[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 171 (Friday, September 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48398-48401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22945]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of Public Health and Science; Announcement of Availability
of Grant for Family Planning General Training
AGENCY: Office of Family Planning, OPA, OPHS, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of
Population Affairs (OPA) requests applications for a grant under the
Family Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003
of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. Funds are available to provide
training, with a specific focus on male reproductive health, for
personnel in OFP-funded family planning services projects. it is
anticipated that one grantee will be funded to serve as the training
site.
DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the
Office of Grants Management, Office of Population Affairs no later than
October 4, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Aplication kits may be obtained from and applications must
be submitted to the Grants Management Office, Office of Population
Affairs, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Program Requirements: George Jones, Office of Family Planning, OPA,
(301) 594-4014.
Administrative and Budgetary Requirements: Andrea Brandon, Office
of Grants Management, OPA, (301) 594-6554.
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 $450,000-$475,000 in
funding and solicits applications for one training project which will
provide training for personnel providing family planning/reproductive
health-related information and services specifically targeted to males
served by family planning agencies throughout the United States.
Statutory and Regulatory Background:
Title X of the PHS Act, enacted by Pub. L. 91-572, authorizes
programs related to family planning. The family planning services
program authorized by section 1001 of Title X is required by law to
provide family planning services, including education and counseling,
to all persons desiring such services. Section 1003 of the Act, as
amended, authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide
training for personnel to carry out the family planning service
programs authorized by section 1001. Implementing regulations for
family planning services training appear at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C.
Prospective applicants should refer to the regulations in their
entirety.
Purpose of the Grant
Within the last several years, Federal and provide sector programs
have begun to focus more attention on male involvement in family
planning and reproductive health-related issues, as evidenced by the
President's Fatherhood Initiative, the Department of Health and Human
Services' National Strategy to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, the ``Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,'' and
the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Research has shown
that males are both interested in and want to play an active role in
reproductive health decision-making, and that males will participate in
reproductive health programs if they are offered in an appropriate
manner. Recognizing the need for increased emphasis on male family
planning/reproductive health services, in 1997 the Office of Family
Planning began funding a number of community-based-organizations to
encourage the investigation and development of approaches that
facilitate the provision of family planning/reproductive health-related
information and services to males, and approaches that involve males in
building community support for the prevention of unintended pregnancy
and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Currently, many of these
projects are funded under section 1001 of the Act, as part of existing
services projects funded under section 1001.
While it is now recognized that addressing male reproductive health
needs is important, there is currently little in the published
literature about the standard for providing reproductive health
services for males. Most of what is currently known about male
reproductive health and reproductive behavior has come from either
small studies or from a few national surveys that were conducted on a
one-time basis. Our current understanding about what types of
communication are most effective in providing training to males and
male-oriented organizations around issues of family planning/
reproductive health is also severely limited.
There are a number of research efforts that are recent or are
currently under way that will help us gain a clearer understanding of
male sexual and reproductive behaviors and attitudes. this will aid us
in identifying reproductive health care service standards and
strategies for effectively providing services to males. An ongoing
national survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
collects some data on sexual behavior--among other health risk
behaviors--for
[[Page 48399]]
youth, both male and female. Other national surveys that have collected
information about male reproductive behavior include: The National
Health and Social Life Survey (1994); the National Survey of Men
(1993); the Survey of Adolescent Males (1988, 1995); and the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHEALTH). Examples of
research efforts currently under way include: (1) A male sample in the
upcoming (2001) cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth, and (2)
a study by the Urban Institute addressing reproductive health needs for
young men.
It is clear that training personnel of agencies that provide family
planning/reproductive health services to males will require a unique
type of organization that will be able to continuously incorporate
science-based information as it becomes available in all phases of
training design, delivery and evaluation.
This announcement seeks to fund a training program that will use
science-based information and approaches in all aspects of training
Title X service grantee employees, to facilitate the effective delivery
of family planning/reproductive health related information and services
to males. In addition, the funded training program will provide
training consultation to a variety of Title X providers, including
other Title X training grantees, regarding family planning/reproductive
health for males. The purpose of this training program is to ensure
that programs serving males have the skills, knowledge and abilities
necessary for effectively planning, implementing and evaluating their
programs.
