[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73663-73664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20584]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of Funding Extension for Rural Behavioral Health Workforce 
Centers--Northern Border Region

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

ACTION: Notice of supplemental funding.

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SUMMARY: HRSA will provide a performance period extension with 
supplemental funds to three fiscal year (FY) 21 award recipients with a 
period of performance ending on August 31, 2025. The supplemental 
funding will extend their current period of performance by 12 months to 
align with the FY 2022 award to an additional recipient, which has a 
period of performance from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jillian Causey, Division Deputy 
Director, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and 
Services Administration, at [email protected] and 301-443-1493.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Intended Recipient(s) of the Award: Three FY 2021 award recipients: 
Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital--New Hampshire, Medical Care 
Development, Inc.--Maine, Vermont Association For Mental Health, Inc.--
Vermont.
    Amount of Non-Competitive Award: Three awards for $1,000,000 each.
    Period of Performance: September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2025.
    Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number: 93.912.
    Award Instrument: Cooperative Agreement.
    Authority: Section 711(b)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
912(b)(5)).

                                      Table 1--Recipients and Award Amounts
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                Grant No.                       Award recipient name               State           Award amount
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U2SRH43521..............................  Mary Hitchcock Memorial          NH                         $1,000,000
                                           Hospital.
U2SRH43522..............................  Medical Care Development, Inc..  ME                          1,000,000
U2SRH43523..............................  Vermont Association for Mental   VT                          1,000,000
                                           Health Inc.
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[[Page 73664]]

    Justification: The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) is a 
federal/state partnership for economic and community development in 
northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. NBRC was 
established by Congress in 2008 to help fund promising economic and 
community development projects. The states of Maine, New Hampshire, 
Vermont, and New York play a crucial role in the NBRC region.\1\ In FY 
2021, HRSA competitively funded three organizations in the NBRC states 
of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for a period of performance of 3 
years. In FY 2022, HRSA competitively funded another organization in 
the NBRC state of New York for a 3-year period of performance. HRSA is 
providing a 1-year extension of funding for the FY 2021 awards to align 
with the FY 2022 award. This would align all awards with a period of 
performance end date of August 31, 2025.
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    \1\ https://www.nbrc.gov/content/northern-border-region.
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    HRSA is implementing this extension to continue the work of the 
three recipients because of their benefit to the NBRC region. During 
their project period, they have increased access to behavioral health 
and substance use disorder services and strengthened the behavioral 
health workforce in the NBRC region to improve the health outcomes of 
NBRC residents.
    With program funding, recipients have provided scholarships to 
mental health rehabilitation technicians to work in rural communities 
and supported intern work, providing critically needed direct services 
to the region's neediest, rural residents. Recipients have also funded 
supervision for several behavioral health clinician positions that 
serve rural counties, bringing in social workers and postdoctoral 
psychologist fellows who were able to provide care where there 
previously had been none. Recipients also have increased access by 
connecting community members to important resources in their states, 
including how to find or become a peer recovery coach.
    Recipients have also worked to strengthen the behavioral health 
workforce through training programs such as Project Extension for 
Community Healthcare Outcomes (Project ECHO, including Medications for 
Opioid Use Disorder Project ECHO and created the ``Recovery Jobs for 
Beginners'' program for individuals seeking to work as Peer Recovery 
Specialists. This program has provided rural communities in the NBRC 
region with peer recovery specialists where there often are few or none 
and increased provider skillsets and knowledge. In addition, recipients 
launched the Mental Health Peer Specialist Certification program within 
local community colleges in January 2024.
    HRSA is implementing project period alignment of the three FY 2021 
awards with the FY 2022 award recipient to allow for a seamless 
continuation of activities and trainings in the region to continue 
while also allowing all four organizations to identify sustainability 
strategies over the next fiscal year.

Carole Johnson,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2024-20584 Filed 9-10-24; 8:45 am]
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