[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 40 (Thursday, March 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12357-12358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04044]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-17-17NS; Docket No. CDC-2017-0009]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on the proposed 
information collection project titled ``Assessing the Infrastructure 
for Public Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention Services.'' 
The primary goal of this study is to periodically monitor (i.e., every 
3 years) STD preventive and treatment services provided by local and 
state health departments. This will allow CDC to understand the 
delivery of timely public STD preventive and treatment services to 
reduce the number of newly acquired STDs and prevent STD-related 
sequelae.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 1, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2017-
0009 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.

    Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are

[[Page 12358]]

publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described 
below.
    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; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, 
install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of 
collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to 
train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of 
information, to search data sources, to complete and review the 
collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.

Proposed Project

    Assessing the Infrastructure for Public Sexually Transmitted 
Disease (STD) Prevention Services--NEW--National Center for HIV/AIDS, 
Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    A significant percentage of reported cases of STDs are diagnosed in 
publicly funded clinics, such as STD clinics. Specifically, past 
research has shown that a substantial proportion of HIV (10% or more), 
primary and secondary syphilis (14%-48%), gonorrhea (13%-41%), and 
chlamydia (6%-28%) are diagnosed in public STD clinics. These public 
clinics often serve uninsured and under insured populations. The 
Congressional Budget Office estimates 10% of the nonelderly population 
will remain uninsured in the US through 2023. Additionally, over half 
of patients who visit STD clinics cited low cost as a reason for 
choosing STD clinics for care in a 1995 survey. Because a continued 
role for STD clinics is likely to exist as a safety net while the US 
healthcare market evolves, understanding the current level of STD 
services, funding, and staffing levels is important. No recent 
published studies have provided this information on a national scale.
    A 2012 conference presentation noted the experience of one state, 
which stopped funding for STD clinics in 2009. A 2013 national survey 
of local health departments (LHDs) found gaps and reductions in public 
STD services, including in clinical services that are important to 
reduce disease transmission. The study also found that STD programs in 
local and state health departments (SHDs) often provide HIV services 
such as HIV field testing of STD contacts and surveillance activities. 
However, there is no national survey that periodically collects 
detailed information on STD practices of physicians who typically see 
STD patients.
    Given the changing US healthcare system and reductions in public 
health funding, it is important to periodically assess the current 
level of publicly-funded STD prevention services that are offered by 
health departments in the US. The mission of the STD prevention at CDC 
is ``to provide national leadership, research, policy development, and 
scientific information to help people live safer, healthier lives by 
the prevention of STDs and their complications.'' A major component of 
this objective is delivering timely STD preventive and treatment 
services to reduce the number of newly acquired STDs and prevent STD-
related sequelae. The Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases 
Prevention (DSTDP) at CDC is seeking a three-year approval from the OMB 
to conduct a new information collection. This assessment would allow 
CDC to periodically monitor STD preventive and treatment services 
provided by local and state health departments.
    Information collected will include STD program structure, public 
STD clinical services, STD partner services, other STD prevention 
services such as surveillance and health promotion, and STD program 
workforce and impact of budget cuts on STD services.
    The web survey will be sent by email to a sample of local health 
departments and all state health departments (with two reminder 
letters).
    There is no cost to respondents.

                                        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 hours)      (in hours)
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STD program director, LHDs....  LHD survey......             334               1           19/60             106
STD program director, SHDs....  SHD survey......              44               1           19/60              14
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    Total Annual Burden Hours.  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             120
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Leroy A. 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. 2017-04044 Filed 3-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P