[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 229 (Friday, November 28, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 63356-63357] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-31211] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration HIV Care Grant Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration. ACTION: Notice of grants made to States and territories. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces that fiscal year 1997 funds have been awarded to States and territories (hereinafter States) for the HIV Care Grant Program. Although these funds have already been awarded to the States, HRSA is publishing this notice to inform the general public of the existence of the funds. In addition, HRSA determined that it would be useful for the general public to be aware of the structure of the HIV Care Grant Program and the statutory requirements governing the use of the funds. Funds will be used by the States to improve the quality, availability, and organization of health care and support services for individuals and families with HIV disease. The HIV Care Grant Program is authorized by Title II of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act of 1990, Public Law 101-381, as amended by the Ryan White CARE Act amendments of 1996, Public Law 104-146, which amended Title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act. Funds were appropriated under Public Law 104-208. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Individuals interested in the HIV Care Grant Program should contact the appropriate office in their State, and may obtain information on their State contact by calling Anita Eichler, M.P.H., Director, Division of Service Systems, at (301) 443-6745. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Availability of Funds A total of $230,895,000 was made available for the Title II HIV Care Grant Program. These funds have been allotted to the States according to a formula that is determined by multiplying the amount appropriated for Title II, less any set-asides, by the distribution factor determined for the State. In addition to the Care Grants, $167,000,000 was also awarded for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to help States increase the number of HIV patients receiving drugs, including combination therapies and new drugs, and to help pay for their increasing costs. Below are two tables. The first shows the distribution of funds for the Care Grant Program by State. The second shows the distribution of funds for the ADAP by State. Care Grant Awards ------------------------------------------------------------------------ State Amount ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alabama................................................. $2,838,265 Alaska.................................................. 250,000 Arizona................................................. 2,045,462 Arkansas................................................ 1,395,995 California.............................................. 31,548,137 Colorado................................................ 2,127,037 Connecticut............................................. 3,330,036 Delaware................................................ 1,322,724 District of Columbia.................................... 2,877,431 Florida................................................. 23,416,364 Georgia................................................. 7,214,630 Hawaii.................................................. 1,158,830 Idaho................................................... 250,000 Illinois................................................ 6,606,747 Indiana................................................. 2,928,889 Iowa.................................................... 624,726 Kansas.................................................. 997,168 Kentucky................................................ 1,415,277 Louisiana............................................... 4,252,105 Maine................................................... 489,755 Maryland................................................ 5,923,285 Massachusetts........................................... 4,217,542 Michigan................................................ 3,405,961 Minnesota............................................... 1,037,082 Mississippi............................................. 1,879,965 Missouri................................................ 2,620,796 Montana................................................. 136,900 Nebraska................................................ 499,395 Nevada.................................................. 2,043,859 New Hampshire........................................... 314,204 New Jersey.............................................. 11,931,930 New Mexico.............................................. 805,975 New York................................................ 34,972,364 North Carolina.......................................... 4,803,070 North Dakota............................................ 100,000 Ohio.................................................... 4,739,289 Oklahoma................................................ 1,554,105 Oregon.................................................. 1,601,172 Pennsylvania............................................ 7,686,648 Rhode Island............................................ 1,054,708 South Carolina.......................................... 4,509,988 South Dakota............................................ 100,000 Tennessee............................................... 3,906,471 Texas................................................... 14,636,207 Utah.................................................... 852,251 Vermont................................................. 250,000 Virginia................................................ 5,235,047 Washington.............................................. 2,830,277 West Virginia........................................... 492,843 Wisconsin............................................... 1,755,689 Wyoming................................................. 100,000 Guam.................................................... 11,608 Puerto Rico............................................. 7,605,266 Virgin Islands.......................................... 191,525 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AIDS Drug Assistance Program Awards [State/Territory--FY 1997 Grant Award] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alabama $1,329,706 Alaska.................................................. 112,917 Arizona................................................. 1,450,752 Arkansas................................................ 654,013 California.............................................. 26,371,892 Colorado................................................ 1,607,932 Connecticut............................................. 2,790,394 Delaware................................................ 619,686 District of Columbia.................................... 2,613,341 Florida................................................. 17,898,632 Georgia................................................. 5,125,509 Hawaii.................................................. 542,903 Idaho................................................... 112,917 Illinois................................................ 5,427,222 Indiana................................................. 1,372,162 Iowa.................................................... 292,680 Kansas.................................................. 568,196 Kentucky................................................ 663,046 Louisiana............................................... 2,717,224 Maine................................................... 229,446 Maryland................................................ 5,025,239 Massachusetts........................................... 3,310,714 Michigan................................................ 2,408,285 Minnesota............................................... 841,003 Mississippi............................................. 880,749 Missouri................................................ 1,965,652 Montana................................................. 