[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 119 (Friday, June 20, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36995-36997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15593]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[Program Announcement 03124]


Program To Build Capacity To Assess and Improve Healthcare 
Services in Anniston, AL; Notice of Availability of Funds

    Application Deadline: July 21, 2003.

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized in sections 104(i)(14) of the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA) as amended (42 U.S.C 9604 (i)(14)). The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number is 93.161.

B. Purpose

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a 
cooperative agreement Program to Build Capacity to Assess and Improve 
Healthcare Services in Anniston, Alabama. This program addresses the 
``Healthy People 2010'' focus areas of Educational and Community-Based 
Programs; Environmental Health; and Maternal, Infant, and Child Health.
    The purpose of this program is to: (1) Collect and analyze data to 
describe the health care services in the Anniston area; (2) to assess 
the community's access to healthcare services; (3) to develop a plan to 
increase access to healthcare, if needed; and (4) to inform and educate 
residents about healthcare services in their community. Special 
emphasis should be placed on the environmental and occupational 
medicine services in the area.
    Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one or 
more of the following performance goals for the ATSDR: Developing and 
providing reliable, understandable information for people in affected 
communities and tribes and for stakeholders, and build and enhance 
effective partnerships.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and 
for-profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that 
is, universities, colleges, technical schools, research institutions, 
hospitals, other public and private nonprofit and for-profit 
organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based 
organizations, state and local governments or their bona fide agents, 
including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, federally 
recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal 
organizations.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 States that 
an organization described in section 501(C)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to 
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.

D. Funding

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $75,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund one award. It 
is expected that the award will begin on or about August 1, 2003, and 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up 
to two years. Funding estimates may change. Continuation awards within 
an approved project period will be made on the basis of satisfactory 
progress as evidenced by required reports and the availability of 
funds.

Use of Funds

    Funds may be expended for reasonable program purposes, such as 
personnel, travel, supplies and services. Funds for contractual 
services may be requested; however, the primary recipient of ATSDR 
funds must perform a substantive role in carrying out project 
activities and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another 
party or provide funds to an ineligible party. Equipment may be 
purchased with these funds, however, the equipment proposed should be 
appropriate and reasonable for the research activity to be conducted. 
Equipment may be acquired only when authorized and the application 
should provide a justification of need to acquire equipment, the 
description, and the cost of purchase versus lease. To the greatest 
extent practicable, equipment and products purchased with ATSDR funds 
should be American made. ATSDR retains the right to request return of 
all equipment purchased (in operable condition) with grant funds at the 
completion of the project period.

Recipient Financial Participation

    Matching funds are not required for this program.

Funding Priority

    Preference will be given to the following: Applicants who are 
located in the southeastern region of the United States, applicants who 
have support from the Anniston community as evidenced by letters of 
support, and proposed projects that maximize available resources.

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities listed in 1. 
Recipient Activities, and ATSDR will be responsible for the activities 
listed in 2. ATSDR Activities.

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Develop and implement a program proposal which examines the 
current healthcare services in the Anniston area. Special efforts 
should also be made to closely coordinate this activity with Federal 
agencies such as Health Resources and Services Administration

[[Page 36996]]

(HRSA) and other State, and local agencies who are working to address 
health care issues in the Anniston area.
    b. Work in collaboration with Federal, State, and local agency 
staff, community members, and local healthcare providers to develop a 
plan to improve healthcare services and/or access to occupational and 
environmental healthcare services in the Anniston area if needed.
    c. Work in collaboration with Federal, State, and local agency 
staff, community members, and local healthcare providers to develop a 
report which (1) describes the current health care services in 
Anniston; (2) describes the community's access to current services; and 
(3) provides specific plans and recommendations to improve the 
healthcare services and the community's access to healthcare services 
in Anniston, with a special emphasis on environmental and occupational 
medicine services.
    d. Provide evidence of on-going collaborative efforts with 
community representatives, local elected officials, State and local 
health departments, etc., to enhance communication and information 
exchange with the Anniston community.
    e. Establish a mechanism to work with community members to gather 
input on study issues, including outreach, participation, and 
education.
    f. Meet monthly, either telephonically or in person, with ATSDR and 
other Anniston-area program participants to coordinate planned efforts 
and review progress.
    g. Disseminate project results and other necessary information to 
community members, and publish in written format for distribution.

2. ATSDR Activities

    a. Provide information regarding public health studies and other 
activities associated with Anniston.
    b. Assist with the development of questionnaires or other tools to 
gather the information necessary for this project.
    c. Provide assistance with the dissemination of information 
resulting from this project, including the publication of a final 
report.
    d. Facilitate monthly meetings between the awardee, community 
members and other Anniston-area program participants to coordinate 
planned efforts and review progress.

