[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24568-24569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08817]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2022-0055; NIOSH-348]


World Trade Center Health Program; Request for Information

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

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an 
Operating Division of the Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS), is soliciting public comment on the scope of an upcoming notice 
of funding opportunity (NOFO) for FY2023. The scope of the NOFO is the 
World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program's research interests in 
lifestyle medicine (such as sustainable health behaviors and lifestyle 
interventions) used to optimize management and improve outcomes of WTC-
related health conditions. The WTC Health Program's research program 
helps answer critical questions about potential WTC-related physical 
and mental health conditions as well as

[[Page 24569]]

diagnosing and treating health conditions on the List of WTC-Related 
Health Conditions.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 26, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through either of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(follow the instructions for submitting comments), or
     By Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
MS: C-34, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1998. Attn: 
Docket No. CDC-2022-0055; NIOSH-348.
    Instructions: All written submissions received in response to this 
notice must include the agency name (Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, HHS) and docket number (CDC-2022-0055; NIOSH-348) for this 
action. All relevant comments, including any personal information 
provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Do not submit comments by email. CDC does not accept comments by email.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Weiss, Program Analyst, 1090 
Tusculum Avenue, MS: C-46, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226; Telephone: (404) 
498-2500 (this is not a toll-free number); Email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title I of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and 
Compensation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-347, as amended by Pub. L. 114-
113 and Pub. L. 116-59), added Title XXXIII to the Public Health 
Service (PHS) Act,\1\ establishing the WTC Health Program within HHS. 
The WTC Health Program provides medical monitoring and treatment 
benefits for certified health conditions on the List of WTC-Related 
Health Conditions \2\ to eligible firefighters and related personnel, 
law enforcement officers, and rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers who 
responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York 
City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania (responders). 
The Program also provides benefits to eligible persons who were present 
in the dust or dust cloud on September 11, 2001, or who worked, 
resided, or attended school, childcare, or adult daycare in the New 
York City disaster area (survivors).
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    \1\ Title XXXIII of the PHS Act is codified at 42 U.S.C. 300mm 
to 300mm-61. Those portions of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and 
Compensation Act of 2010 found in Titles II and III of Public Law 
111-347 do not pertain to the WTC Health Program and are codified 
elsewhere.
    \2\ The List of WTC-Related Health Conditions is established in 
42 U.S.C. 300mm-22(a)(3)-(4) and 300mm-32(b); additional conditions 
may be added through rulemaking and the complete list is provided in 
WTC Health Program regulations at 42 CFR 88.15.
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    The Zadroga Act also requires that the Program establish a research 
program on health conditions resulting from the September 11, 2001, 
terrorist attacks, addressing the following topics:
     Physical and mental health conditions that may be related 
to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
     Diagnosing WTC-related health conditions for which there 
have been diagnostic uncertainty; and
     Treating WTC-related health conditions for which there 
have been treatment uncertainty.

Request for Information

    Lifestyle medicine is a highly valuable, evidence-informed clinical 
approach focused on managing and reversing many of the types of chronic 
diseases certified by the WTC Health Program. By focusing on 
sustainable health behaviors and lifestyle factors, including six 
pillars--nutrition and diet, sleep hygiene, stress management and 
positive psychology, physical activity, social connectedness, and 
avoidance of substance misuse--lifestyle medicine has the potential to 
limit disease progression, to prevent development of additional chronic 
diseases, and to improve health outcomes, overall member well-being, 
quality of life, and member satisfaction with the Program.
    To establish the scope of the WTC Health Program FY2023 lifestyle 
medicine research, NIOSH seeks to achieve a suitable mix of projects 
and interventions focusing on sustainable health behaviors and the 
lifestyle factors, described above. All these influence quality of 
life, disease progression and recurrence, survival, adverse events, and 
other health-related outcomes among WTC Health Program members. 
Specifically, NIOSH seeks input on the following questions pertaining 
to WTC Health Program research priorities:
    (1) What are the primary lifestyle research needs of both 
responders and survivors?
    (2) What are the primary health outcomes associated with WTC-
related health conditions that lifestyle research interventions should 
target?
    (3) What are the most important lifestyle factors (e.g., nutrition 
and diet, sleep hygiene, stress management and positive psychology, 
physical activity, social connectedness, cognitive function, and 
avoidance of substance misuse) that need to be addressed within the 
scope of the research solicitation?

John J. Howard,
Administrator, World Trade Center Health Program and Director, National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2022-08817 Filed 4-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P