[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 62 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14212-14214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7638]
[[Page 14211]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part II
Department of Health and Human Services
_______________________________________________________________________
Public Health Service
_______________________________________________________________________
Announcement of Availability of Grants for General Family Planning
Training Projects; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 62 / Friday, March 29, 1996 /
Notices
[[Page 14212]]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Announcement of Availability of Grants for General Family
Planning Training Projects
AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, OPA, PHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of
Population Affairs requests applications for grants under the Family
Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003 of the
Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 300a-1(a)). Funds are
available to train family planning personnel in order to maintain the
high level of performance of family planning services projects funded
under Title X of the PHS Act. Training will be provided under this
announcement at general training centers in three of the Department of
Health and Human Services' (DHHS) regions.
DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the
Grants Management Office no later than May 28, 1996. Applications will
be considered as meeting the deadline if they are either (1) received
on or before the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on or before the
deadline date and received in time for submission to the review
committee. A legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S.
Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of a postmark. Private metered
postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications
which are postmarked or delivered to the Grants Management Office later
than May 28, 1996 will be judged late and will not be accepted for
review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the
program announcement or meet the applicable requirements of 42 CFR part
59, subpart C, will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be
notified, and applications will be returned.
ADDRESSES: Requests for application kits may be faxed to (301) 594-
5980. Application kits may also be obtained from and applications must
be submitted to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management
Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD
20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Susan Moskosky, Office of Family Planning at (301) 594-4008 is
available for assistance on scientific, technical and program aspects,
or Ms. Diane J. Osterhus, Grants Management Officer at (301) 594-4012
is available for business management issues. Staff are available to
answer questions and provide limited technical assistance in the
preparation of grant applications.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et
seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award
grants for projects to provide training for family planning service
personnel. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.260). This
notice announces the availability of approximately $700,000 in funding
and solicits applications for three general training projects to assist
in the establishment and operation of regional training centers for
Regions I, V, and VII. Grants will be funded within certain ranges, as
set out below. The funding ranges for the regions are determined based
on the assessment of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population
Affairs (DASPA) of the regions' relative need for training funds;
funding of individual grants within each funding range will be based on
the DASPA's assessment of such factors as the training needs within the
region and the cost and availability of personnel for training.
The training projects are as follows:
One general training grant for DHHS Region I (Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). A funding
range of $181,500-$200,600 is available for this grant.
One general training grant for DHHS Region V (Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin). A funding range of $315,400-
$348,600 is available for this grant.
One general training grant for DHHS Region VII (Iowa, Kansas,
Missouri, Nebraska). A funding range of $168,400-$186,100 is available
for this grant.
Statutory and Regulatory Background
Title X of the PHS Act, enacted by Public Law 91-572, authorizes
grants for projects to provide family planning services to persons from
low-income families and others. Section 1001 of the Act, as amended,
authorizes grants ``to assist in the establishment and operation of
voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of
acceptable and effective family planning methods and services
(including natural family planning methods, infertility services and
services for adolescents).'' Section 1003 of the Act, as amended,
authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide the
training for personnel to carry out the family planning services
programs.
The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern grants
for family planning services training. Prospective applicants should
refer to the regulations in their entirety.
Role and Operation of the Training Program
Under the regulations, ``training'' means job-specific skill
development. Continuing education activities that are innovative or
non-traditional are encouraged. The development or use of self-paced,
self-instructional or other training materials which utilize
technological advancements in the learning field are also acceptable.
The purpose of the general training program is to provide short-
term training, continuing education, inservice education and staff
development for personnel in order to improve or maintain at a high
level the performance of Title X family planning services providers.
Successful applicants will be required to work closely with a
network of other PHS agencies, including the central and regional
office staffs, Title X service delivery providers, and regional
training advisory committees which provide representation from all
service grantees. Successful applicants will be required to review and
consider policy and program goals of the Title X family planning
program, solicit advice from the regional training advisory committee,
and consult with Title X service delivery providers about training
priorities, course content, and curriculum. Because of outcomes from
the community planning process and emphasis on community involvement,
successful applicants should also stress mechanisms that solicit input
from the ``customer,'' both clinician and client.
In developing curricula and training programs, general training
programs supported under this announcement should be sensitive to the
importance of supporting the program priorities of the Title X services
program, which include:
Increased outreach to individuals not likely to seek
services, including homeless persons, disabled persons, substance
abusers and adolescents;
Expansion of comprehensiveness of reproductive health
services, including STD and cancer screening and prevention, increased
involvement of male partners, HIV prevention, education and counseling,
and substance abuse screening and referral;
Increased emphasis on services to adolescents, including
more community education, emphasis on postponement of sexual activity,
and more accessible
[[Page 14213]]
provision of contraceptive counseling and contraception;
Elimination of disincentives to providing long-acting,
highly effective contraceptives, serving high risk (and high-unit cost)
clients, and providing nonrevenue-generating services, such as
community education and prevention services; and
Increased emphasis on training and retention of Women's
Health nurse practitioners, particularly minority nurse practitioners
and nurse practitioners serving disadvantaged and medically underserved
communities.