F. Content

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    A LOI is required for this program. The Program Announcement title 
and number must appear in the LOI. The narrative should be no more than 
two pages, single-spaced, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, 
and unreduced 12-point font. Your letter of intent will be used to 
enable ATSDR to determine the level of interest in this announcement, 
and should include the following information:

    1. Issues/concerns regarding access to healthcare services in 
Anniston, Alabama.
    2. Proposed methods.
    3. Time line.
    4. Experience of key personnel related to the proposed project.

Applications

    The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the 
application. 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 pages, double-spaced, 
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point 
font.
    The narrative should consist of, at a minimum, a Proposed Project 
Plan, Program Objectives, Methods, Evaluation, Budget, and Time line. 
The project plan should address activities to be conducted over the 
entire two-year project period.

G. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission

    On or before July 7, 2003, submit the LOI to the Grants Management 
Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' 
section of this announcement.

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of the PHS 5161 form. 
Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have 
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC 
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section 
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

Submission Date, Time, and Address

    The application must be received by 4 p.m. eastern time July 21, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management--PA 
03124, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine 
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
    Applications may not be submitted electronically.

CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt

    A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has 
received your application.

Deadline

    Letters of intent and applications shall be considered as meeting 
the deadline if they are received before 4 p.m. eastern time on the 
deadline date. Any applicant who sends their application by the United 
States Postal Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that 
the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by 
the closing date and time. If an application is received after closing 
due to (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a 
guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant 
weather delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper 
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the 
deadline.
    Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be 
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be 
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

H. Evaluation Criteria

Application

    Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that 
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified 
objectives of the cooperative agreement. Measures of effectiveness must 
relate to the performance goals stated in the purpose section of this 
announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative and must 
measure the intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be 
submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
    An independent review group appointed by ATSDR will evaluate each 
application against the following criteria:
1. Proposed Program (50 percent)
    a. The applicant's understanding of the health care delivery system 
in Anniston, Alabama; ability to develop a plan, conduct, and evaluate 
a program and/or process to gather information regarding the healthcare 
system in Anniston; and collaborate effectively with a variety of 
public health partners including other federal, state, and local 
agencies who are working to evaluate and address the healthcare system 
in Anniston.

[[Page 36997]]

    b. Documented access to or the ability to gain access to 
information regarding healthcare services in the Anniston area. Special 
emphasis should be placed on information regarding occupational and 
environmental medicine services in the area.
    c. Clearly stated understanding of the environmental public health 
problems to be addressed, including any special issues or concerns 
related to healthcare delivery in the Anniston community.
    d. Clear and reasonable program goals and clearly stated project 
objectives which are realistic, measurable, and related to the program 
requirements.
    e. Specificity and feasibility of proposed time line for 
implementing project activities.
2. Program Personnel (20 percent)
    a. Applicant's experience and understanding (e.g. in the areas of 
local healthcare delivery systems, healthcare systems and services 
throughout the United States, environmental and occupational medicine 
services, community networking, etc.).
    b. Qualifications and time allocation of the professional staff to 
be assigned to this project.
    c. Extent to which the management staff and their working partners 
are clearly described.
3. Community Involvement and Dissemination of Results (20 percent)
    a. Adequacy of plan establishing partnerships to address community 
concerns, educate residents, and create lines of communication with key 
community representatives.
    b. Adequacy of methods to disseminate the study results to state 
and local public health officials, community residents, and to other 
concerned individuals and organizations.
4. Facilities and Resources (10 percent)
    The adequacy of the applicant's facilities, equipment, and other 
resources available for performance of this project.
5. Budget Justification (Reviewed, Not Scored)
    The budget will be evaluated to the extent that it is reasonable, 
clearly justified, and consistent with the intended use of funds.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC/ATSDR with original plus two copies of:
    1. Interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of 
the budget period. The progress report will serve as your non-competing 
continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
    a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
    b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
    c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
    d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
    e. Additional Requested Information.

    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    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.

Additional Requirements

    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
program announcement, as posted on the CDC/ATSDR Web site.

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-18 Cost Recovery--ATSDR
AR-19 Third Party Agreements--ATSDR
AR-22 Research Integrity

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and 
associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: 
http://www.cdc.gov.
    Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements''.
    For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical 
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For business management and budget assistance, contact: Edna Green, 
Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 
30341-4146. Telephone: 770-488-2743. E-mail address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Theresa L. NeSmith, 
Health Education Specialist, Site Activities Branch, Division of Health 
Education and Promotion, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry, 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Mail Stop E-42, Atlanta, Georgia 
30333. Telephone: 404-498-0515. E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: June 13, 2003.
Edward Schultz,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-15593 Filed 6-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P