[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52690-52691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20456]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Announcement of Opportunity To Become an Office on Women's Health
(OWH) Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Program Partner; Notice by
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
AGENCY: Office on Women's Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office
on Women's Health (OWH) invites public and private sector organizations
to apply to become an OWH Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Partner.
This ongoing partnership opportunity engages support from partner
organizations to promote SMBP and encourages women to maintain healthy
blood pressure levels at every age and stage of their lives. Through
the OWH SMBP Partnership Program (``SMBP Program''), OWH seeks to
increase knowledge and access to SMBP information and resources, as
well as encourage organizations to address heart health disparities,
prevent hypertension, promote self-measured blood pressure, and improve
health equity on a community level. The SMBP Program will launch during
the 2nd annual observance of National Women's Blood Pressure Awareness
Week (NWBPAW), October 17-23, 2021. The SMBP Program will build on
momentum generated by NWBPAW, which emphasizes the importance of blood
pressure control and empowers women to improve their heart health
through simple, everyday actions.
Eligibility: Any organization may apply to be a SMBP Program
partner. The selected SMBP Program partners may be recognized for their
commitment and their work toward achieving the goals of the program.
SMBP Program partners can be public and private organizations such
as those at the state, local, county, and tribal levels, non-
governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, businesses,
academic organizations, organizations that impact health outcomes,
philanthropic organizations, and tribal organizations that identify
themselves as being aligned with or promoting the goals of the program.
Organizations that work in areas such as fitness, nutrition,
housing, health education, and those working to improve health outcomes
in women may apply. Social organizations that work with, or have access
to large populations of women, organizations promoting women in sports,
and child-care facilities may apply. Organizations that have a
defibrillator accessible onsite and are willing to make a self-measured
blood pressure cuff accessible onsite, and organizations that identify
themselves as being aligned with, or promoting blood pressure control
are encouraged to apply.
All organizations may apply.
Individuals are not eligible to become an SMBP Program partner.
Applicants shall submit a letter of interest and identify how they
support or plan to support the SMBP Program goals. Applicants will be
considered according to the organization's commitment to support those
goals.
SMBP Program partners may receive recognition from OWH on
womenshealth.gov, girlshealth.gov, or OWH Social Media platforms. They
may also receive SMBP information and resources for dissemination.
The following activities may be considered as an organization's
[[Page 52691]]
demonstrated commitment to the SMBP Program's overarching goals and
objectives:
Working to increase behaviors women can take to improve
their heart health;
Increasing access to resources and information regarding
hypertension, cardiovascular disease, health risks associated with high
blood pressure, and factors that increase the risk of high blood
pressure;
Increasing knowledge and utilization of SMBP activities
(also referred to as ``self-monitoring'');
Increasing understanding of blood pressure needs and
understanding of blood pressure numbers;
Increasing number of women collaborating with healthcare
providers with a focus on self-monitoring blood pressure control, with
special consideration to adapt or modify activities to meet the needs
of diverse, minority, underserved, and hard to reach populations;
Expanding efforts to reach those disproportionately
affected by high blood pressure, including Black or African American
women, Latina women, Asian/Pacific Islander women, American Indian/
Alaska Native women, women of reproductive age, women in rural
communities, and women across the lifespan, to include those negatively
affected by comorbidities and social determinants of health;
Developing partnerships to promote SMBP across a variety
of sectors, including business, community, academic, education, faith
based, government, health care, media, public health, and technology;
Partnering with national, state, tribal, or local
volunteer organizations to provide education, training, or programs
regarding health promotion, disease prevention, hypertension, SMBP,
health disparities, health equity, and well-being; and/or
Including information in their public facing materials
about programs for hypertension, addressing SMBP, eliminating
disparities, achieving health equity, and/or promoting well-being in
communities.
Funds: Neither HHS nor OWH will provide funds to support SMBP
Program partners. Applicants, OWH, and SMBP Program partners will not
be expected to contribute funds.
Application: Organizations may apply to be an SMBP Program partner.
Organizations should submit a letter of interest acknowledging their
support of the SMBP Program's overarching goals. Organizations
interested in being SMBP Program partners shall identify in their
letters of interest those activities from the list noted above that
demonstrate commitment to the SMBP Program's overarching goals and
objectives and indicate how they address or support those goals.
DATES: Letters of interest to become an SMBP Program partner should be
submitted to [email protected]. Letters of interest will be accepted
starting October 1, 2021 and will be reviewed periodically. OWH will
conduct informational webinars for interested applicants. Interested
organizations may use the following links to register for the
informational webinars:
September 24, 2021, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
September 27, 2021, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
ADDRESSES: Letters of interest can be submitted via email to
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keiva Nelson, Office on Women's
Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services; 200 Independence Avenue SW, 712E,
Washington, DC 20201; Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The HHS Office on Women's Health (OWH) is charged with
providing expert advice and consultation to the Secretary concerning
scientific, legal, ethical, and policy issues related to women's
health. OWH establishes short-range and long-range goals within the
Department and coordinates on activities within the Department that
relate to disease prevention, health promotion, service delivery,
research, and public and health care professional education, for issues
of particular concern to women throughout their lifespan. OWH monitors
the Department's activities regarding women's health and identifies
needs regarding the coordination of activities. OWH is also responsible
for facilitating the exchange of information through the National
Women's Health Information Center. Additionally, OWH coordinates
efforts to promote women's health programs and policies with the
private sector.
Requirements of Interested Organizations: OWH invites organizations
to submit a letter of interest to become a SMBP Program partner.
Organizations selected by OWH to be SMBP Program partners will sign
a letter of understanding (LOU) with OWH outlining the terms and
parameters of their support for the SMBP Program. Selection as an SMBP
Program partner does not imply any federal endorsement of the
collaborating organization's general policies, activities, or products.
Eligibility for Interested Organizations: To be eligible to become
an SMBP Program partner, an organization shall: (1) Have a demonstrated
interest in, understanding of, and experience with working to promote
access to resources and information regarding hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, factors that increase the risk of high blood
pressure, health risks associated with high blood pressure, prevention
strategies and self-measured blood pressure, health disparities, and
health equity or (2) have an organizational or corporate mission that
is aligned with the SMBP Program's goals; and (3) agree to sign a LOU
with OWH, which will set forth the details of how the organization is
supporting the goals of the SMBP Program.
Letter of Interest Requirements: Each SMBP Program letter of
interest shall contain: (1) Organization name, location, website, and
submitter's contact information; (2) a brief description of the
organization's mission and/or values; and (3) a description of how the
organization supports or plans to support the SMBP Program goals.
Submission of a letter of interest does not guarantee acceptance as
a SMBP Program partner.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 237a and 42 U.S.C. 300u-2(a).
Dated: September 14, 2021.
Dorothy A. Fink,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health.
[FR Doc. 2021-20456 Filed 9-21-21; 8:45 am]
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