[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 172 (Thursday, September 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51230-51231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17560]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services


Medicaid Program: Notice of Single Source Grant Award to the 
State of Louisiana for the Grant Entitled ``Deficit Reduction Act--
Hurricane Katrina Healthcare Related Primary Care Access Stabilization 
Grant''

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Funding Amount: $100,000,000.
    Period of Performance: July 23, 2007 through September 30, 2010.
    CFDA: 93.776.

    Authority: Section 6201(a)(4) of the Deficit Reduction Act of 
2005 (DRA).

    Purpose: This grant program has been made available to the State of 
Louisiana to restore and expand access to primary care, including 
primary mental health care, in the Greater New Orleans area. This area 
is facing inadequate primary care access as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina and its subsequent floods causing a unique negative impact on 
the low income and uninsured populations of Greater New Orleans. 
Funding under this grant program must be used by the State of Louisiana 
to assist it to make payments for purposes of addressing primary health 
care access issues in Greater New Orleans' ``impacted communities'', 
defined for purposes of this grant, to be those four parishes located 
in the State of Louisiana's Region 1, as defined by the Louisiana 
Department of Health and Hospitals, namely, Orleans, Jefferson, St. 
Bernard, and Plaquemines. This grant includes $4,000,000 for the City 
of New Orleans Health Department to help restore its ability to meet 
its primary care mission in new and emerging neighborhoods being 
repopulated.
    The grant funds must be used only for funding eligible primary care 
clinics that: Provide at least one or more of the core primary care 
services with its own practitioners in an outpatient setting; formally 
commit to provide care to all individuals, regardless of ability to 
pay; are either a public or not-for-profit (NFP) entity that is 
sustainable; and demonstrate commitment to practice in the Greater New 
Orleans area for the long term. Because of the urgent need to get funds 
out as timely as possible under less than ideal local circumstances, 
the State of Louisiana has selected a locally based partner (that was 
able to meet certain criteria) to oversee and monitor local conditions,

[[Page 51231]]

and run the grant day-to-day. Administrative expenses will be capped at 
.5 percent for the State and 5 percent for the local partner.
    The State of Louisiana, in consultation with its local partner, has 
flexibility subject to approval by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (CMS) in determining the funding allocation methodology to 
grantee clinics/subawardees, as long as it includes a standardization 
of ``units of care'' across all grantee clinics, and includes a base 
award and supplementary payments that meet the intent of the grant.
    This award was made based on the authority granted by section 6201 
of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA). In particular, section 6201(a)(4) 
of the DRA provides authority to the Secretary, Department of Health 
and Human Services (DHHS), to make payments to States to restore access 
to health care in communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
    Under the authority of section 6201(a)(4) of the DRA of 2005, the 
Secretary has invoked his authority to restore health care in impacted 
communities affected by Hurricane Katrina by offering this unique 
funding opportunity to stabilize primary health care access to the 
Greater New Orleans area, which is facing inadequate primary care 
access as a result of Hurricane Katrina and its subsequent floods.
    Louisiana is the only State with the knowledge and ability to 
administer a grant designed to affect impacted Louisiana communities. 
For this reason, the Secretary has directed CMS to offer a single-
source award to the State of Louisiana to help strengthen and increase 
primary care access to the Greater New Orleans area and by helping to 
increase the supply of health care providers negatively impacted as a 
result of this hurricane.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy J. Taparanskas, Ph.D., Health 
Insurance Specialist, Finance, Systems, and Budget Group, Center for 
Medicaid and State Operations, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, Mail Stop S3-13-15, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 
21244, (410) 786-5245.

    Authority: Section 6201(a)(4) of the Deficit Reduction Act of 
2005 (DRA).

    Dated: August 30, 2007.
Herb B. Kuhn,
Acting Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
 [FR Doc. E7-17560 Filed 9-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P