[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 110 (Monday, June 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32959-32961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13346]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-14-14RJ]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology,

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e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and (e) Assess 
information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be 
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written 
comments should be received within 30 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 local, state, 
tribal, military, port, other federal agency, or international health 
authority or other partner organization 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 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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                                                                                                      Average
                                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per
         Type of respondents                   Form name            respondents    responses per   response  (in
                                                                                    respondent         hrs.)
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Residents of the selected geographic  CASPER Questionnaire......           3,150               1           30/60
 area to be assessed.
                                      Referral Form.............              50               1            2/60
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[[Page 32961]]

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. 2014-13346 Filed 6-6-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P