[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 184 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 48751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23010]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of Non-Competitive Award of Funding to the Communities 
Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition Foundation, Inc

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

ACTION: Notice of Non-Competitive Award of Funding to the Communities 
Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition Foundation, Inc.

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SUMMARY: This Federal Register Notice announces the non-competitive 
extension of Grant Number U69HA07626, Supporting Networks of HIV Care 
by Enhancing Primary Medical Care (SNHC by EPMC), to the CAEAR 
Coalition Foundation, Inc., the awardee of record, for one additional 
year, through August 31, 2010, at a funding level of approximately 
$1,451,445. The purpose of the award extension is to allow for the 
completion of ongoing work and an external evaluation assessment of the 
project's activities undertaken during the project period of September 
1, 2006, through August 31, 2009, before a new competitive cycle is 
started. Evaluation findings will help HRSA frame a new competitive 
opportunity in fiscal year (FY) 2010. The authority for this funding is 
the Public Health Service Act, section 2692, 42 U.S.C. Sec.  300ff-111, 
as amended by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 
2006 (Pub. L. 109-415); it can be viewed under the Catalog for Federal 
Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 93.145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau's (HAB), Division of 
Training and Technical Assistance (DTTA), awarded the current awardee 
non-competitive funding for FY 2009 for a fourth and final project year 
September 1, 2009, through August 31, 2010, in the amount of 
$1,451,445, which represents $2,085,822 less than awarded in fiscal 
year FY 2008 for year three activities.
    The SNHC by EPMC is solely funded by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services' Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) and utilizes innovative 
strategies and activities specifically targeted to the highest risk and 
hardest-to-serve minority populations and communities of color. The 
SNHC by EPMC is a national technical assistance (TA) and capacity 
building project with the goal to ensure providers' ability to serve 
ethnic/racial minority communities; enable providers to adapt to an 
environment of few resources, rising costs, and growing HIV/AIDS 
prevalence; integrate new providers into systems of HIV care; and 
identify and deliver best practices and clinical guidelines to 
ultimately improve the lives of those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
    Owing to unanticipated changes and delays in initiating the 
originally proposed projected activities and the evaluation of the 
program, additional time and resources are necessary to conclude the 
proposed activities and the external evaluation of the project's 
activities. This evaluation and assessment, to be completed between 
September 1, 2009, and November 30, 2009, are critical to HRSA in 
developing a new competitive opportunity in fiscal year (FY) 2010 that 
more specifically targets the needs of primary care organizations that 
treat individuals with HIV/AIDS, and provides more refined approaches 
to the conduct of technical assistance and training that supports and 
sustains such organizations.
    By non-competitively awarding funds to the current grantee, CAEAR 
Coalition Foundation, Inc., in the fourth year, the external evaluation 
will be able to take into account the complete collection of case 
studies and provide a meta-analysis, thereby furthering the Agency's 
understanding of capacity needs of HIV service providers and allowing 
for better targeted future funding decisions. Given the importance and 
visibility of this departmental initiative, it is critical that this 
project be assessed and evolve in a manner that addresses the ever 
changing HIV epidemic and its impact on marginalized populations and 
the safety net providers that serve them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lauresa T. Washington, Health 
Resources and Services Administration, HIV/AIDS Bureau, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Room 7-29, Rockville, Maryland 20857, or e-mail 
[email protected].

    Dated: September 17, 2009.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E9-23010 Filed 9-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P