[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 27, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49221-49223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17716]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-16-16ZX]
Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted
the following information collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public
and affected agencies.
Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and
(e) Assess information collection costs.
To request additional information on the proposed project or to
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Direct written comments
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments
should be received within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network)--
Existing Collection in use without an OMB Control Number--National
Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
In September, 2000, the Pew Environmental Health Commission issued
a report entitled ``America's Environmental Health Gap: Why the Country
Needs a Nationwide Health Tracking Network.'' In this report, the
Commission documented that the existing environmental health systems
were inadequate and fragmented and recommended a ``Nationwide Health
Tracking Network for disease and exposures.'' In response to the
report, Congress appropriated funds in the fiscal year 2002's budget
for the CDC to establish the National Environmental Public Health
Tracking Network (Tracking Network).
[[Page 49222]]
Continuously since 2008, and at the national level, the program
collects data from (1) other CDC programs such as the National Center
for Health Statistics, (2) other federal agencies such as the
Environmental Protection Agency, (3) publically accessible systems such
as the Census Bureau, and (4) funded and unfunded state and local
health departments (SLHD). These data are integrated into and
disseminated from the Tracking Network and used for analyses which can
inform national programs, interventions, or policies; guide further
development and activities within the Tracking Program; or advance the
practice and science of environmental public health tracking. The
Tracking Program also collects information from funded SLHD to monitor
their progress related to their funding and for program evaluation.
This information collection request (ICR) is focused on data and
information gathered by the Tracking Program from SLHD.
Due to voluntary program efforts to continuously improve
compliance, the CDC recently determined that the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) should apply to the Tracking Network collections. Thus, the
CDC requests a three-year PRA clearance to collect these data.
One part of the collection involves health, exposure, and hazard
data from SLHD. The Tracking Network provides the United States with
accurate and timely standardized data from existing health, exposure,
and hazard surveillance systems and supports ongoing efforts within the
public health and environmental sectors. The goal of the Tracking
Network is to improve health tracking, exposure and hazard monitoring,
and response capacity. When such data are available, the Tracking
Program obtains data from national or public sources in order to reduce
the burden on SLHD. When data are not available nationally or
publically, the Tracking Program relies on funded SLHD to obtain and
submit these data to the Tracking Network. Data from unfunded SLHD are
accepted but not requested or solicited.
Data submitted annually by SLHD to the Tracking Program include:
(1) Birth defects prevalence, (2) childhood lead blood levels, if a
SLHD does not already report such data to CDC, (3) community drinking
water monitoring, (4) emergency department visits, (5)
hospitalizations, and (6) radon testing. The Tracking Program receives
childhood lead blood levels data from CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning
Prevention Program (under the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning
Surveillance System [HHLPSS--OMB Control No. 0920-0931, expiration date
5/31/2018]). A metadata record, a file describing the original source
and collection procedures for the data being submitted, is also
submitted with each dataset (1 per dataset for a total of 6 metadata
records per year) using the Tracking Program's metadata creation tool.
Standardized extraction, formatting, and submission processes are
developed in collaboration between CDC and SLHD for each dataset.
Additions or modifications to these standardized datasets will also be
developed collaboratively in order to improve the accuracy,
completeness, efficiency, or utility of data submitted to CDC. Such
changes will occur at most once a year. Examples of changes to data
processes may include: (1) Addition of new variables or outcomes, (2)
updates to case definitions, (3) modifications to temporal or spatial
aggregation, and (4) changes in formatting for submission. As required,
the Tracking Network will submit future additions and modifications as
nonsubstantive change requests or revision ICRs.
The other part of the collection involves program monitoring
information from funded SLHD. In addition to standard reporting
required by CDC's Procurement and Grants Office, the Tracking Program
also collects information from funded SLHD for the purposes of program
evaluation and monitoring. This information includes performance
measures collected quarterly, a communications plan collected annually,
an earned values management report collected quarterly, an evaluation
plan collected annually, and Web site analytics collected quarterly as
documents emailed to the Tracking Program.
There are no costs for the respondents other than their time. The
total estimated time burden is 25,320 hours. This estimate includes the
time it takes to extract the data from the original data source(s),
standardize and format the data to match the corresponding Tracking
Network data form, and submit the data to the Tracking Network. In some
cases, the data at the source are centralized and easily extracted. In
other cases, like for radon data, the data are not. In those cases, the
number of hours for extracting and standardizing the data is much
greater. Four respondents have been added to the 26 SLHDs the program
currently funds to account for the data voluntarily received from
unfunded SLHDs and to allow for potential program growth over the next
three years.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Type of respondent Form name Number of responses per per response
respondents respondent (in hours)
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State and local health department..... Birth defects prevalence 22 1 80
Childhood lead blood 18 1 80
levels.
Community drinking water 30 1 120
monitoring.
Emergency department 26 1 80
visits.
Hospitalizations........ 30 1 80
Radon testing........... 16 1 120
Metadata records........ 30 6 20
Program Management Tool 26 4 20
(new awardees).
Public Health Action 4 4 20
Report (existing
awardees).
Communications plan..... 30 1 20
Earned value management 30 4 40
report.
Evaluation and 30 1 20
performance measurement
strategy report.
Website analytics....... 30 4 1
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[[Page 49223]]
Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Health Scientist, Acting Chief, Information Collection Review Office,
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for
Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-17716 Filed 7-26-16; 8:45 am]
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