[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 121 (Thursday, June 24, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33863-33866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16069]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Office of Minority Health
Availability of Funds for Grants for Technical Assistance and
Capacity Development Demonstration Program for HIV/AIDS-Related
Services in Highly Impacted Minority Communities
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office of Minority Health, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Requests for Applications
for Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Grant
Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Minority
Communities.
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Purpose: The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Capacity
Development Demonstration Grant Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services
in Highly Impacted Minority Communities is to stimulate and foster the
development of effective and durable service delivery capacity for HIV
prevention and treatment among organizations closely interfaced with
the minority populations highly impacted by HIV/AIDS. The grantee will
identify minority community-based organizations (CBOs) and small, non-
federally funded minority CBOs that are well linked with minority
populations highly affected by HIV/AIDS, and which have recognized
needs and/or gaps in their capacity to provide HIV/AIDS-related
prevention and care services. The goals are to:
Provide administrative and programmatic technical
assistance to enable those organizations to enhance their delivery of
necessary services; and
Assist those CBOs, through an ongoing mentoring
relationship, in the development of their capacity as fiscally viable
and programmatically effective organizations thereby allowing them to
successfully compete for federal and other resources.
This program is intended to demonstrate the impact of technical
assistance and capacity development on improving HIV prevention and
care among organizations within a circumscribed area in which many
minority individuals are in need of HIV/AIDS prevention and/or
treatment services. To the extent that selected services such as
substance abuse treatment and public health are available within the
circumscribed area, linkages with these services will be fostered as
part of the technical assistance. The program intends to address HIV/
AIDS issues within the context of related socio-economic factors and
contribute to overall community empowerment by strengthening indigenous
leadership and organizations.
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the
health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People
2000, a PHS-led national activity to reduce morbidity and mortality and
to improve the quality of life. This announcement relates to 4 of the
22 priority areas established by Healthy People 2000: (1) Alcohol and
other drugs; (2) educational and community-based programs; (3) HIV
infection; and (4) sexually transmitted diseases. Potential applicants
may obtain a copy of the Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No.
017-001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 Midcourse Review and 1995
Revisions (Stock No. 017-001-00526-6) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 or
telephone (202) 783-8238.
Background: The Office of Minority Health's (OMH) mission is to
improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through
the development of health policies and programs that will help to
address the health disparities and gaps. Consistent with its mission,
the role of OMH is to serve as the focal point within the Department
for service demonstrations, coalition and partnership building, and
related efforts to address the health needs of racial and ethnic
minorities. In keeping with this mission, OMH is establishing the
Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Grant
Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Minority
Communities to assist in addressing the HIV/AIDS issues facing minority
communities in 15 eligible metropolitan statistical areas. This program
is based on the hypothesis that providing technical assistance and
capacity development to organizations closely linked with the minority
populations highly impacted by the disease, will improve their capacity
to better serve minority populations with HIV/AIDS prevention and
treatment. It is anticipated that this approach will strengthen
existing minority CBOs and inexperienced organizations in addressing
this health issue by developing and expanding their technical skills
and infrastructure capacity. Applicants are encouraged to establish
linkages with other federally funded programs supporting HIV/AIDS
prevention and care to maximize these efforts.
[[Page 33864]]
Disproportionate Effect of HIV/AIDS on Minorities
Current statistics indicate that although advances have been made
in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, this epidemic continues as a significant
threat to the public health of the United States (U.S.). Despite
showing a decline in the past two years, it remains a disproportionate
threat to minorities. While African-Americans and Hispanics
respectively represent approximately 13% and 10% of the U.S.
population, approximately 36% of the more than 640,000 reported total
AIDS cases are African-American and 18% are Hispanic.
In 1997, more African-Americans were reported with AIDS than any
other racial/ethnic group. Of the total AIDS cases reported that year,
45% (27,075) were reported among African-Americans, 33% (20,197) were
reported among whites, and 21% (12,466) were reported among Hispanics.
Among women and children with AIDS, African-Americans have been
especially affected, representing 60% of all women reported with AIDS
in 1997 and 62% of reported pediatric AIDS cases in 1997. During 1997,
the rate of new AIDS cases per 100,000 population in the U.S. was 83.7
among African-Americans, 37.7 among Hispanics, 10.4 among whites, 10.4
among American Indians/Alaska Natives, and 4.5 among Asians/Pacific
Islanders.
