[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84822-84823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26739]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Document Identifier: OS-0990-0482]


Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and 
Human Services, is publishing the following summary of a proposed 
collection for public comment.

DATES: Comments on the ICR must be received on or before February 5, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or by calling 
(202) 264-0041 and [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the document identifier 0990-0482-60D and 
project title for reference, to Sherrette A. Funn, email: 
[email protected], [email protected] or call (202) 264-0041 the Reports 
Clearance Officer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested persons are invited to send 
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (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.
    Title of the Collection: Continued Evaluation of the National 
Hypertension Control Initiative.
    Type of Collection: Revision.
    OMB No.: 0990-0482-OS/Office of Assistant Secretary for Health 
(OASH)/Office of Minority Health (OMH).
    Abstract: As part of the federal response to COVID-19, the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/Office of Secretary (OS)/
Office of Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH)/Office of Minority 
Health (OMH) has funded a new initiative involving two cooperative 
agreements with the American Heart Association (AHA) to improve COVID-
19-related health outcomes by addressing hypertension (high blood 
pressure) among racial and ethnic minority populations.
    The $32 million project from the HHS Office of Minority Health 
(OMH) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
Bureau of Primary Health Care will support the implementation of the 
National Hypertension Control Initiative (NHCI), a national initiative 
to improve blood pressure control among the most at-risk populations, 
including racial and ethnic minorities.
    The NHCI will support 350 participating HRSA-funded health centers 
by providing patient and provider education and training for effective 
hypertension control and integration of remote blood pressure 
monitoring technology into treating hypertension for patients served by 
participating health centers. The project will also utilize the 
American Heart Association's targeted media campaigns and existing 
partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) to help reach 
Black, Latino, and other impacted communities with (i) culturally and 
linguistically appropriate messages, (ii) access to blood pressure 
screenings, and (iii) connection to health centers to encourage proper 
treatment and management of hypertension of screened individuals. This 
initiative serves to increase the number of adult patients with 
controlled hypertension and reduce the potential risk of COVID-related 
health outcomes.
    AHA aims to conduct an evaluation to assess the feasibility of the 
implementation of each of the three NHCI strategies. The findings of 
this evaluation will inform the improvement and tailoring of AHA's 
communication approaches about the importance of and techniques for 
improving blood pressure control, including the benefits of accurately 
measuring, rapidly acting, and having a patient-focused approach to 
blood pressure control.

Methodology

    The current proposed evaluation of the NHCI project will use a 
mixed methods design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative 
data collection and analyses. Three main goals of data collection will 
be to: (1) track and monitor Community Health Workers' (CHW) progress 
on activities related to knowledge and practices for blood pressure 
control and general health quarterly, (2) assess the reach and success 
of NHCI project strategies implemented by CHC partners.
    Specifically, the AHA will engage in:

Primary Data Collection

    CHW Application. Collecting information on participating Community 
Health Workers (CHWs) at a single point in time to assist with 
placement in workforce activities related to blood pressure control.
    CHW Assessment Form. Monitoring the placement and community-based 
goals of CHWs participating in the NHCI at a single point in time.
    CHW Empowered To Serve (ETS) Program Modules. Administering health 
lessons and quizzes to Community Health Workers (CHWs) working with 
Community-based Organizations and Community Health Centers to assess

[[Page 84823]]

knowledge, skills, and practices both before (pre) and after (post) 
completion of the modules.
    CHC Surveys. Conducting online data collection on participation and 
use of NHCI services and supports with CHC staff, with a single 
collection for each survey.

                                          Annualized Burden Hour Table
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                                                                     Number of
    Forms (if necessary)        Respondents (if      Number of     responses per  Average burden   Total burden
                                  necessary)        respondents     respondents    per response        hours
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CHW: Application............  CHW...............             300               1           30/60             150
CHW: Assessment.............  CHW...............             300               1               1             300
CHW: Empowered to Serve       CHW...............             300               9           10/60             450
 (ETS) Program Modules: Pre-
 test.
CHW: Empowered to Serve       CHW...............             300               9           10/60             450
 (ETS) Program Modules: Pre-
 test.
CHCs: Use of Azara/           CHC...............              40               1               1              40
 Population Health Tool.
CHCs: JumpStart Modules.....  CHC...............             350               1               1             350
CHCs: Uniti Health..........  CHC...............             350               1               1             350
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...................  ..................  ..............  ..............  ..............         2,090.0
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Sherrette A. Funn,
Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance Officer, Office of the 
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-26739 Filed 12-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-29-P