[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 138 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42734-42738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18239]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 04015]


Effective Strategies to Reduce Motor Vehicle Injuries Among 
American Indians/Alaska Natives; Notice of Availability of Funds

    Application Deadline: October 16, 2003.

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under 391, 317 and 301 of the Public 
Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 280b, 247b, and 241]. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

B. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program to develop, implement, and evaluate community-based 
interventions with demonstrated effectiveness to reduce motor vehicle-
related injuries among American Indians and Alaska Natives (also 
referred to as Native Americans). This program addresses the ``Healthy 
People 2010'' focus area of Injury and Violence Prevention.
    The purpose of the program is to design/tailor, implement, and 
evaluate Native American community-based interventions with 
demonstrated effectiveness for preventing motor vehicle injuries within 
the following areas: (1) Strategies to reduce alcohol-impaired driving 
among high risk groups; (2) strategies to increase safety belt use 
among low-use groups; and (3) strategies to increase the use of child 
safety seats and booster seats among low use groups. (see Attachment 1 
for additional background)
    In addition, the program should gather information on the process 
of implementing and evaluating these strategies, including any 
challenges and barriers for tribes. An overriding intent of this 
funding is to assist tribes in designing/tailoring (as well as 
implementing and evaluating) these evidence-based effective strategies 
in programs, which take into consideration the unique culture of 
American Indians and Alaska Natives.


    Note: Attachments are posted with the Program Announcement at 
the CDC web site, Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov. Click on 
``Funding,'' then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements'.


    This project will fund the formation of coalitions of tribal health 
departments, tribal injury prevention programs, law enforcement, and 
tribal transportation and traffic safety agencies. These coalitions 
will work with other community groups, organizations, state agencies, 
and the Indian Health Service (IHS) to design/tailor, implement, and 
evaluate at least two selected interventions. Collaborations may 
include schools, youth organizations, safety advocates, local media, 
health care providers, academic researchers, IHS staff, state traffic 
safety agencies and social service agencies, among others.
    Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one or 
more of the following performance goals for the National Center for 
Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): (1) Increase the capacity of 
injury prevention and control programs to address the prevention of 
injuries and violence; and (2) monitor and detect fatal and non-fatal 
injuries. In addition applicants should address the following research 
priorities in transportation safety from the NCIPC Research Agenda: (1) 
Evaluate strategies to implement known, effective interventions to 
reduce alcohol-impaired driving and test the effectiveness of new, 
innovative strategies; (2) develop and evaluate interventions that 
address the proper and consistent use of measures to protect child 
occupants in motor vehicles; and (3) develop and evaluate interventions 
to increase the use of occupant protection devices, such as seat belts, 
in high-risk and hard-to-reach populations.
    The CDC report, ``Motor-Vehicle Occupant Injury: Strategies for 
increasing use of child safety seats, increasing use of safety belts, 
and reducing alcohol-impaired driving: a report on recommendations of 
the Task Force on Community Preventive Services,'' may be useful in 
understanding these effective strategies and in preparing applications. 
The report can be found on the CDC Web site at: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/5007.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Any federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribe or 
tribal organization is eligible to apply for these cooperative 
agreements. Applicants may include tribal injury prevention programs, 
tribal health departments, groups of tribes, and others. Tribes and 
tribal organizations must have a minimum population size of 2,500 
people, or serve 2,500 American Indian or Alaska Native people in order 
to be eligible to apply.

[[Page 42735]]

The 2,500 minimum population size is needed in order to be able to 
demonstrate effectiveness of the program. A signed and dated tribal 
council resolution in support of the tribal motor vehicle injury 
prevention program is required. For the Navajo Nation, where getting a 
tribal resolution signed is often difficult, signed resolutions from a 
local governing body, such as a Chapter House, will be acceptable for 
the intent to participate. Those tribes that cannot get a resolution 
signed in time to meet the deadline should submit a draft of the 
resolution in the appendix. A signed resolution from the tribe will be 
required prior to award if selected.
    American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest motor vehicle-
related death rates of all racial and ethnic groups (Web-based Injury 
Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS, NCIPC, CDC)), with 
rates two-three times greater than rates for all other Americans 
(Indian Health Focus, Injuries 1998-99; Indian Health Service, 2002). 
These funds are targeted to American Indians/Alaska Natives in order to 
help reduce this disparity.