Data from a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study
(Trends in the HIV and AIDS Epidemic, 1998) comparing HIV and AIDS
diagnoses in 25 states with integrated reporting systems provide a
clearer picture of recent shifts in the epidemic. The study indicates
that many of the new HIV diagnoses are occurring among African-
Americans, women, and people infected heterosexually, with an increase
also observed among Hispanics. During the period from January 1994
through June 1997, African-Americans represented 45% of all AIDS
diagnoses, but 57% of all HIV diagnoses. Among young people (ages 13 to
24) diagnosed with HIV, 63% were among African-Americans and 5% were
among Hispanics. Although some of the states with large Hispanic
populations did not have integrated HIV/AIDS reporting and could not be
included in this study, HIV diagnoses among Hispanics increased 10%
between 1995 and 1996.
Eligible Applicants: The following public and private, nonprofit
entities are eligible to apply for this grant: (a) a community
coalition consisting of at least three discrete organizations with
either a minority CBO or state/local health department as the lead
organization; (b) a minority CBO; or (c) a state/local health
department. (See definitions of Community Coalition and Minority
Community-Based Organization found in this announcement.) The applicant
must provide the necessary administrative infrastructure to receive and
appropriately manage the federal funds. The coalition may also
incorporate other partners such as a hospital, a minority health
management group, an AIDS Service Organization, or other CBOs with
strong links to the target population.
In order to maximize the use of resources and target efforts where
the HIV/AIDS epidemic is most severe in racial and ethnic minority
populations, eligible applicants must be located in one of the
following 15 metropolitan statistical areas. These are the areas
indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
its HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports for 1996 and 1997 as having the
highest number of newly reported AIDS cases in 1995, 1996, and 1997.
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
New York, NY
Newark, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
San Francisco, CA
San Juan, PR
Washington, DC
National organizations, universities and institutions of higher
education are not eligible to apply, although they may be members of
the coalition. Local affiliates of national organizations which meet
the definition of a minority community-based organization however, are
eligible.
Project Requirements: The applicant must propose to conduct a
model program within the eligible metropolitan statistical area which
is designed to carry out the following functions:
(1) Identify the existing capacity for delivering HIV-related
services (both HIV prevention and treatment) to minority populations
and compare this with available HIV/AIDS surveillance data. The use of
geographic information systems and related techniques should be given
due consideration as one of the tools to address this area;
(2) Identify high risk minority communities where there are
recognized gaps in services for minority populations with HIV/AIDS;
(3) Increase the capacity of existing minority CBOs including
small, non-federally funded minority CBOs which are well interfaced
with the populations to be served to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention and
care by:
(a) providing administrative technical assistance to improve the
fiscal and organizational capacity appropriate to their programmatic
responsibilities, which may require a mentoring relationship over time;
and
(b) identifying programmatic technical assistance from the
Department of Health and Human Services' Operating Divisions and
linking appropriate CBOs with these resources.
(4) Utilizing consultants, as needed, to provide specific technical
assistance beyond the expertise of core staff (e.g., peer-peer
technical assistance capability); and
(5) Working with newly identified CBOs to develop strong linkages
with other providers of services to complete a continuum of prevention
and treatment services, including substance abuse treatment and mental
health services for minority HIV/AIDS populations.
Availability of Funds: Approximately $4.5 million is expected to be
available for award in FY 1999. It is projected that awards of $1.0 to
$1.2 million total costs (direct and indirect) for a 12-month period
will be made to four competing applicants.
Use of Grant Funds: Budgets between $1.0 and $1.2 million total
costs (direct and indirect) per year may be requested to cover costs
of: personnel, consultants, supplies, equipment, and grant related
travel. Funds may not be used for medical treatment, construction,
building alterations, or renovations. All budget requests must be fully
justified in terms of the proposed objectives and activities and
include a computational explanation of how costs were determined.
