2012-14688. Notice of Intent To Award Affordable Care Act (ACA) Funding, HM10-1001

Notice of Intent to award Affordable Care Act (ACA) funding to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to educate public health laboratories about the Environmental Public Tracking Network as a potential data tool for laboratories. This award was proposed in the grantee's Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Non-Competing Continuation applications under funding opportunity Cooperative Agreement HM10-1001, “APHL-CDC Partnership for Quality Laboratory Practice.”

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

This notice provides public announcement of CDC's intent to award Affordable Care Act (ACA) appropriations to the Association of Public Health Laboratories. These activities are proposed by the above-mentioned grantee in their FY 2012 applications submitted under funding opportunity HM10-1001, “APHL-CDC Partnership for Quality Laboratory Practice,” Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 93.065.

Approximately $20,076 in ACA funding will be awarded to the grantee for communication and education activities designed to raise awareness among public health laboratories about the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. Funding is appropriated under the Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148), Section 4002 [42 U.S.C. 300u-11]; (Prevention and Public Health Fund).

Accordingly, CDC adds the following information to the previously published funding opportunity announcement of HM10-1001:

—Authority: Section 317(k)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, [42 U.S.C. 247b(k)(2)], as amended, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Section 4002 [42 U.S.C. 300u-11].

—CFDA #: 93.538 Affordable Care Act—National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program-Network Implementation.

Award Information: Type of Award: Non-Competing Continuation Cooperative Agreement.

Approximate Total Current Fiscal Year ACA Funding: $20,076.

Anticipated Number of Awards: 1.

Fiscal Year Funds: 2012.

Anticipated Award Date: July 2, 2012.

Application Selection Process: Funding will be awarded to applicant based on results from the technical review recommendation.

Funding Authority: CDC will add the ACA Authority to that which is reflected in the published Funding Opportunity CDC-RFA-HM10-1001. The revised funding authority language will read:

—This program is authorized under Section 317(k)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, [42 U.S.C. 247b], as amended, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Section 4002 [42 U.S.C. 300u-11].

DATES:

The effective date for this action is the date of publication of this Notice and remains in effect until the expiration of the project period of the ACA funded applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Annie Harrison-Camacho, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341, telephone [phone], email [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Public Law 111-148. The ACA is designed to improve and expand the scope of health care coverage for Americans. Cost savings through disease prevention is an important element of this legislation and the ACA has established a Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) for this purpose. Specifically, the legislation states in Section 4002 that the PPHF is to “provide for expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs to improve health and help restrain the rate of growth in private and public sector health care costs.” The ACA and the Prevention and Public Health Fund make improving public health a priority with investments to improve public health.

The PPHF states that the Secretary shall transfer amounts in the Fund to accounts within the Department of Health and Human Services to increase funding, over the fiscal year 2008 level, for programs authorized by the Public Health Service Act, for prevention, wellness and public health activities including prevention research and health screenings, such as the Community Transformation Grant Program, the Education and Outreach Campaign for Preventative Benefits, and Immunization Programs.

The ACA legislation affords an important opportunity to advance public health across the lifespan and to improve public health by supporting the Tracking Network. This network builds on ongoing efforts within the public health and environmental sectors to improve health tracking, hazard monitoring and response capacity. Therefore, increasing funding available to applicants under this FOA using the PPHF will allow them to expand and sustain their existing tracking networks, utilize tracking data available on networks for potential public health assessments which is consistent with the purpose of the PPHF, as stated above, and to provide for an expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs. Further, the Secretary allocated funds to CDC, pursuant to the PPHF, for the types of activities this FOA is designed to carry out.

Dated: June 6, 2012.

Alan A. Kotch,

Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.