    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 $186,000 is available in FY 2004 to fund three 
awards. It is expected that the average award will be about $62,000. It 
is expected that the awards will begin on or about January 2004, and 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up 
to four 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

    The intent of this funding is not to support existing activities. 
The recipient should provide evidence that there is an unmet need in 
their community for these interventions. This can be done by describing 
the target groups for the selected interventions and documenting the 
size of the problem. Examples of approved funding uses include police 
overtime pay for sobriety checkpoints and enhanced enforcement, media 
and awareness activities, evaluation consultants, salary for a project 
coordinator, etc.

Recipient Financial Participation

    Matching funds are not required for this program.

Funding Preferences

    Applicants will be expected to implement and evaluate at least two 
community-based interventions with demonstrated effectiveness during 
the four-year project period. Preference will be given to applicants 
who propose implementing one or more community-based interventions from 
the list below. This list contains interventions that have strong 
evidence of effectiveness according to ``The Guide to Community 
Preventive Services'' (www.thecommunityguide.org) (see Attachment 2). 
If applicants propose strategies that are not on the list below, then 
they must summarize and cite the evidence of effectiveness (see 
Attachment 2):
    1. Sobriety checkpoints to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. Key 
components of the intervention: officer training in appropriate 
practices; implement or increase the frequency of sobriety checkpoints 
(or roving patrols if checkpoints are not feasible); develop a strategy 
for publicizing checkpoints through media such as news stories and/or 
paid media.
    2. Efforts to lower blood alcohol concentrations among drivers 
(e.g., .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) or below). Key components: 
Publicize the BAC limit and work with tribal (or Bureau of Indian 
Affairs) police to communicate the importance of the law and ensure 
active enforcement.
    3. Efforts to enforce lower blood alcohol content (e.g., .02 BAC) 
for young drivers. Key components: Publicize the BAC limit, importance 
of a low BAC for young drivers to prevent crashes, and enforcement 
efforts in local media; work with tribal (or Bureau of Indian Affairs) 
police to actively enforce the law.
    4. Efforts to enforce existing safety belt and child occupant 
restraint laws. Key components: Work with local police to understand 
the importance of enforcing the use of occupant restraints, and the 
effectiveness of safety belts and child restraints in preventing 
injuries during a crash.
    5. Enhanced enforcement campaigns (such as Click It or Ticket-style 
campaigns) to increase safety belt use or child occupant restraint use. 
Key components of the intervention include: implement or increase the 
frequency of citations for violations of the law; implement or increase 
safety belt or child occupant restraint checkpoints (or roving patrols 
if checkpoints are not feasible); develop a strategy for publicizing 
the enhanced enforcement efforts through earned media (e.g., news 
stories) and/or paid media.
    6. Distribution and education programs to increase child safety 
seat and booster seat use. Key components of the intervention include: 
distribution of child safety seats and/or booster seats among low use 
groups, and education on appropriate use.

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 CDC will be responsible for the activities 
listed in 2. CDC Activities.