Period of Support: The start date for the Technical Assistance and
Capacity Development Demonstration Grant Program for HIV/AIDS-Related
Services in Highly Impacted Minority Communities, is September 30,
1999. Support may be requested for a total project period not to exceed
3 years. Noncompeting continuation awards of $1.0 to $1.2 million will
be made subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
Deadline: To receive consideration, grant applications must be
received by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) Grants Management
Office by July 26,
[[Page 33865]]
1999. Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline if they
are: (1) Received on or before the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on
or before the deadline date and received in time for orderly
processing. 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
submitted by facsimile transmission (FAX) or any other electronic
format will not be accepted. Applications which do not meet the
deadline will be considered late and will be returned to the applicant
unread.
Addresses/Contacts: Applications must be prepared using Form PHS
5161-1 (Revised May 1996 and approved by OMB under control Number 0937-
0189). Application kits and technical assistance on budget and business
aspects of the application may be obtained from Ms. Carolyn A.
Williams, Grants Management Officer, Division of Management Operations,
Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000, 5515
Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone (301) 594-0758. Completed
applications are to be submitted to the same address.
Questions regarding programmatic information and/or requests for
technical assistance in the preparation of grant applications should be
directed to Ms. Cynthia H. Amis, Director, Division of Program
Operations, Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite
1000, 5515 Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone (301) 594-
0769.
Technical assistance is also available through the OMH Regional
Minority Health Consultants (RMHCs). A listing of the RMHCs and how
they may be contacted will be provided in the grant application kit.
Additionally, applicants can contact the OMH Resource Center (OMH-RC)
at 1-800-444-6472 for health information.
Criteria for Evaluating Applications
Review of Application
Applications will be screened upon receipt. Those that are judged
to be incomplete, non-responsive to the announcement or nonconforming
will be returned without comment. Each applicant may submit no more
than one proposal under this announcement. If an organization submits
more than one proposal, all will be deemed ineligible and returned
without comment. Accepted applications will be reviewed for technical
merit in accordance with PHS policies. Applications will be evaluated
by an Objective Review Panel chosen for their expertise in minority
health, experience relevant to this technical assistance and capacity
development program, and their understanding and knowledge of the
health problems confronting racial and ethnic minorities in the United
States. Applicants are advised to pay close attention to the specific
program guidelines and general instructions provided in the application
kit.
Application Review Criteria
The technical review of applications will consider the following
generic factors.
Factor 1: Background (15%)
Adequacy of demonstrated knowledge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the
local level. Established level of cultural competence and sensitivity
to the issues of minority populations impacted by HIV/AIDS in the
service area. Expertise and understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention and
treatment service delivery systems especially as related to HIV/AIDS
care among minority populations. Demonstrated need for technical
assistance and capacity development among the proposed target service
organizations. History of long term relationship with the targeted
minority community and evidence of support of local agencies and/or
organizations.
Extent to which the applicant demonstrates access to targeted
organizations, is well-positioned and accepted within the communities
to be served, and able to interface with community leadership and
existing provider systems in the area. Demonstration of objective
outcomes of past efforts/activities with the target population.
Factor 2: Objectives (15%)
Relative merit of the objectives of the demonstration project,
their relevance to the program purpose and stated problem, and their
attainability in the stated time frames.
Factor 3: Methodology (35%)
Appropriateness of proposed approach including any established
organizational linkages for providing administrative and programmatic
technical assistance related to HIV/AIDS and assisting with the
capacity development of identified CBOs. Appropriateness of specific
activities for providing administrative and programmatic technical
assistance related to HIV/AIDS and capacity development. Logic and
sequencing of the planned approaches in relation to the provision of
HIV/AIDS technical assistance and capacity development. Appropriateness
of defined roles and resources.
Factor 4: Evaluation (20%)
Thoroughness, feasibility and appropriateness of the evaluation
design, data collection, and analysis procedures. For example, number
of new CBOs identified, number of new CBOs submitting applications for
grants and number of grants awarded, number of CBOs requesting
technical assistance and the percentage receiving it, and
identification of outcome variables for quality of service. Clarity of
the intent and plans to document the activities and their outcomes to
establish a model. The potential for replication of the project for
similar target populations and communities including the assessment of
the utility of the different tools used to implement the program.
