[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18553-18554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07320]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-14-14RJ]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or 
send comments to LeRoy Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, 
GA 30333 or send an email to [email protected].
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response 
(CASPER)--New--National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC requests a three-year approval for a new Generic Information 
Collection Request (ICR) for the Community Assessment for Public Health 
Emergency Response (CASPER). CASPER is an effective public health tool 
designed to quickly provide low-cost, household-based information about 
a community's needs and health status in a simple, easy-to-understand 
format for decision-makers. A CASPER can be conducted any time the 
public health needs of a community are not well known, including as 
part of disaster/emergency response to help inform decision making and 
distribution of resources, or in non-emergency settings to assess the 
public health needs of a community. In all situations, CASPER provides 
timely public health information that is essential when engaging in 
sound public health action.
    In order for a CASPER to be initiated by CDC, a state, local, 
tribal, or territorial jurisdiction must first invite CDC to 
participate in a CASPER. Communities are identified by local, state, or 
regional emergency managers and health department officers. The process 
for conducting a CASPER includes planning and preparation, field work, 
analysis, and sharing results with stakeholders. Planning can take 24 
hours to several months depending on the type of CASPER being 
conducted. Field work takes approximately five days. Due to emergency 
situations under which CASPERs are often requested by states (e.g., 
hurricane response, oil spill), it is important that CDC has the 
ability to gain urgent approval for data collection.
    The CASPER uses a validated statistical methodology that includes a 
two-stage probability sampling technique to collect information from a 
representative sample of 210 households in the community. Within the 
community, 30 clusters (typically census tracts) are selected based on 
probability proportional to size and, within each cluster, seven 
households are randomly selected for interview.
    Participation in a CASPER questionnaire is voluntary. Consenting 
participants are not provided incentives

[[Page 18554]]

for participating in the survey. Face-to-face interviews, usually 
taking 30 minutes or less, with one adult (>= 18 years of age) from a 
selected household are recorded on paper or in electronic form. In 
general, yes/no and multiple choice questions are used to collect 
household level information including, but not limited to, the 
following categories: Housing unit type and extent of damage to the 
dwelling, household needs, physical and behavioral health status, 
perception and response to public health communications, household 
emergency preparedness, and greatest reported need. While a majority of 
CASPERs collect only household-level information, there may be 
instances where the questionnaires are modified to collect a small 
amount of individual level data.
    Participants give verbal consent. Additionally, no data is 
collected that could link specific questionnaires to house addresses. 
Separate from the questionnaire, a tracking form is used to record the 
number of households visited, calculate response rates, and record 
households that should be revisited because a respondent was 
unavailable for interview. A complete addresses, including house 
number, street name, city, state, and zip code, are never recorded on 
any form. This information is not retained by CDC or entered into any 
database. There is no way to link data from the tracking form to 
specific household questionnaires.
    Though each CASPER will be different, in general, personally 
identifying information is not collected. In a minimal number of 
CASPERs, interview teams may come across households with urgent needs 
that present an immediate threat to life or health, where calling 
emergency services immediately is not appropriate. In these instances, 
the team may refer the household to appropriate services using a 
referral form that is not attached to the questionnaire. In the scant 
instances where these forms are utilized, personally identifying 
information is collected. However, the forms go directly from the field 
team to the local CASPER coordinator for handling and rapid follow-up. 
When referral forms are used, the information is never retained by CDC 
or entered into any database. There is no way to link specific 
questionnaires to any information on the referral form.
    The estimated annualized burden is 1,577 hours. The estimated 
burden is based on conducting 15 CASPERs per year, interviewing 210 
households per CASPER, conducting 30 minute interviews per household, 
and completing 50 referral forms per year. There is no cost to 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs)        (in hrs)
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Residents of the selected       CASPER                     3,150               1           30/60           1,575
 geographic area to be           Questionnaire.               50               1            2/60               2
 assessed.                      Referral Form...
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,577
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LeRoy Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-07320 Filed 4-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P