[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 51200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14272]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of availability of Draft Policy Documents for Comment

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

ACTION: Notice of availability and solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: This is a Notice of Availability and request for comments on 
certain draft policy documents prepared by HRSA's Bureau of Primary 
Health Care (BPHC). HRSA plans to periodically make some draft policy 
documents (including draft Program Information Notices (PINs)) 
available for public comment on the Internet at http://bphc.hrsa.gov. 
Comments will be reviewed and analyzed, and a summary and general 
response will be published as soon as possible after the deadline for 
receipt of comments.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before the due date specified for 
each document.

ADDRESSES: Addresses to which comments should be sent will be provided 
on the HRSA Web site along with each draft document.

Background:

    HRSA administers the Consolidated Health Center Program, which 
supports more than 3,700 health care delivery sites, including 
community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the 
homeless centers, and public housing primary care centers. Health 
centers serve clients that are primarily low income and minorities, and 
deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of 
their ability to pay. Charges for health care services are set 
according to income.
    HRSA believes that community input is valuable to the development 
of policies and policy documents related to the implementation of HRSA 
programs, including the Consolidated Health Center Program. Therefore, 
HRSA will periodically, as appropriate, solicit comments on some 
policies and policy documents via the HRSA Web site. This will provide 
all interested parties with equal access to the proposed document and 
an opportunity to comment. In some cases, HRSA may solicit comments on 
new, proposed policies. In other cases, HRSA may seek comments on 
documents that represent a written statement of an already-existing 
policy. In these situations, although the policy is being actively 
applied during the comment period, the written document may be adjusted 
after the comments are reviewed and analyzed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions regarding the process 
described above, please contact Shannon Dunne Faltens, Senior Public 
Health Analyst, Division of Policy and Development, Bureau of Primary 
Health Care, at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Note that HRSA will not publish an 
individual Federal Register notice for each document made available for 
public comment. The applicability of this notice to BPHC policy 
documents expires 2 years from the date of publication of this notice. 
Within one year after the publication of this notice, HRSA will publish 
a second notice to ensure that the public remains aware of this 
process.
    Federal Register notices will continue to be published inviting 
public comment on all information collection activities that fall under 
the purview of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

    Dated: August 17, 2006.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
 [FR Doc. E6-14272 Filed 8-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P