[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37072-37074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17998]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Program Announcement, Proposed Project Requirements, Review
Criteria, and Funding Preference for Regional Nursing Partnerships to
Provide Continuing Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in
Medically Underserved Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces
that applications will be accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1996
Cooperative Agreements for Regional Nursing Partnerships to Provide
Continuing Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in Medically
Underserved Communities. These cooperative agreements will be funded
for one year under the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Nurse
Education and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, Title II, Public
Law 102-408, dated October 13, 1992, Section 820 (c), Continuing
Education for Nurses in Medically Underserved Communities. It is
anticipated that $280,000 will be available to support up to three
competitive one-year awards.
Purpose
The purpose of the cooperative agreements is to support the
formation of partnerships between recognized regional nursing
organizations and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing
education in nursing informatics for nursing faculty in schools located
in, or preparing students to serve in, medically underserved
communities. Nursing informatics is defined as the integration of
nursing science, computer science, and information science applied to
the identification, collection, analysis, and management of data for
nursing education, practice, and research. Increasing the number of
nurses in the workforce who are knowledgeable about nursing
informatics, especially those practicing in underserved or rural
communities, will enhance clinical proficiency and improve access to
and quality of health care for increasing numbers in the population.
For the purpose of these cooperative agreements, regional nursing
organizations are those regionally based nursing organizations whose
members must include schools of nursing in institutions of higher
education located within the designated region, and whose members may
also include health care agencies and other health care entities.
Applicants must establish and maintain effective partnerships to
implement sound continuing education programs designed to meet the
identified nursing faculty needs in nursing informatics. Continuing
education program curricula must be based on regional assessments of
undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty proficiency in computer
technology and nursing informatics.
Eligibility and Proposed Funding Preference
Eligible applicants include public and non-profit entities. A
funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific category or
group of approved applications ahead of other categories or groups of
approved applications in a discretionary program. It is proposed that a
funding preference will be given to recognized regional nursing
organizations who enter partnerships with nursing entities experienced
in teaching nursing informatics. These entities may include, but are
not limited to, schools of nursing. The partner providing the nursing
informatics expertise must be located within the recognized regional
nursing organization's designated region. It is highly unlikely that
any applicant not meeting the funding preference will be supported
under this cooperative agreement.
Proposed Project Requirements
1. Develop a formalized partnership between the regional nursing
organization and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing
education in nursing informatics.
2. Establish an Advisory Board to oversee the development,
administration, and evaluation of the project. The Advisory Board must
include at least one non-academically based nurse practicing in a
medically underserved community.
3. Utilize an existing assessment of undergraduate and graduate
nursing programs within the region to determine:
(a) The availability of computer-based systems;
(b) Faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in the use of
computer-based systems; and
(c) The ability of faculty to prepare students for practice in
technologically advanced practice environments.
4. Based on analysis of the assessment in #3, develop and implement
four regionally-based nursing informatics continuing education programs
during the 1997 academic year. Each continuing education program must
be designed to:
(a) Enhance faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in nursing
informatics in the areas of computer technology;
[[Page 37073]]
human factors; information and database management; professional
practice, trends, and issues; system analysis and design; system
implementation and support; system testing and evaluation; and
theoretical frameworks;
(b) Include a computer lab practicum;
(c) Be completed in a one-week, 30-36 hour session;
(d) Be provided in two or more different geographic locations to
facilitate participation by faculty from distant areas within the
region;
(e) Enroll a minimum of 14 nursing faculty from schools of nursing
located in or experienced in preparing nurses to serve in medically
underserved communities;
(f) Provide participants a syllabus and reading materials prior to
the session; and
(g) Award continuing education credit in nursing informatics.
6. Project must be documented in a format to facilitate replication
by other organizations.
Substantial Federal Programmatic Involvement
Personnel in the Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing
will have substantial programmatic involvement with the planning,
development, administration, and evaluation of the Regional Nursing
Partnerships to Provide Continuing Education in Nursing Informatics for
Faculty in Medically Underserved Communities and their outputs by:
1. Participating in the identification and selection of an Advisory
Board. This includes participation in the selection of co-chair(s), one
of whom will be the Division of Nursing representative, Meribeth Reed,
PhD, RN.
2. Providing guidance for obtaining an existing regional assessment
on the availability of computer-based systems; faculty knowledge,
skills, and abilities in the use of computer-based systems; and the
ability of faculty to prepare students for practice in technologically
advanced practice environments.
3. Providing technical assistance, guidance, and recommendations
for project modifications.
4. Reviewing and advising on curricula content, selection of
participants, methodologies, and teaching techniques.
5. Reviewing and advising on program evaluation methods.
6. Reviewing and advising on documenting project activities and
experiences for dissemination and replication.
