[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 53880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-21753]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Maternal and Child Health Services; Universal Newborn Hearing 
Screening and Intervention Program

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of noncompetitive program expansion supplemental award.

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SUMMARY: The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management 
(NCHAM) at Utah State University is the national resource center for 
the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program. Funds 
will be used to provide technical assistance and training for 
physiologic hearing screening services in Early Head Start and Head 
Start programs in 17 States with plans to expand to 3 additional 
States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Intended Recipient of the Award: The 
National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) at Utah 
State University.
    Amount of Supplemental Award(s): The amount of the supplemental 
award is $400,000. Based on satisfactory performance, continued need, 
and availability of funds, a second and final non-competitive 
supplemental award for this activity may be awarded for 12 additional 
months.
    Authority: Section 349 of the Public Health Service Act.
    CFDA Number: 93.251.
    Project Period: The project period for this cooperative agreement 
is April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2010. The period of supplemental 
support for this award is from September 1, 2008, through March 31, 
2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Forsman, via e-mail: 
[email protected] or via telephone 301-443-2370.
    Justification for the Exception to Competition: The National Center 
for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) at Utah State University 
is the national resource center for the Universal Newborn Hearing 
Screening and Intervention program. They successfully applied for funds 
to support a program of national technical assistance in 2000 and again 
in 2004. There were no other applicants for this cooperative agreement 
in either competition. There is no other organization providing 
technical assistance to State-based Early Hearing Detection and 
Intervention (EHDI) programs.
    In 2001, the Health Services and Resources Administration's (HRSA) 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) entered into a 3-year Intra-
Agency Agreement with the Administration on Children and Families (ACF) 
Office of Head Start (OHS) to provide physiologic hearing screening 
services to Migrant and Native American Early Head Start sites in 3 
States. NCHAM was awarded a supplemental grant to develop training 
materials for the staff and provided technical assistance and support. 
Since 2005, ACF/OHS has supported NCHAM through a one-time award which 
cannot be renewed. In that time period, NCHAM successfully expanded the 
screening program to 17 States. ACF/OHS has submitted an Intra-Agency 
Agreement to HRSA/MCHB to continue the work in 17 States and to expand 
to 3 additional States.
    NCHAM is unique in its technical assistance capacity to provide the 
type of services for the training. Since it is the national center that 
supports the EHDI program, it is well positioned to catalyze 
significant relationships between community-based Head Start programs 
and State-wide EHDI programs. The resource center has a regionalized 
system of audiologists, each of whom has responsibility for several 
States. NCHAM has developed multiple training mechanisms including 
manuals, CDs and a Web site (infanthearing.org) rich in resources to 
assist health providers, educators of the deaf, families, policymakers 
and others involved in providing timely and appropriate screening, 
diagnosis and intervention services for infants and children with 
hearing loss and their families. There is no other entity providing 
these services, nor has any other entity expressed interest in doing 
so. For the reasons identified above, the HRSA is awarding the 
supplemental funds non-competitively.

    Dated: September 10, 2008.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8-21753 Filed 9-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P