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Develop a motor vehicle injury prevention program in the 
recipient's tribal health department to enhance opportunities for the 
motor vehicle injury prevention program to collaborate with other 
tribal public health programs. If this is not practical, then state the 
reason why the tribal motor vehicle program will not be located in the 
health department.
    b. Provide a coordinator who has the authority, responsibility, and 
expertise to conduct and manage the tribal motor vehicle injury 
prevention program.
    c. Establish the coalition or advisory group that will help tailor, 
implement, and evaluate the selected interventions. This group may 
consist of public and private individuals, medical staff, Emergency 
Management Service staff, injury prevention experts, academic 
researchers, organizations, State and Federal agencies. At a minimum, 
the coalition must include the recipient tribal health department or 
organization, local highway safety department representative, local law 
enforcement, IHS Injury Prevention Specialists (state reason if not 
available), and others interested in traffic safety. Applicants are 
encouraged to work with existing programs, such as ``Safe 
Communities,'' or with coalitions such as ``SAFE KIDS.''
    d. At least one of the intervention choices should include working 
with local police departments to conduct enforcement activities 
regarding occupant restraint use, or alcohol-impaired driving.
    e. Collect or obtain and analyze baseline data that will guide the 
planning process and serve as the pre-intervention measures of 
effectiveness (e.g., number of alcohol-related crashes; number of 
impaired driving arrests and convictions; conduct observational

[[Page 42736]]

surveys to determine safety belt use, booster seat use, or child 
restraint use).
    f. If the recipient proposes to implement enhanced enforcement 
campaigns to increase safety belt use or child safety seat use, the 
recipient must first determine baseline use rates for safety belts, 
child safety seats, or booster seats. At a minimum, a comparison of 
observed use rates determined from observational surveys in the 
intervention communities before and after implementation of the 
intervention activities will be necessary for evaluation purposes. The 
recipient would also need to determine baseline police citations given 
before and during the enhanced enforcement activities.
    g. If the recipient proposes to implement sobriety checkpoints to 
reduce alcohol-impaired driving, the recipient must first determine 
rates of alcohol-impaired driving using appropriate survey methods 
before implementation of the intervention. Acceptable methods include 
direct assessment of driver BAC levels in roadside surveys; determining 
the number of single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes; or determining 
all nighttime fatal crashes before the checkpoint campaign.
    h. Analyze existing data to define the magnitude of the motor 
vehicle injury problem within the Native American target population, 
including those at greatest risk. Potential data sources include 
hospital discharge data, clinic and emergency department data, police 
reports, and State Department of Transportation reports.
    i. Develop a detailed plan for the tailoring of the intervention 
for their community, implementation, and evaluation of the selected 
evidence-based interventions to reduce motor vehicle-related injuries. 
This would include specific process, impact, and outcome objectives and 
action steps to accomplish each. Obtain approval for the plan from the 
coalition, and present the plan to CDC for approval.
    j. Implement, sustain, and rigorously evaluate the selected 
interventions.
    k. Attend and participate in conference calls and technical 
assistance and planning meetings coordinated by the CDC for all tribal 
cooperative agreement recipients (one meeting per year in Atlanta; two 
days per meeting).
    l. Submit required reports on time.
    m. The first year of the cooperative agreement will include several 
activities: establishing the coalition; collecting and analyzing 
baseline data (e.g., alcohol-related crashes, driving under the 
influence (DUI) arrests and convictions, conducting observational 
surveys of safety belt use); evaluating perceptions of stakeholders 
regarding barriers to implementation and perceived benefits of the 
intervention; and developing a detailed plan for implementing and 
evaluating two or more interventions.
    n. Noncompetitive continuation funding will be available for the 
second year, contingent upon successful progress in year one, and a 
detailed budget for implementing and evaluating the selected 
interventions. Years two-four will be dedicated to implementing, 
sustaining, and evaluating the selected interventions. The evaluation 
should include information regarding any barriers that were encountered 
in implementing the interventions.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Provide technical assistance, training, and guidance in the 
design/tailoring, implementation, and evaluation of the selected 
interventions. This will be done early in the first year of funding 
with CDC conducting an initial training and planning meeting with all 
grantees.
    b. Review, provide feedback, and approve plans for the design/
tailoring, implementation, and evaluation of the selected 
interventions.
    c. Conduct regular conference calls and annual site visits to 
provide training, technical assistance, and monitoring of the tribal 
motor vehicle injury program.
    d. Assist in developing a research protocol for annual 
Institutional Review Board (IRB) review by all cooperating institutions 
participating in the project. The CDC IRB will review and approve the 
protocol initially and on at least an annual basis until the project, 
including analyses, is completed.
    e. Assist in ensuring human subjects assurances are in place as 
needed.
    f. Assist in analysis and dissemination of results including the 
preparation of manuscripts, as needed.
    g. Organize an annual grantee meeting to provide technical 
assistance, training, facilitate communication, and assist with program 
planning and evaluation.

