[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36076-36077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14808]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Health Careers Opportunity Program

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

ACTION: Notice of class deviation from competition requirements for the 
Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP).

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will 
be issuing non-competitive awards for the HCOP program. Approximately 
$9.8 million will be made available in the form of grants to the 
awardees listed in the chart below for the budget period beginning 
September 1, 2014. We have determined the need for significant program 
changes prior to launching a new competition to the field. This will 
enable the Bureau of Health Workforce to thoughtfully redesign the 
current program to ensure that it meets the needs of both the 
government and the field, and conduct a single competition in fiscal 
year (FY) 2015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Grantees of record and intended award 
amounts are:

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                                                                                                    Anticipated
                                                                                                      FY 2014
               Grant No.                           Institution name                  State            funding
                                                                                                      amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D18HP23034.............................  University of Alabama Birmingham...  AL                        $624,823
D18HP23007.............................  University of Arizona..............  AZ                         739,146
D18HP10623.............................  University of California, San Diego  CA                         742,224
D18HP23028.............................  D'Youville College.................  NY                         679,854
D18HP10617.............................  Marquette University...............  WI                         719,155
D18HP05283.............................  Meharry Medical College............  TN                         750,000
D18HP23030.............................  Michigan State University..........  MI                         667,125
D18HP10625.............................  University of Michigan-Flint.......  MI                         592,581
D18HP10627.............................  Mount Sinai School of Medicine.....  NY                         686,377
D18HP23032.............................  University of Texas Medical Branch.  TX                         750,000
D18HP23014.............................  Research Foundation of the State     NY                         712,447
                                          University of New York.

[[Page 36077]]

 
D18HP23023.............................  Howard University..................  DC                         735,372
D18HP23019.............................  St. Vincent Health.................  IN                         662,002
D18HP23031.............................  Northeastern Vermont AHEC..........  VT                         709,350
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    Amount of the Award(s): Up to $750,000 (see chart above).
    CFDA Number: 93.822.
    Current Project Period: September 1, 2011, through August 31, 2014.
    Period of Supplemental Funding: September 1, 2014, through August 
31, 2015.

    Authority:  Title VII, Section 739 of the Public Health Service 
(PHS) Act, as amended by Section 5402 of the Affordable Care Act.

    Justification: A diverse health professions workforce is critical 
to achieving greater health equity and ensuring access to quality 
health care services for underrepresented and underserved populations. 
The increasing diversity of the U.S. population requires a health care 
workforce that reflects the population, is knowledgeable, and 
culturally competent to care for a growing range of health care needs 
and can serve populations in hard to reach places. HRSA's HCOP grant 
program serves as a pipeline program by encouraging, cultivating, and 
supporting students from economically and academically disadvantaged 
backgrounds to enter healthcare fields.
    By extending the performance period of the 14 HCOP grantees listed 
above, we will create a single cohort of HCOP grantees. These awards 
will align with the HCOP performance and budget periods for the 
remaining three HCOP grantees, which runs through August 2015, 
resulting in administrative savings over a competitive grant making 
process. Aligning the project periods will also greatly facilitate HRSA 
efforts to manage this program as a network of grantees working towards 
common programmatic goals.
    Following the current year of funding, HRSA plans to conduct a 
single funding competition in FY 2015. We will be able to 
systematically assess the needs of the field, involve grantees in 
defining the direction of the program, and develop an innovative 
redesign of the program including strategies that are more aligned with 
HRSA's diversity priorities and the direction of the field.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tia-Nicole Leak, Ph.D., Division of 
Public Health and Interdisciplinary Education, Bureau of Health 
Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Room 9C-26, Rockville, Maryland 20857, or email [email protected].

    Dated: June 19, 2014.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014-14808 Filed 6-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P