Role and Operation of the Training Program
Under the regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C,
``training'' is defined as ``job-specific skill development, the
purpose of which is to promote and improve the delivery of family
planning services.'' The program funded under this announcement will be
responsible for providing training to personnel working in family
planning service agencies that provide family planning/reproductive
health information and services specifically targeted to males.
The successful applicant must have extensive experience working
with males and male-oriented organizations, and with delivering
training and other services to males. Evidence that substantiates a
history of the applicant's provision of services that are both relevant
and sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity must be provided. The
ability to incorporate research findings throughout the design,
delivery and evaluation of all training efforts must be evident. The
successful applicant must have experience in evaluation, with emphasis
on areas such as organization, program planning, curriculum development
and utilization, and the effectiveness of various types of electronic
technology for training.
The training grantee will be required to design, deliver and
evaluate training for personnel in OFP-funded family planning services
projects that focuses on the reproductive health needs of males. The
training grantee will also provide a venue for exchanging information
with other Title X General Training grantees on male reproductive
health needs and services.
Evidence must be provided to support the applicant's capability for
providing training on core organizational infrastructure components
that are needed to operate a health-related or public health program
within a larger service organization. For the purpose of this
announcement, example of core organizational infrastructure components
may include program planning, administration, implementation and
evaluation. The diversity of training needs will necessitate the use of
electronic technologies as an integral part of training and evaluation
design.
The training plan should reflect the applicant's ability to
incorporate public health initiatives in training plan design, such as
Healthy People 2000 health promotion and disease prevention objectives
for family planning, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) priorities of assuring a healthy start for every child
by increasing the proportion of pregnancies that are intended,
promoting personal responsibility for healthy lifestyles, and
addressing the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health
as identified by the President's Initiative on Race.
The Title X family planning program priorities complement the DHHS
priorities and focus on the fundamental purpose of Title X. The Title X
program priorities and other key issues that are impacting family
planning should be integrated into the training plan.
The Title X program priorities are listed below:
Expansion and enhancement of the quality of clinical
reproductive health services through partnerships with entities that
have related interest and that work with similar priority populations;
Increased emphasis on services to adolescents, including
emphasis on postponement of sexual activity and more accessible
provision of contraceptive counseling and services;
Increased services to hard-to-reach populations by
partnering with community-based organizations and others that have a
stake in the prevention of unintended pregnancy;
Expansion of comprehensiveness of reproductive health
services, including STD and cancer screening and prevention, HIV
prevention, education and counseling, and substance abuse screening and
referral;
Increased services to males, emphasizing shared
responsibility for preventing unintended pregnancy and STD/HIV
infection.
Other key issues that are impacting the current and future delivery
of family planning/reproductive health services include: (1) Medicaid
waivers and managed care; (2) implications of welfare reform and other
issues that are affecting family planning services, such as Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and the Children's Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) as well as other Federal and State initiatives; (3)
electronic technology; (4) research findings; and (5) legislative
mandates, such as counseling teens on involving families and avoiding
coercive sexual relationships.
Project Requirements and Management:
The successful applicant will be required to work closely with the
OFP Project Officer, the ten PHS regional offices, and with a network
of other public and private institutions and entities in its training
program. All training must meet the applicable requirements of the
Title X statute and training regulations and be consistent with the
Title X program priorities listed above. The training plans and all
training events must be approved by the OFP Project Officer or designee
prior to implementation.
The successful applicant will be responsible for the overall
management of training activities for which the grant is made. This
responsibility includes:
(1) In collaboration with the OFP Project Officer, designing,
implementing, and evaluating a training program which incorporates the
use of science-based research and evaluation, client input, and various
training methodologies, such as the use of electronic technologies. The
training program must be implemented within 120 days after the initial
notice of grant award and should budget for the following:
(a) Two one-week on-site training sessions for up to 40
participants each; the training grantee will assume all
[[Page 48400]]
costs associated with training, including room and board (but not
including travel to and from training site or personal expenses);
(b) A minimum of thirty one-day training sessions on various
topics. Sessions may be on-site or off-site, and electronic technology
may be used. The training grantee is not responsible for trainee
expenses for these one-day sessions;
(2) Maintaining a system for ongoing retrieval and dissemination of
public health information and research findings related to male-
productive health from a variety of public and private institutions and
entities;
(3) Maintaining a system for providing ongoing science-based
information to family planning service projects, and other providers
serving the target population;
(4) Maintaining formal working relationships with multiple
disciplines within public and private institutions for carrying out the
objectives of the training program;
(5) Developing a working relationship with current Title X service
and training grantees that promotes the inclusion of male reproductive
health needs and services;
(6) Developing admissions policies and procedures, and criteria for
selection of candidates for training. Criteria should reflect a
sensitivity to the unique needs or grantees or trainees for certain
types of training. These policies and procedures must be submitted to
the OFP Project Officer for review and approval within 120 days after
the initial notice of grant award;
(7) Developing and implementing an ongoing evaluation plan for the
total training program that allows for evaluation of each training
program component;
(8) Providing semi-annual progress reports of OFP covering all
aspects of the training program;
(9) Making available at cost all materials developed with Title X
funds to other Title X projects upon request; and
(10) Participating in at least two meetings with the Office of
Family Planing annually.
