[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14922-14923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7844]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Availability of Funds for the Community Scholarship Programs
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of available funds.
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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
announces the availability of approximately $290,000 under section 338L
of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act for competing and project period
renewal Grants to States for Community Scholarship Programs (CSP).
The purpose of the CSP is to enable States to increase the
availability of primary health care in urban and rural federally
designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) by assisting
community organizations to provide scholarships for the education of
individuals to serve as health professionals in these communities.
The PHS is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national
activity. This grant program is related to the objectives of improving
access to and availability of primary health care services for all
Americans, especially the underserved populations. 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 number 202-783-3238).
PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and 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.
DUE DATES: Applications are due May 15, 1997. Applications will be
considered to have met the deadline if they are (1) received on or
before the deadline date; or (2) postmarked 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 receipt from a commercial carrier. Private metered
postmarks will not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Late
applications not accepted for processing will be returned to the
applicant.
ADDRESS: Application materials may be obtained from, and completed
applications should be returned to: Mr. Lawrence R. Poole, Acting
Grants Management Officer, Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), 4350
East-West Highway, 11th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 594-
4250. The Grants Management staff is available to provide assistance on
business management issues. Applications for these grants will be made
on PHS Form 5161-1 with revised face sheet DHHS Form 424, as approved
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number 0937-
0189.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general program information and
technical assistance, please contact Sharley L. Chen, Division of
Scholarships and Loan Repayments, BPHC, HRSA, 4350 East-West Highway,
10th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, at (301) 594-4400.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In FY 1997, approximately $290,000 will be
awarded for 11-12 new and competing continuation grants ranging from
$5,000 to $100,000 for a 12-month budget period and up to a 3-year
project period. Under this program, States enter into agreements with
public or private nonprofit community organizations located in
federally designated HPSAs. These organizations will recruit qualified
residents of their communities and provide scholarships to them to
become physicians, certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse
midwives, or physician assistants based on the needs of the
communities.
This grant program is intended to be consistent with the efforts of
the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program, NHSC Loan
Repayment Program and NHSC State Loan Repayment Programs to meet the
needs of underserved populations in federally designated HPSAs through
the placement of primary care practitioners. For purposes of this
program, the term ``primary health care'' means health services
regarding family medicine, general internal medicine, general
pediatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology, that are provided by
physicians, certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, or
physician assistants. The Secretary is required by statute (Section
338L(l)(3) of the PHS Act) to ensure that, to the extent practicable,
not less than 50 percent of the amount appropriated will be in the
aggregate expended by the States for making grants to community
organizations that are located in rural federally designated HPSAs.
Eligibility Requirements
In order for a State to receive a grant under this program, the
State must:
1. Receive funding for at least one grant, cooperative agreement,
or contract under any provisions of the PHS Act other than section 338L
for the fiscal year for which the State is applying;
2. Agree that the grant program will be administered directly by a
single State agency;
3. Agree to make grants to community organizations located in
federally designated HPSAs in order to assist those community
organizations in providing scholarships to individuals enrolled or
accepted for enrollment as full-time students in health profession
schools approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for
purposes of the CSP;
4. Agree that 40 percent of the total costs of the scholarships
will be paid from the Federal grant made to the State; and
5. Agree that 60 percent of the total costs of the scholarships
will be paid from non-Federal contributions made in cash by the State
and the community organization through which the scholarship is
provided.
a. The State must make available through these cash contributions
not less than 15 percent nor more than 25 percent of the scholarship
costs.
b. The community organization must make available through these
cash contributions not less than 35 percent nor more than 45 percent of
the scholarship costs.
c. Non-Federal contributions provided in cash by the State and
community organization (as described in a and b above) may not include
any amounts provided by the Federal Government to the State, or
community organization involved, or to any other entity. Non-Federal
contributions required may be provided directly by the State and
community organization involved, and may be provided through donations
from public and private entities. States should be aware, however, that
donations from providers may be subject to provisions of Public Law
102-234, the Medicaid Voluntary Contribution and Provider-Specific Tax
Amendments of 1991.