F. Content

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 20 pages, double-spaced, 
printed on one side of standard size 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper with 
consecutively numbered pages, with 1.5 inch-left, 1 inch-top, bottom, 
and right margins, and unreduced 12-point font. The applicant should 
provide a detailed description of first-year activities and briefly 
describe future year objectives and activities for years two, three, 
and four.
    The narrative should consist of, at minimum:
    1. Applicant's Organization History, Description and Capacity
    2. Applicant's Plan for Designing/Tailoring, Implementing, and 
Evaluating the Selected Interventions
    3. Applicant's Management and Staffing
    4. A Plan for Collaboration
    5. Measures of Effectiveness
    6. First Year Budget

G. Submission and Deadline

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 
0920-0428). Forms are available at the following Internet address: 
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 October 16, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-
PA 04015, 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

    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

[[Page 42737]]

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. 
Examples include: conducting observational surveys before and after the 
intervention to determine any change in occupant restraint use and over 
time; changes in citations and convictions given for not using seat 
belts or child safety seats pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 
over time; changes in citations and convictions given for DUI pre-
intervention, post-intervention, and over time; changes in alcohol-
related crashes or single vehicle nighttime fatal crashes pre-
intervention, post-intervention, and over time.
    An independent review group appointed by CDC will evaluate each 
application individually against the following criteria:
1. Applicant's Plan for Designing/Tailoring, Implementing, and 
Evaluating the Selected Interventions (35 points)
    The extent to which the applicant's work plan and timetable 
includes:
    a. The identification of representatives to be named as members of 
the coalition, including a description of the areas of expertise 
covered by each; the specific roles and responsibilities of each in 
implementing this cooperative agreement; etc.
    b. A reasonable and complete schedule/timeline for implementing all 
first year activities with action steps and persons responsible. A 
brief description of future year objectives and activities for years 
two through four.
    c. Plans for collecting or obtaining and analyzing baseline (pre-
intervention) and follow-up data for the measures of effectiveness.
    d. A description of the process used in selecting the interventions 
to be implemented.
    e. A description of the process to be used in preparing the 
detailed plan for implementing and evaluating the selected 
interventions.
    f. Evidence of a partnership with an academic institution or expert 
evaluation consultant to provide expertise and technical assistance in 
the design and implementation of the evaluation plan. Evaluation is 
important to these cooperative agreements, so it is recommended that 
approximately 15 percent of project resources be devoted to evaluation 
activities. Letters of support or agreement should be included in the 
appendix.
    g. Initial plans to evaluate the interventions including measures 
of effectiveness that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the 
identified objectives of the cooperative agreement. Measures should be 
objective/quantifiable and measure the intended outcome. Describe how 
the academic institution or evaluation consultant will be involved in 
the evaluation activities.
    h. Plans to train and support staff regarding the responsibilities 
of this cooperative agreement and the availability of staff and 
facilities to carry out this cooperative agreement.
2. Applicant Organization History, Description and Capacity (25 points)
    The extent to which the applicant has documented:
    a. A description of the target population to be served, and proof 
of a minimum reservation or tribal population size of 2,500.
    b. An overview of the tribe's motor vehicle injury problem.
    c. An inventory of existing tribal traffic safety laws for seat 
belt use, child restraint use, and alcohol impaired driving.
    d. Their history and current capacity to provide a leadership 
function in convening and facilitating the work of the coalition.
    e. Evidence of prior experience in designing/tailoring, 
implementing, and where possible, evaluating community-based 
interventions. This evidence will be stronger if some type of 
documentation is included such as publications from journal articles or 
technical reports in the appendix of the application.
    f. The description of positive progress in any related past or 
current injury prevention activities or programs. Evidence of access to 
the target populations.
    g. Their organizational capacity to meet the objectives of the 
cooperative agreement.
    h. The extent to which the applicant has shown tribal or 
organizational support for the proposed motor vehicle injury prevention 
program.
3. Applicant's Management and Staffing (20 points)
    The extent to which the applicant has included:
    a. Their management operation, structure and/or organization. An 
organizational chart of the applicant's organization should be included 
as an appendix. Additionally, the applicant should include within their 
management plan the specific role and mechanisms to be established to 
ensure effective coordination, communication and shared decision making 
among the involved agencies/organizations.
    b. A staffing plan for the project, noting existing staff as well 
as additional staffing needs. The responsibilities of individual staff 
members including the level of effort and allocation of time for each 
project activity by staff position should be included. The specific 
staff positions within the other involved tribal or local agencies, 
both in-kind and funded, should be described.
    c. Resumes and/or position descriptions (i.e. for current staff, 
in-kind, and proposed positions to be funded under this cooperative 
agreement) should be included as an appendix. This should include the 
use of consultants, as appropriate.
    d. A continuation plan in the event that key staff leave the 
project, how new staff will be smoothly integrated into the project, 
and assurances that resources will be available when needed for this 
project.
4. Collaboration (20 Points)
    The extent to which the applicant demonstrates:
    a. Experience with working with community leaders, tribal health 
boards, tribal councils, local police departments, and community-level 
groups.
    b. Evidence of effective and well-defined collaborative 
relationships within the performing organization and among the 
coalition members that will ensure implementation of the proposed 
activities. Model collaborations should include at least a tribal 
Health Department or organization, local law enforcement, IHS Injury 
Prevention staff, and a tribal traffic safety agency (if available). 
Letters of support from these collaborating organizations describing 
the specific commitments and

