[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30364-30366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08595]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-24-24EP; Docket No. CDC-2024-0028]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

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

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled REACH: Rural Re-Engagement and 
Care using Community Health Workers (CHWs) for Persons with HIV. This 
project is designed to collect standardized program evaluation data 
from health departments and HIV clinic partners who receive Federal 
funds for these activities.

[[Page 30365]]


DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before June 24, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2024-
0028 by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to www.regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (www.regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7118; 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    REACH: Rural Re-Engagement and Care using CHWs for Persons with 
HIV--New--National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB 
Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    In rural communities, people with HIV (PWH) may face challenges in 
accessing consistent HIV care services. In these communities, PWH may 
also experience health care provider shortages and have fewer providers 
with expertise in treating HIV. Transportation challenges, where some 
patients have to travel long distances for care, may also exist. 
Previous studies have shown community-based or home-based delivery of 
care is an effective approach to re-engage PWH back into HIV clinical 
care. This strategy was studied primarily internationally with results 
showing that community-based delivery of anti-retroviral treatment 
(ART) significantly increased viral suppression. However, in the US, 
this model, which may include home visits, has not been implemented as 
part of routine treatment and care services. Community health workers 
(CHWs) are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of 
the community and have a uniquely close understanding of the community 
served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a 
liaison between health/social services and the community. A CHW 
approach was assessed as part of the EHE pilot jumpstart initiative 
which found that CHWs were successful in East Baton Rouge, LA, by 
facilitating access to HIV treatment for priority populations. 
Additionally, the use of CHWs has been successful and cost-effective 
for certain chronic health conditions, particularly when working with 
low-income persons; people who are medically underserved, and racial/
ethnic minority communities to promote disease management in these 
populations. This demonstration project will provide quantitative and 
qualitative data on the effectiveness and implementation of a CHW home-
based approach to facilitate re-engagement in care and outreach to PWH. 
The approach aims to improve retention in care and sustained viral load 
suppression among PWH living in rural communities, to benefit both 
individual health and reduce community-level HIV transmission. In this 
demonstration project, recipients are funded to collaborate with HIV 
care providers to identify PWH in rural communities not in care or not 
virally suppressed and to implement a CHW-mediated model of re-
engagement to care and outreach services for PWH in rural communities. 
CHWs facilitate re-engagement of PWH who are not in care and outreach 
to those who are not virally suppressed to provide services that may 
include ART delivery, sample collection for standard HIV laboratory 
testing, transfer of self-collected specimens, as well as provide 
transportation services, arranging and scheduling telehealth visits 
and/or in person visits with an HIV medical provider and other 
providers (mental health, primary care) and offer evidence-based 
medication adherence support.
    This collection of deidentified data will allow CDC to assist 
health departments and their partner HIV clinics in monitoring and 
evaluating their programs and to identify best practices for provision 
of implementation of CHW-mediated services for re-engagement to care 
and outreach for PWH in rural communities. Longitudinal person-level 
data collection will occur through the clinic's electronic health 
record (EHR) and a database shared between clinic and the health 
department, and additional program evaluation data will be collected 
through client surveys. CDC requests approval for 295 annual burden 
hours for the recipients to collect, enter or upload, and report client 
demographic and behavioral characteristics, client data from the EHR, 
and client and provider surveys. There are no other costs to 
respondents other than their time.

[[Page 30366]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
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REACH Recipient Data Manager..  Electronic                     5               2               8              80
                                 Health Record
                                 Data Form.
REACH Recipient Data Manager..  Client Info Form               5               2               2              20
REACH Clients.................  Client Info Form             500               1            6/60              50
REACH Recipient/Clinic Staff..  Client Info Form               5             100            6/60              50
REACH Recipient/Clinic Staff..  Provider Info                  5              10            6/60               5
                                 Form.
REACH Clients.................  Client Program               100               1           42/60              70
                                 Evaluation
                                 Survey.
REACH Recipient Data Manager..  Client Program                 5               2               2              20
                                 Evaluation
                                 Survey.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             295
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    Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-08595 Filed 4-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P