Scholarship Requirements
To receive a grant, the State must agree that it will award a grant
to a community organization for scholarships only if:
1. The individual who is to receive the scholarship under a
contract is a resident of a federally designated HPSA
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in which the community organization is located and will provide primary
health care services for:
a. A number of years equal to the number of years for which the
scholarship is provided, or for a period of 2 years, whichever period
is greater; or
b. Such greater period of time as the individual and the community
organization may agree.
2. The individual agrees, while enrolled in a health professions
school as a full-time student, to maintain an acceptable level of
academic standing at the school (as determined by the school in
accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary pursuant to section
338A (f)(1)(B) (iii) of the PHS Act);
3. The individual and the community organization agree that the
scholarship:
a. Will be expended only for tuition expenses, other reasonable
educational expenses, reasonable living expenses incurred while in
attendance at the school, and payment to the individual of a monthly
stipend of not more than the amount authorized for NHSC scholarship
recipients under section 338A(g)(1)(B) of the PHS Act; and
b. Will not, for any year of such attendance for which the
scholarship is provided, be in an amount exceeding the total amount
required for the year for the purposes indicated in paragraph (a)
above.
4. The individual agrees to meet the educational and certification
or licensure requirements necessary to become a primary care physician,
certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician
assistant in the State in which the individual is to practice under the
contract; and,
5. The individual agrees that, in providing primary health care
pursuant to the scholarship, he/she:
a. Will not, in the case of an individual seeking care,
discriminate on the basis of the ability of the individual to pay for
such care or on the basis that payment for such care will be made
pursuant to the programs established in Titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX
(Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; and,
b. Will accept assignment under section 1842(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the
Social Security Act for all services for which payment may be made
under Part B of Title XVIII, and will enter into an appropriate
agreement with the State agency that administers the State plan for
medical assistance under Title XIX to provide service to individuals
entitled to medical assistance under the plan.
Evaluation Criteria
For new and competing continuation grants the following criteria
will be used to evaluate applications: (a) The appropriateness of the
description and documentation of the State's need for the grant; (b)
The adequacy of the State's methodology for selecting community
organizations to participate in the grant and the overall impact that
the community organizations' participation will have on addressing the
State's primary health care health professional needs; (c) The extent
to which the State's and community's recruitment plans are consistent
with the State's plans for meeting the needs of the community's primary
care system; (d) The appropriateness and documentation of community
commitment with the grant; (e) The extent to which the CSP will
coordinate with other State programs designed to alleviate need in
HPSAs; (f) The appropriateness of the State's plan to administer and
manage the grant, including the credentials of the employees to be
involved and their relevant program experience; (g) The adequacy of the
State's proposed procedure for monitoring the scholar's fulfillment or
breach of the CSP contract; (h) The appropriateness of the State's
plans for providing waivers and suspensions; (i) The soundness of the
budget and the budget justification for assuring effective utilization
of grant funds; (j) The adequacy of a State's assurance that sufficient
contributions are available; (k) The reasonableness of the scholarship
levels proposed given the cost of health professions programs and the
anticipated State and community resources for scholarship funding; (l)
The adequacy of the description of the State's proposed ratio and costs
of scholarships for both urban and rural federally designated HPSAs;
and (m) The validity, reliability, and methodological soundness of the
State applicant's internal monitoring and evaluation plan for grants.
Other Grant Information
The CSP is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, as
implemented by 45 CFR part 100, 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 package
for this program will include a list of States with review systems and
the single point of contact (SPOC) in each State for the review.
Applicants (other than federally-recognized Indian tribal governments)
should contact their State SPOCs as early as possible to alert them to
the prospective applications and receive any necessary instructions on
the State process. The due date for State process recommendations is 60
days after the application deadline. The BPHC does not guarantee that
it will accommodate or explain its response to State process
recommendations received after that date. Grants will be administered
in accordance with HHS regulations in 45 CFR part 92. The OMB Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program is 93.931.
Dated: March 24, 1997.
Claude Earl Fox,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-7844 Filed 3-27-97; 8:45 am]
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