[[Page 42738]]

responsibilities that will be undertaken by the coalition members and 
community organizations should be included in the appendix.
5. Proposed Budget Justification (Reviewed, but not scored)
    The extent to which the applicant's budget includes funds to 
participate in the CDC required meetings (at least one person, such as 
the Project Coordinator, must attend one meeting per year in Atlanta to 
last for two days). The applicant should provide a detailed budget 
request and complete line-item justification of all proposed operating 
expenses consistent with the stated activities under this program 
announcement. Applicants should be precise about the purpose of each 
budget item and should itemize calculations wherever appropriate. The 
use of budget guidance posted on the CDC website with this announcement 
is encouraged.
6. Measures of Effectiveness (Reviewed, but not scored)
    The extent to which the applicant has provided appropriate measures 
of effectiveness.
7. Human Subjects (Reviewed, but not scored)
    The extent to which the applicant adequately addresses the 
requirements of Title 45 CFR part 46 for the protection of human 
subjects. Not scored; however, an application can be disapproved if the 
research risks are sufficiently serious and protection against risks is 
so inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC 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 III of the 
program announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site.

AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
AR-7 Executive Order 12372 Review
AR-8 Public Health System Reporting Requirements
AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-13 Prohibition on Use of CDC Funds for Certain Gun Control 
Activities

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: Nancy 
Pillar, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, 
Telephone number: 770-488-2721, e-mail address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: David Wallace, MSEH, 
Technical Adviser, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS 
K-63, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, Telephone number: 770-488-4712, e-mail 
address: [email protected].

    Dated: July 2, 2003.
Edward Schultz,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-18239 Filed 7-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P