[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 111 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32125-32126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11220]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Response to Solicitation of Comments on a Funding Priority for 
Multiple Counties Under the Fiscal Year 2007 New Access Points in High 
Poverty Counties Grant Opportunity

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

ACTION: Response to Solicitation of Comments.

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SUMMARY: A notice was published in the Federal Register (FR) on 
December 6, 2006, (Vol. 71, No. 234, pp. 70780-70781), describing a 
funding priority to be included in the fiscal year (FY) 2007 New Access 
Points in High Poverty Counties grant opportunity. The notice requested 
public comments on the proposed funding priority to be sent to HRSA no 
later than January 5, 2007.
    Comments were received from over 30 organizations and/or 
individuals in response to the notice of the proposed funding priority. 
The majority of comments received did not pertain specifically to the 
proposed funding priority, but rather the President's High Poverty 
Counties Initiative (``the Initiative'') and grant opportunity; 
therefore this notice presents a summary of the general comments 
received with HRSA's corresponding responses including references to 
the FY 2007 New Access Points in High Poverty Counties (HRSA-07-069) 
funding opportunity, as well as a summary of the final funding 
priority.

Summary of Comments Received

Issue: Methodology and List of Eligible Counties

    Comments: Over 25 of the comments received requested additional 
information on the poorest counties that would be eligible for the 
grant opportunities offered under the Initiative. A number of comments 
offered suggestions for the methodology of determining the eligible 
counties, while others solely requested a list of the eligible 
counties.
    Agency Response: Specific eligibility requirements for the New 
Access Points in High Poverty Counties (HRSA-07-069) opportunity, as 
well as the Planning Grants in High Poverty Counties (HRSA-07-066) 
funding opportunity, are detailed within the respective grant 
announcements available online through the HRSA Web site at: http://www.hrsa.gov/grants. Eligibility for both opportunities is limited to 
the 200 eligible high poverty counties that have been determined using 
two cohorts with no section 330 grantee site and a high percentage of 
people living below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level. One 
cohort consists of counties with populations at or above 100,000 (high 
population) and makes up approximately 25 percent of the total eligible 
counties. The other cohort consists of counties with populations below 
100,000 (low population) and constitutes approximately 75 percent of 
the eligible counties. The low population counties were also screened 
by a provider need criteria. To be eligible, low population counties 
were required to exhibit a need of at least one additional primary care 
provider (PCP), using a standard of one PCP for every 3,000 persons. 
The list of eligible counties is included within each of the grant 
announcements.

Issue: Focusing on County Level for Eligibility

    Comments: Comments expressed specific concern over the decision to 
limit eligibility for the Initiative to the county level, especially 
since counties differ significantly in geographic size, population 
density, diversity, etc. Suggestions included opening the competition 
to all communities, with a priority instead to the defined high poverty 
counties.
    Agency Response: The Initiative was established to further the 
success of the President's Health Center Initiative by focusing support 
and increasing access to quality health services in the Nation's 
poorest counties without a health center. Counties were selected as the 
focus of this particular initiative because they are a recognized 
boundary for the delivery of public health and social services in many 
communities, and the Initiative will help support county level efforts 
to provide needed primary care services to their populations.

Issue: Guidance information

    Comments: Comments requested further information on the application 
guidance release date, funding levels, and how to apply for the funding 
opportunities.
    Agency Response: The New Access Point in High Poverty Counties 
(HRSA-07-069) and Planning Grants in High Poverty Counties (HRSA-07-
066) opportunities were both released March 14, 2007, and were made 
available on

[[Page 32126]]

the HRSA Web site at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants, or through Grants.gov 
at: http://www.grants.gov. In FY 2007, up to 120 New Access Points in 
High Poverty Counties are estimated to be funded. HRSA anticipates 
awarding a minimum of $24 million for this activity in FY 2007 and 
applications were due May 23, 2007. Subject to the availability of 
funds, up to 25 Planning Grants in High Poverty Counties will be 
funded, with applications that were due May 16, 2007. All applications 
were to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by the 
established due dates.

Summary of the Funding Priority

    A funding priority is defined as the favorable adjustment of 
combined review scores of individually approved applications when 
applications meet specified criteria. An adjustment is made by a set, 
pre-determined number of points. The New Access Point in High Poverty 
Counties funding opportunity has one funding priority of five (5) 
points for ``Multi-County Applications.'' In order to be considered for 
this funding priority, applicants must demonstrate that a minimum of 15 
percent of the total target population will come from a county(ies) 
other than the eligible high poverty county in which the new access 
point will be located. Applicants requesting consideration of a funding 
priority must initiate the request and provide the expected 
distribution of the target population among the counties to be served 
by the high poverty county new access point project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Preeti Kanodia, Division of Policy and 
Development, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and 
Services Administration. Ms. Kanodia may be contacted by e-mail at 
[email protected] or via telephone at (301) 594-4300.

    Dated: June 5, 2007.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
 [FR Doc. E7-11220 Filed 6-8-07; 8:45 am]
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