Applicants must be prepared to focus training on emerging issues,
such as managed care, new concepts in communication and increased
emphasis on public information and education. The DHHS project officer
or designee may periodically direct the training grantee to make
adjustments in the training agenda. The applicant must demonstrate the
ability to be flexible in terms of scheduling training that responds to
emerging issues as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee.
All training events shall be approved (in advance) by the DHHS project
officer or designee.
Successful applicants will be responsible for the overall
management of a general training program within the geographic area for
which the grant is made. This responsibility includes:
Developing an annual training plan which demonstrates
flexibility in responding to emerging focus areas, and which reflects
national and regional goals and the training needs of local Title X
service providers;
Developing criteria for selection of staff or consultants
who will conduct training, including prerequisite qualifications. Such
criteria should reflect a sensitivity to the unique types of training
that will be needed to address emerging issues;
Developing a process to identify the appropriateness of
training offerings for the various levels of Title X services grantee
personnel;
Maintaining data on the regional training program
sufficient to allow evaluation by central and regional offices, and
self-evaluation by the training grantees;
Developing and implementing an annual training schedule
which includes measurable objectives for sessions, and which confers
continuing education units to participants where appropriate;
Making available at cost all materials developed with
Title X funds to other federally-funded projects upon request;
Attending at least one training meeting called by Central
Office annually.
Application Requirements
Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (PHS-5161-1)
(OMB Approval No. 0937-0189) and in the manner prescribed in the
application kits available from the Office of Grants Management.
Applicants are required to submit an application signed by an
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization
and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms
and conditions of the grant award. Applicants are required to submit an
original application and two copies.
Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review
process. The results of this review will assist the DASPA in
considering competing applications and in making the final funding
decisions.
Any public or private nonprofit organizations or agency is eligible
to apply for a grant. It is not required that an entity applying for a
grant be physically located in the region to be served by the proposed
project. Awards will be made only to those organization or agencies
which have demonstrated the capability of providing the proposed
services, and which have met all applicable requirements.
A copy of the legislation and regulations governing this program
will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit package.
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and information
included in this announcement to guide them in developing their
applications. Applications should be limited to 50 doubled-spaced
pages, not including appendices providing curriculum vitae or
statements of organizational capabilities.
Application Consideration and Assessment
Eligible competing grant applications will be reviewed by a
multidisciplinary panel of independent reviewers and assessed according
to the following criteria:
1. The extent to which the proposed training program will enhance
the delivery of services to Title X clients, particularly persons from
low-income families. (15 points)
2. The extent to which the proposed training program has the
potential to fulfill the training needs of the family planning services
grantees in the areas to be served, which may include among other
things:
a. Development of a capability within family planning services
projects to provide pre- and in-service training to their own staffs;
b. Improvement of the family planning service delivery skills of
family planning and health services personnel; and
c. Improvement in the utilization and career development of
paraprofessional and paramedical manpower in family planning services.
Total consideration for a, b, and c. (15 points)
3. The extent to which the training program proposes appropriate
strategies to improve the provision of family planning services in
rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). (10 points)
4. The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use of
the training grant. (10 points)
5. The administrative and management capability and competence of
the project staff and applicant organization. (15 points)
6. The ability of the applicant to be flexible in making timely
adjustments to the training agenda in order to meet emerging family
planning needs, as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee.
(20 points)
7. The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for the
requirements set forth in 42 CFR 59.205, including the applicant's
presentation of the project's objectives, the methods for achieving
project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the regional
office, and the results or benefits expected. (15 points)
In making grant award decisions, the DASPA will fund those projects
which will, in her judgment, best promote the purposes of section 1003
of the Act, within the limits of funds available for such projects.
Grants will be approved for project periods of up to 3 years.
Grants are funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for
all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is
contingent upon satisfactory progress of the project, efficient and
effective use of grant funds provided, and availability of funds.
Review Under Executive Order 12372
Applicants under this announcement are subject to the review
requirements of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of
Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities, as
implemented by 45 CFR part 100. As soon as possible, the applicant
should discuss the project with the State Single point of Contact
(SPOC) for each state in
[[Page 14214]]
the area to be served. The application kit contains the currently
available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the
submission of applications. For those States not represented on the
listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding
the submission of the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's comment(s) should be
forwarded to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management
Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD
20814. Such comments must be received by the Office of Population
Affairs by May 28, 1996 to be considered.
When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be
notified by letter of the outcome. The official document notifying an
applicant that a project application has been approved for funding is
the Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to the grantee the amount of
money awarded, the purposes of the grant, and terms and conditions of
the grant award.
Dated: March 20, 1996.
Felicia H. Stewart,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-7638 Filed 3-28-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M