7. Providing data and information about Federal programs that may
impact the project.
National Health Objectives for the year 2000
The HRSA urges applicants to submit work plans that address
specific objectives of Healthy People 2000. Potential applicants may
obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 (Telephone 202-783-3238).
Education and Service Linkage
As part of its long-range planning, HRSA will be targeting its
efforts to strengthening linkages between HRSA education programs and
programs which provide comprehensive primary care services to the
underserved.
Smoke-Free Workplace
The HRSA strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a
smoke-free workplace; to promote the non-use of all tobacco products;
and to promote Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, which
prohibits smoking in certain facilities that receive Federal funds in
which education, library, day care, health care, and early childhood
development services are provided to children.
Proposed Review Criteria
The review of applications will take into consideration the
following criteria:
1. The need for the proposed project.
2. The potential effectiveness of the proposed project in carrying
out the stated purpose.
3. The administrative and managerial capability of the applicant to
carry out the proposed project.
4. The efficacy of the proposed partnership.
5. The adequacy of the facilities and resources available to the
applicant to carry out the proposed project.
6. The qualifications of the project director and proposed staff.
7. The feasibility of the proposed budget in relation to the
proposed project.
8. The potential of the project to continue on a self-sustaining
basis after the period of Federal support.
Additional Information
Interested persons are invited to comment on the proposed project
requirements; review criteria; and funding preference for recognized
nursing organizations in partnership with nursing entities qualified to
provide continuing education in nursing informatics. The comment period
is 30 days. All comments received on or before August 15, 1996 will be
considered before the final project requirements and review criteria
are established. The final project requirements and review criteria
will be included in the final notice published in the Federal Register.
Written comments should be addressed to Marla Salmon, ScD, RN, FAAN,
Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and
Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 9-35, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. All comments received will be
available for public inspection and copying at the Division of Nursing,
Bureau of Health Professions, at the above address, weekdays (Federal
holidays excepted) between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time.
Application Availability
Application materials, including Supplemental Instructions and
Training Application Form PHS 6025-1, are available on the World Wide
Web at: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/hrsa/bhpr. To obtain the supplemental
instructions, click on the file named ``NICE.EXE'' to download to your
computer. Click on ``save to disk.'' The file will be saved as a self-
extracting WordPerfect 5.1 file named NICE.EXE. Once the file is
downloaded to your disk or hard drive, you may exit the web site.
The NICE.EXE file will be a compressed file. To decompress or
expand the file in DOS, go to the DOS directory where the file has been
downloaded and type in ``NICE.EXE'', then ``enter.'' The file will
expand into a WordPerfect 5.1 file, now named ``NICE.''
To decompress the file in Windows, go to ``program manager,'' then
click on ``file,'' then ``run.'' The file will expand to a Windows file
now named ``NICE.'' Note that in DOS or in Windows, you will retain a
file with the extension ``.EXE,'' and one without the extension, but
with considerably larger disk size. The expanded file is the one you
will use. To obtain the PHS 6025-1, follow the same instructions, after
clicking on ``PHS 6025-1.''
Questions regarding grants policy and business management issues
should be directed to Ms. Wilma Johnson, Acting Chief, Centers and
Formula Grants Section (wjohnson@hrsa.ssw.dhhs.gov), Grants Management
Branch, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services
Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 8C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane,
Rockville, Maryland 20857. Applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain
application materials from the
[[Page 37074]]
World Wide Web via the Internet. However, if you are unable to obtain
the application materials electronically, you may obtain application
materials in the mail by sending a written request to the Grants
Management Branch at the address above. Written requests may also be
sent via FAX (301) 443-6343 or via the internet listed above. Completed
applications should be returned to the Grants Management Branch at the
above address.
If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact
Meribeth Reed, PhD, RN, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn
Building, Room 9-35, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Dr.
Reed may be reached by telephone at (301) 443-5763, by fax at (301)
443-8586, or by e-mail at: (mreed@hrsa.ssw.dhhs.gov).
Paperwork Reduction Act
The standard application form PHS 6025-1, HRSA Competing Training
Grant Application, has been approved by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB Clearance
Number is 0915-0060.
The deadline date for receipt of applications is August 19, 1996.
Applications will be considered to be ``on time'' if they are either:
(1) Received on or before the established deadline date, or
(2) Sent on or before the established deadline date and received in
time for orderly processing. (Applicants should request a legibly dated
U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated receipt from a
commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private metered postmarks
will not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)
Late applications not accepted for processing will be returned to
the applicant. In addition, applications which exceed the page
limitation and/or do not follow format instructions will not be
accepted for processing and will be returned to the applicant.
This program 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 also not subject to the
Public Health System Reporting Requirements.
Dated: July 10, 1996.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-17998 Filed 7-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P