Application Requirements: Any public or private nonprofit
organization is eligible to apply for a grant. An award will be made
only to an organization or agency which has demonstrated the capability
of providing the proposed services, and which has met all applicable
requirements.
Applications must be submitted on the form PHS-5161-1, Revised 6/99
(http://forms.psc.gov/phsforms.htm) and in the manner prescribed in the
application kit in order to be considered complete. 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.
A copy of the Title X legislation and regulations that govern this
program will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit
package. Copies of the Healthy People 2000 Objectives for Family
Planning and the DHHS documents on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in
Health will also be sent as part of the application kit package.
Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and other
information included in the application kit for this announcement to
guide them in developing their applications.
Applications should be limited to 50 double-spaced pages, not
including appendices providing curriculum vitae, training designs, or
statements of organizational capabilities. An award will be made only
to an applicant who has met all applicable requirements.
Applications must be received on or before the deadline date to be
accepted for review. An application received after the deadline may be
acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing date assigned by
the carrier and the proof-of-mailing date is not later than one week
prior to the deadline date. Private metered postmarks will not be
accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications which are received by
the Office of Grants Management after the deadline will not be accepted
for review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of
this program announcement or meet the applicable parts of 42 CFR part
59, subpart C, will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be so
notified and applications will be returned.
Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review
process. The results of this review will assist the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Population Affairs in considering competing applications
and in making the final funding decision.
Application Consideration and Assessment: Eligible competing grant
applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of
independent reviewers and will be assessed against the following
criteria:
(1) The extent to which the proposed training program will increase
the ability of family planning services projects to deliver services
primarily to males with a high percentage of unmet need for family
planning services. (5 points);
(2) The extent of which the proposed training program promises to
fulfill the family planning services delivery needs of the area to be
served, as evidenced by the applicant's ability to address: (a)
requirements set our under ``Role and Operation of the Training
Program;'' (b) development of a capability within family planning
services projects with a male-services component to provide pre- and
in-service training to their own staffs; and (c) improvement of the
family planning/reproductive health skills of personnel in family
planning services project that have a make-services component. (25
points);
(3) The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use
of the training grant, as evidence by the applicant's ability to
implement the training program within 120 days of receiving the grant.
(5 points);
(4) The administrative and management capability and competence of
the applicant. (10 points);
(5) The competence of the project staff in relation to the services
to be provided, including the applicant's history of male-focused
research, training and services to males, and the ability to document
relevant previous experience and formal linkages with public and
private entities that have a specific focus on males (e.g.,
universities with an array of relevant disciplines, research
institutions, federal and/or state program). (30 points); and
(6) 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 objective, the methods for achieving
project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the results or
benefits expected. (25 points).
In making grant award decisions, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Population Affairs (DASPA) will fund one project which will, in her
judgment, best promote the purposes of section 1003 of the Act, within
the limits of funds available for such project.
The grant will be available for a project period of up to three
years and will be 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 the availability of funds.
Review Under Executive Order 12372: Applicants under this
announcement are subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
[[Page 48401]]
Programs,'' as implemented by 45 CFR part 100, ``Intergovernmental
Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and
Activities.'' As soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the
project with the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the state in
which the applicant is located. 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 to the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's
comment(s) should be forwarded to the Office of Grants Management,
Office of Population Affairs, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200,
Bethesda, Maryland 20814. Such comments must be received by the Office
of Population Affairs within 60 days of the closing date of this
announcement, listed under DATES above.
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: August 30, 1999.
Denese O. Shervington,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-22945 Filed 9-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M