Factor 5: Management Plan (15%)
Applicant demonstrates an ability to mobilize a strong
administrative technical assistance capacity with onsite knowledge of
organizational management skills, diversification of fiscal base, and
organizational development. Applicant organization's capability to
manage and evaluate the project as determined by: the qualifications of
proposed staff or requirements for ``to be hired'' staff; proposed
staff level of effort; and management experience of the applicant.
Award Criteria
Funding decisions will be determined by the Acting Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Minority Health of the Office of Minority Health and the
Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy and will take under
consideration: recommendations/ratings of the review panel and
geographic and racial/ethnic distribution. Consideration will also be
given to projects proposed to be implemented in Empowerment Zones and
Enterprise Communities in the 15 eligible metropolitan statistical
areas.
Definitions
For purposes of this grant announcement, the following definitions
are provided:
Community-Based Organization--Public and private, nonprofit
organizations which are representative of communities or significant
segments of communities, and which address health and human services.
Community Coalition--At least three (3) discrete organizations and
institutions in a community which
[[Page 33866]]
collaborate on specific community concerns, and seeks resolution of
those concerns through a formalized relationship documented by written
memoranda of understanding/ agreement signed by individuals with the
authority to represent the organizations (e.g., president, chief
executive officer, executive director).
Minority Community-Based Organization--Public and private nonprofit
community-based minority organization or a local affiliate of a
national minority organization that has: a governing board composed of
51 percent or more racial/ethnic minority members, a significant number
of minorities employed in key program positions, and an established
record of service to a racial/ethnic minority community.
Minority Populations--American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian,
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander. (Revision to the Standards for the
Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, Federal Register,
Vol. 62, No. 210, pg. 58782, October 30, 1997.)
Reporting and Other Requirements
General Reporting Requirements
A successful applicant under this notice will submit: (1) progress
reports; (2) an annual Financial Status Report; and (3) a final
progress report and Financial Status Report in the format established
by the Office of Minority Health, in accordance with provisions of the
general regulations which apply under CFR 74.50-74.52.
Provision of Smoke-Free Workplace and Non-Use of Tobacco Products by
Recipients of PHS Grants
The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients
to provide a smoke-free workplace and to promote the non-use of all
tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act
of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any
portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library,
day care, health care or early childhood development services are
provided to children.
Public Health System Reporting Requirements
This program is subject to Public Health Systems Reporting
Requirements. Under these requirements, a community-based
nongovernmental applicant must prepare and submit a Public Health
System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The PHSIS is intended to provide
information to State and local health officials to keep them apprised
of proposed health services grant applications submitted by community-
based organizations within their jurisdictions.
Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit,
no later than the Federal due date for receipt of the application, the
following information to the head of the appropriate State and local
health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted: (a) a copy of the face
page of the application (SF 424), and (b) a summary of the project
(PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which provides: (1) a description of
the population to be served, (2) a summary of the services to be
provided, and (3) a description of the coordination planned with the
appropriate State or local health agencies. Copies of the letters
forwarding the PHSIS to these authorities must be contained in the
application materials submitted to the Office of Minority Health.
State Reviews
This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order
12372 which allows States the option of setting up a system for
reviewing applications from within their States for assistance under
certain Federal programs. The application kit to be made available
under this notice will contain a listing of States which have chosen to
set up a review system and will include a State Single Point of Contact
(SPOC) in the State for review. Applicants (other than federally
recognized Indian tribes) should contact their SPOCs as early as
possible to alert them to the prospective applications and receive any
necessary instructions on the State process. For proposed projects
serving more than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the
SPOC of each affected State. The due date for State process
recommendations is 60 days after the application deadline established
by the Office of Minority Health's Grants Management Officer.
The Office of Minority Health does not guarantee that it will
accommodate or explain its responses to State process recommendations
received after that date. (See ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs'' Executive Order 12372 and 45 CFR Part 100 for a description
of the review process and requirements).
Authority: This program is authorized under section 1707(e)(1)
of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Pub. L. 105-392.
OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: The OMB Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program is pending.
Dated: June 17, 1999.
Nathan Stinson, Jr.,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.
[FR Doc. 99-16069 Filed 6-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-P
