[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 147 (Tuesday, August 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43500-43501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12267]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

[CFDA 93.996]


Bioterrorism Training and Curriculum Development Program; 
Notification of Exception to Competition

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notification of exception to competition.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) 
Healthcare Systems Bureau, Division of Healthcare Preparedness 
Bioterrorism Training and Curriculum Development Program (BTCDP) will 
provide supplemental funding to approximately five fiscal year (FY) 
2006 BTCDP awardees to plan, test and evaluate the expansion of 
regional healthcare preparedness training efforts to a nationwide 
focus. A limited competition within the existing 19 awardees will be 
used to identify the recipients.
    Authority: This activity is under that authority of the Public 
Health Service Act, Title III, Section 319F(g), 42 U.S.C. 247d-6(g).
    Purpose: The purpose of supplemental awards is to expand the reach 
of the originally approved BTCDP awards from the currently approved 
geographic region to include the entire Nation. The intended recipients 
of this limited eligibility program expansion will be the successfully 
competed and objectively reviewed applicants from the already supported 
19 regional BTCDP awardees. The program expansion will enhance 
consistency in preparedness training by providing proven training 
through a nationwide

[[Page 43501]]

focus. Previous efforts have consisted of a more limited approach 
focusing training at a local/regional level.
    Amount: The anticipated award amount of $1.8 million will be 
distributed among the 4 or 5 most highly ranked (by objective review) 
applicants from the existing 19 BTCDP awardees. Awards will average 
$360,000.
    Project Period: The period of support is from September 30, 2006, 
to August 31, 2007, and will align with the existing budget period.
    Justification for the Exception to Competition: Open competition 
applications for the BTCDP program were received and reviewed by an 
objective review panel in the summer of FY 2005, at which time BTCDP's 
local and regional training plans, curriculum and evaluation strategies 
were reviewed and approved. A total of 74 Continuing Education 
applications were reviewed and 50 applications were approved. Nineteen 
projects were funded after careful review from a strongly competitive 
pool of applicants, emerging as the strongest entities with proven 
experience and track records to expand their accomplishments to a 
nationwide target of healthcare providers. Since that time, the 
awardees have continued to use Federal funds to align their training 
with the National Preparedness Goal and to deliver training consistent 
with HRSA's goals.
    BTCDP funded programs are uniquely suited to participate in this 
geographic expansion based upon their authorship and mastery of tested 
curriculum. BTCDP awardees have been awarded funds specifically to 
develop training strategies for all healthcare professionals. Their 
experiences have made them uniquely aware of potential pitfalls to be 
overcome in developing and testing a national training plan and have 
the expertise to respond to such barriers as they arise. Since the 
inception of the program in FY 2003, BTCDP awardees have been 
responsible for the training of 225,000 healthcare providers on a 
locality-by-locality basis and stand ultimately poised to deploy and 
evaluate national training strategies.
    BTCDP awardees are highly regarded academic institutions which have 
dedicated staff and infrastructure to create quality training 
opportunities for healthcare providers. Curriculum created with BTCDP 
dollars has already been approved by the academic institutions from 
which they emanate and has already secured the approval of healthcare 
professional continuing education accreditation bodies. Awardees 
possess the building blocks of the infrastructure necessary to 
efficiently test a national training system, and they have the 
knowledge and experience necessary to ensure the efficient use of funds 
for healthcare preparedness training.
    The BTCDP is the only Federal program solely committed to the 
preparedness training of healthcare providers. As such, BTCDP awardees 
share curriculum, accomplishments and lessons learned through an 
established network on a regular basis, a network vital to the 
development of a national plan. Awardees stand uniquely prepared to 
respond to congressional demand for an efficient and effective national 
training strategy within the fiscal and time constraints of this 
supplement. This supplement is the first step in meeting this demand 
through the efficient use of proven curriculum by experienced trainers 
on a national basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact Terri Spear, Chief, Emergency Training Branch, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Room 13-103, Rockville, Maryland 20857. E-mail: [email protected].

    Dated: July 25, 2006.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-12267 Filed 7-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P