64,137 Nebraska................................................ 233,963 Nevada.................................................. 975,533 New Hampshire........................................... 214,993 New Jersey.............................................. 9,448,859 New Mexico.............................................. 377,593 New York................................................ 29,381,796 North Carolina.......................................... 2,250,201 North Dakota............................................ 24,390 Ohio.................................................... 2,577,208 Oklahoma................................................ 728,086 Oregon.................................................. 1,148,136 Pennsylvania............................................ 5,258,299 Rhode Island............................................ 494,123 South Carolina.......................................... 2,112,895 South Dakota............................................ 38,843 Tennessee............................................... 1,830,152 Texas................................................... 11,061,308 Utah.................................................... 399,273 Vermont................................................. 92,140 Virginia................................................ 2,881,631 Washington.............................................. 2,067,728 West Virginia........................................... 247,513 Wisconsin............................................... 823,839 Wyoming................................................. 37,940 Guam.................................................... N/A Puerto Rico............................................. 5,315,209 Virgin Islands.......................................... N/A --------------- Total............................................... $167,000,000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 63357]] Eligibility Criteria In order to receive funding under Title II of the CARE Act, each State was required to develop:A detailed description of the HIV-related services provided in the State to individuals and families with HIV disease during the year preceding the year for which the grant was requested, and the number of individuals and families receiving such services; and A comprehensive plan for the organization and delivery of HIV health care and support services to be funded with the Title II grant, including a description of the purposes for which the State intends to use such assistance. Each State was also required to submit an application containing such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary determined to be necessary to carry out this program, including an assurance that: The public health agency that is administering the grant for the State will conduct public hearings concerning the proposed use and distribution of the Title II grant assistance; The State will, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that HIV-related health care and support services delivered with Title II assistance will be provided without regard to the ability of the individual to pay or the current or past health condition of the individual; ensure that such services will be provided in a setting that is accessible to low-income individuals with HIV disease, and provide outreach to inform such individuals of the services available; and, in the case of a State that intends to use grant funds for the continuation of health insurance coverage, ensure that the State has established a program that assures that such amounts will be targeted to individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford health insurance coverage, that income, assets, and medical expense criteria will be established and applied by the State to identify those individuals who qualify for assistance, and that information concerning such criteria will be made available to the public; The State will provide for periodic independent peer review to assess the quality and appropriateness of health and support services provided by entities that receive Title II funds from the State; The State will permit and cooperate with any Federal investigations undertaken regarding programs conducted under Title II; The State will maintain HIV-related activities at a level that is equal to not less than the level of such expenditures by the State for the 1-year period preceding the fiscal year for which the State applied to receive a grant under Title II; and The State will ensure that grant funds are not utilized to make payments for any item or service to the extent that payment has been made, or can reasonably be expected to be made, with respect to that item or service (1) under any State compensation program, under an insurance policy, or under any Federal or State health benefits program, or (2) by an entity that provides health services on a prepaid basis. General Use of Grant Funds States may use the HIV Care Grant funds to: Deliver or enhance HIV-related outpatient and ambulatory health and support services, including case management, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment, and comprehensive treatment services, which include treatment education and prophylactic treatment for opportunistic infections, for individuals and families with HIV disease. Deliver or enhance HIV-related inpatient case management services that prevent unnecessary hospitalization or that expedite discharge, as medically appropriate, from inpatient facilities. Establish and operate HIV care consortia within areas most affected by HIV. The statute defines a consortium as an association of one or more public, and one or more nonprofit private (or private for- profit providers or organizations if such entities are the only available providers of quality HIV care in the area) health care and support service providers and community-based organizations operating within areas determined by the State to be most affected by HIV disease. Provide home- and community-based care services for individuals with HIV disease. Funding priorities must be given to entities that provide assurances to the State that they will participate in HIV care consortia if such consortia exist within the State, and will utilize the funds for the provision of home- and community-based services to low-income individuals with HIV disease. Provide assistance to assure health insurance coverage for low-income individuals with HIV disease. Provide therapeutics to treat HIV disease or prevent the serious deterioration of health arising from HIV disease in eligible individuals, including measures for the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections. A State must use not less than the percentage of its grant funds constituted by the ratio of the population in the State of infants, children, and women with AIDS to the general population in the State of individuals with AIDS to provide health and support services to infants, children, and women with such syndrome. A State must take administrative or legislative action to require that a good faith effort be made to notify a spouse of a known HIV- infected patient that such spouse may have been exposed to HIV and should seek testing. At least 75 percent of the fiscal year 1997 Title II grant awarded to a State must be obligated to specific programs and projects and made available for expenditure not later than 150 days after receipt of such amounts in the case of a the first fiscal year for which amounts are received, and within 120 days of the receipt of the grant by the State in succeeding fiscal years. Federal Smoke-Free Compliance The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant and contract 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. Executive Order 12372 It has been determined that the Title II HIV Care Grant Program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 concerning inter-governmental review of Federal programs. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.917. Dated: November 21, 1997. Claude Earl Fox, Acting Administrator. [FR Doc. 97-31211 Filed 11-26-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-15-U