[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 45032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20687]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, Part F AIDS Education and Training 
Centers

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of non-competitive, HRSA-initiated, Secretary's Minority 
AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF) supplemental funding award: Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2017 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) AIDS Education and 
Training Centers (AETC) to the National Clinician Consultation Center 
(NCCC) at the University of California, San Francisco.

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SUMMARY: This non-competitive supplemental funding award will provide a 
phone consultation line staffed by clinicians dedicated to providing 
technical support and real-time clinical consultation to health 
professionals who treat people living with HIV (PLWH) who are 
coinfected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sherrillyn Crooks, Chief, HIV 
Education Branch, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services 
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, 09N09, Rockville, MD 20857, Phone: 
(301) 443-7662, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Intended Recipient of the Award: The University of California, San 
Francisco.
    Amount of Non-Competitive Award: $200,000.
    Period of Funding: July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.
    CFDA Number: 93.145.
    Authority: The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 115-
31), Division H, Title II.

Justification

    HRSA's SMAIF HIV/HCV initiatives seek to improve the prevention, 
screening, care, treatment, and cure of HCV in areas affected by HIV/
HCV coinfection, particularly in disproportionately affected low-
income, uninsured and underserved racial and ethnic minority 
populations in the United States. Despite the fact that HIV treatment 
outcomes continue to improve among PLWH, HIV/HCV coinfection remains a 
major concern with approximately one quarter of PLWH also coinfected 
with HCV.
    The University of California, San Francisco's NCCC is funded under 
the RWHAP AETC Program, which comprises a network of three national 
centers and eight regional centers (with more than 130 local affiliated 
sites) that conduct targeted, multidisciplinary education, training, 
and technical assistance to health care providers who treat PLWH. The 
NCCC provides nationwide expert technical support, and clinical 
consultation services to health professionals who treat PLWH. 
Supplemental funding will enable the NCCC to leverage its existing 
infrastructure to add an HIV/HCV phone consultation line to deliver 
immediate clinical consultation and education services to RWHAP 
clinical providers funded through the SMAIF HIV/HCV initiatives and to 
clinical providers nationwide. Clinical providers will receive guidance 
based on up-to-date clinical HCV guidelines. Subject to the 
availability of funds and the recipient's satisfactory performance, up 
to $200,000 will also be awarded in FY18 (budget period July 1, 2018 
through June 30, 2019) and FY19 (budget period July 1, 2019 through 
June 30, 2020).
    Denial of this request will prevent RWHAP clinical providers from 
achieving the goals of the SMAIF HIV/HCV initiative and from gaining 
critical and immediate access to a national network of HIV/HCV 
resources, including clinical experts who would provide education and 
technical assistance that meets the unique needs of this initiative.

    Dated: September 14, 2017.
George Sigounas,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-20687 Filed 9-26-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P