunities, identify successful 
state and community models and provide links to existing private and 
public resources that support rural health care and social service 
delivery. This will, in turn, help rural communities build and enhance 
their rural services and strengthen their communities.
    Authorization: Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 
U.S.C. 241.

Purpose

    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to assist rural 
communities in developing and sustaining high-quality rural health care 
and social service delivery systems through an integrated assistance 
center. Specifically, through this cooperative agreement the RAC will:
    (1) Serve as a support to rural communities and rural citizens to 
identify available programs for improving the ability of rural 
communities to provide high-quality health care and social services.
    (2) Identify and synthesize information about the availability of 
existing private and public resources for enhancing rural health care 
and social service delivery.
    (3) Identify and disseminate information about models that work in 
rural communities that have been able to sustain, enhance and improve 
their local health care and social service delivery systems.
    (4) Promote collaboration among DHHS programs that serve rural 
communities to increase effectiveness and reduce duplication of effort.

Eligibility

    Under section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, any public or 
private entity is eligible to apply. Under the President's initiative, 
community-based and faith-based organizations that are otherwise 
eligible and believe they can contribute to HRSA's program objectives 
are encouraged to consider this initiative.

Funding Levels/Project Periods

    The administrative and funding instrument to be used for the RAC 
will be a cooperative agreement, in which substantial ORHP policy 
expertise and/or programmatic involvement with the awardee is 
anticipated during the performance of the project. There is no 
requirement for matching funds with this program. Under the terms of 
this cooperative agreement, in addition to the required monitoring and 
technical assistance, Federal responsibilities will include:
    (1) Participation in meetings conducted during the period of the 
cooperative agreement.
    (2) Ongoing review of activities and procedures to be established 
and implemented.
    (3) Review of project information prior to dissemination.

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    (4) Review of information on project activities.
    (5) Assistance with the establishment of contacts with Federal and 
State agencies, grant projects and other contacts that may be relevant 
to the project's mission and referrals to these agencies.
    One project will be approved for three years. Up to $600,000 in 
fiscal year 2002 funds will be used to fund the first year. Additional 
funding of up to $600,000 annually in years two and three will be 
contingent on the availability of funds and grantee performance.

Review Criteria

    Applications that are complete and responsive to the guidance will 
be evaluated by an objective review panel specifically convened for 
this solicitation and in accordance with HRSA grants management 
policies and procedures.
    Applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:
    1. Knowledge and Understanding of the Issues relating to Rural 
Health and Rural Social Services (Weight: 20%) and the Challenges 
Facing Providers and Beneficiaries in Rural Areas
     The degree of understanding of the evolution of rural 
health and social services and the historical challenges facing rural 
communities in terms of resources and demographics (including 
populations experiencing cultural and linguistic barriers to care).
     The degree of thoroughness in describing how the RAC will 
address information gaps for rural communities.
     The extent of applicant knowledge of rural health and 
social service issues.
     The extent of applicant knowledge of the individuals and 
organizations involved in the rural health and social services.
    2. Soundness and Adequacy of Project Plan (Weight: 30%)
     The extent to which the project objectives address the 
program purpose and are measurable, time-framed, and appropriate in 
relation to both the program requirements and identified needs.
     The degree to which the program areas outlined in the 
grant guidance have been addressed, prioritized and justified.
     The quality and feasibility of the project plan or 
methodology and its relation to the project's goals and objectives.
     The extent to which the proposed approach identifies the 
resources that will be used to implement the strategies.
     The degree to which the approaches are technically sound 
and appropriate to the project goals and objectives.
    3. Soundness of Implementation Plan (Weight: 10%)
     The soundness of the plan for creating and implementing 
the RAC.
     The extent to which the applicant describes how the 
project staff will determine the degree to which proposed activities 
are being successfully conducted and completed, based on the objectives 
outlined.
    4. Applicant's Capability and Capacity (Weight: 30%)
     The extent to which the applicant has demonstrated 
expertise and its capability to oversee and successfully carry out the 
project.
     Evidence that a sufficient number of project personnel and 
resources are proposed. Biographical sketches/curricula vitae document 
education, skills and experience that are relevant and necessary for 
the proposed project.
    5. Appropriateness of Budget (Weight: 10%)
     The extent to which the proposed budget is realistic, 
adequately justified, and consistent with the proposed project plan.
     The extent to which the costs of administration and 
monitoring/evaluation are reasonable and proportionate to the costs of 
service provision.
     The degree to which the costs of the proposed project are 
economical in relation to the proposed service utilization.
    Additional criteria may be used in the review of applications for 
this competition. Any such criteria will be identified in the program 
guidance included in the application kit. Applicants should pay strict 
attention to addressing these criteria, in addition to those referenced 
above.
    This program is not subject to the provision 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.

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: August 15, 2002.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-21340 Filed 8-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P