[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 6719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2625]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Final Funding Preference for Centers of Excellence in Minority
Health Professions Education for Fiscal Year 1995
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces
the final funding preference for fiscal year (FY) 1995 Grants for
Centers of Excellence (COE) in Minority Health Professions Education
funded under the authority of section 739, title VII of the Public
Health Service Act (the Act), as amended by the Health Professions
Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Pub. L. 102-408, dated October
13, 1992.
Purposes
Grants for eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs), Hispanic, Native American and Other Centers of Excellence must
be used by the schools for the following purposes:
l. To establish, strengthen, or expand programs to enhance the
academic performance of minority students attending the school;
2. To establish, strengthen, or expand programs to increase the
number and quality of minority applicants to the school;
3. To improve the capacity of such school to train, recruit, and
retain minority faculty;
4. With respect to minority health issues, to carry out activities
to improve the information resources and curricula of the school and
clinical education at the school; and
5. To facilitate faculty and student research on health issues
particularly affecting minority groups.
Applicants must address the five legislative purposes. In addition,
grants for eligible HBCUs as described in section 799(l)(A) and which
have received a contract under section 788B of the Act (Advanced
Financial Distress Assistance) for FY 1987 may also be used to develop
a plan to achieve institutional improvements, including financial
independence, to enable the school to support programs of excellence in
health professions education for minority individuals, and to provide
improved access to the library and informational resources of the
school.
Eligibility
Section 739 authorizes the Secretary to make grants to schools of
medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy for the purpose
of assisting the schools in supporting programs of excellence in health
professions education for Black, Hispanic and Native American
individuals, as well as for HBCUs as described in section 799(l)(A) and
which have received a contract under section 788B of the Act (Advanced
Financial Distress Assistance) for FY 1987.
To qualify as a COE, a school is required to:
l. Have a significant number of minority individuals enrolled in
the school, including individuals accepted for enrollment in the
school;
2. Demonstrate that it has been effective in assisting minority
students of the school to complete the program of education and receive
the degree involved;
3. Show that it has been effective in recruiting minority
individuals to attend the school, including providing scholarships and
other financial assistance to such individuals, and encouraging
minority students of secondary educational institutions to attend the
health professions school; and
4. Demonstrate that it has made significant recruitment efforts to
increase the number of minority individuals serving in faculty or
administrative positions at the school.
These entities must be located in any of the several states, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and
the Federated States of Micronesia.
Final Funding Preference
A funding preference for this program was proposed in the Federal
Register on November 1, 1994, at 59 FR 54617. One comment was received
during the comment period. The respondent recommended that preference
be given to previously funded COE programs which have completed only
one grant cycle. We have proposed that preference be given to competing
continuation applications (renewals) to direct assistance to quality
COE programs that have documented sustained or increased
accomplishments under this program. Therefore, the preference will
remain as proposed.
A funding preference will be given to competing continuation
(renewal) applications for Centers of Excellence programs whose current
project periods end in fiscal year 1995.
Additional Information
To obtain information regarding the programmatic aspects of this
grant program, direct inquiries to: A. Roland Garcia, Ph.D., Chief,
Centers of Excellence Section, Program Coordination Branch, Division of
Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, HRSA, Parklawn
Building, Room 8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857,
Telephone: (301) 443-4493, FAX: (301) 443-5242.
This program is listed at 93.157 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance. It is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented
through 45 CFR part 100).
This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting
Requirements.
Dated: January 30, 1995.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-2625 Filed 2-2-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P
