[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 52 (Thursday, March 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15254-15255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05635]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home 
Visiting Program: Advancing Health Equity in Response to the COVID-19 
Public Health Emergency, 0906-XXXX, New

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection 
Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the 
public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the 
ICR.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than May 16, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, 14N136B, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, email [email protected] or call Samantha Miller, 
the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 443-
9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Information Collection Request Title: The Maternal, Infant, and 
Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program: Advancing Health Equity 
in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency OMB No. 0906-XXXX, 
NEW
    Abstract: The MIECHV Program is authorized by Social Security Act, 
Title V, Sec.  511 (42 U.S.C. 711) and Congress made available 
supplemental appropriations to carry out the program through the 
American Rescue Plan Act (Pub. L. 117-2). American Rescue Plan Act 
funds are being used to support the MIECHV: Advancing Health Equity in 
Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency project. The project 
includes five case studies to be conducted in communities across the 
United States. Communities will be selected based on a county level 
assessment of available data on social and structural determinants of 
health, the variation in COVID-19 patterns including disparities in key 
COVID-19 indicators, and the existence of MIECHV-funded local 
implementing agencies. The five communities will represent a mix of 
urban and rural counties and Tribal communities with measurable health 
disparities by race and ethnicity. The case studies will lead to a 
deeper understanding of the ways in which COVID-19 has shaped families' 
experiences, and the role home visiting plays (and could play) in 
addressing the inequities that continue to accrue from the pandemic 
within a community. Information gained from these case studies can 
inform the development of more responsive home visiting systems and 
more equitable health and family support systems more broadly. Data 
collection activities include key informant interviews, focus groups, 
and online surveys. All necessary human subject protections will be 
adhered to, including seeking Institutional Review Board approval of 
data collection and analysis plans prior to commencing any data 
collection activities.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: HRSA is seeking 
additional information about the strategies and partners home visiting 
programs have used to advance health equity in communities 
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency. 
HRSA intends to use this information to provide technical assistance 
and disseminate best practices to MIECHV awardees, publish findings for 
lay and research audiences to advance the field's knowledge of home 
visiting's role in COVID-19 response, and to prepare state and local 
home visiting programs to address disparities in access to care and 
outcomes, including during future public health emergencies.
    Likely Respondents: States, territories, and, where applicable, 
nonprofit organizations receiving MIECHV funding to provide home 
visiting services within states; state and local representatives from 
home visiting, public health, health care, and other human service 
agencies in the early childhood system; community organizers, Tribal 
elders, religious

[[Page 15255]]

leaders; families (including families participating in MIECHV-funded 
home visiting services and those with shared experiences); community 
members, including community-based program administrators and community 
service providers, including home visitors.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the 
information requested. 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. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this ICR are summarized in the table below.

                                   Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours \1\
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                                                     Number of                    Average burden
            Form name                Number of     responses per       Total       per response    Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent       responses      (in hours)         hours
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Community Interview Protocol....              60               1              60            1.50              90
Family and Community Focus Group             240               1             240            2.00             480
 Guide..........................
Community and Home Visitor                   500               1             500            0.75             375
 Survey Instrument..............
Program Data....................              15               1              15            2.00              30
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    Total.......................             815  ..............             815  ..............             975
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\1\ There may be variation in the number of study participants and home visiting programs in each community
  (e.g., some selected communities may have fewer home visitors). The total burden hours presented here provide
  information assuming the maximum number of respondents in each community.

    HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2022-05635 Filed 3-16-22; 8:45 am]
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