[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 83 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21256-21258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10634]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Fiscal Year 2002 Competitive Application Cycle for the Radiation 
Exposure Screening and Education Program 93.257

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

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ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces the availability of approximately $3.0 million to eligible 
entities for the purpose of carrying out programs to develop education 
programs and disseminate information on radiogenic diseases and the 
importance of early detection; screen eligible individuals for cancer 
and other radiogenic diseases; provide appropriate referrals for 
medical treatment; and facilitate documentation of Radiation Exposure 
Compensation Program claims.
    Authorizing Legislation: The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act 
(RECA) Amendments of 2000 amended Subpart I of Part C of Title IV of 
the Public Health Service Act to add section 417C, Grants for 
Education, Prevention, and Early Detection of Radiogenic Cancers and 
Diseases. Section 417C provides the authority for competitive grants to 
states, local governments, and appropriate healthcare organizations to 
initiate and support programs for individual cancer screening, 
appropriate medical referrals, public information development and 
dissemination, and the facilitation of RECA claim documentation to aid 
the thousands of individuals adversely affected by the mining, 
transport and processing of uranium and the testing of nuclear weapons 
for the Nation's weapons arsenal.

DATES: The timeline for application submission, review and award are as 
follows:
    April 2002--Application guidance will be available through the HRSA 
Grants Application Center (GAC).
    June 28, 2002--Applications due.
    July 2002--Applications reviewed.
    August 2002--Pre-award Site Visits.
    September 2002--Grant awards announced.
    Applications shall 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 deadline date. Late applications will be returned to the 
applicant. Applicants should obtain a legibly dated receipt from a 
commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal Service or request a legibly 
dated U.S. Postal Service postmark. Private metered postmarks shall not 
be accepted as proof of timely mailing.
    Application requests: To receive a complete application kit (i.e., 
application instructions, necessary forms, and application review 
criteria), contact the HRSA Grants Application Center at: HRSA Grants 
Application Center, 901 Russell Avenue, Suite 450, Gaithersburg, MD 
20879, Phone: 1-877-HRSA-123 (1-877-477-2123), Fax: 1-877-HRSA-345 (1-
877-477-2345), E-mail: [email protected].
    Please refer to Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 
#93.257.
    Eligible applicants: The following entities are eligible to apply 
for the funds described in this notice:
     National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.
     Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals or medical 
centers.
     Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), lookalikes, 
community health centers, or hospitals.
     Agencies of any State or local government that currently 
provide direct health care services.
     The IHS health care facilities, including programs 
provided through tribal contracts, compacts, grants, or cooperative 
agreements with the IHS and which are determined appropriate to raising 
the health status of Indians.
     Nonprofit organizations, including faith-based 
organizations.
    Program expectations: The purpose of the RESEP is to encourage and 
support appropriate healthcare organizations to improve the health 
status of persons who were adversely affected by the mining, milling, 
or transporting of uranium and the testing of nuclear weapons for the 
Nation's weapons arsenal. The following is a summary of core activities 
that must be provided by all grantees:
     Outreach
     Screening and Early Detection
     Referrals for Medical Treatment
     Education
     Eligibility Assistance
     Quality Assurance
     Staffing
     Data Collection
     Finance
     Program Oversight and Direction
    Application review and funding criteria: Each application submitted 
by the deadline will be screened for eligibility. An Objective Review 
Committee will review all eligible applications based on the review 
criteria listed below. Once a grant application has been reviewed and 
scored, the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) will determine the 
appropriate funding level given the level of services and users that 
are being proposed. An on-site pre-award review may be conducted for 
all applicants considered for funding and applicants competing for the 
same service area.
     Need and Readiness--the extent to which the applicant can 
demonstrate a need for these services in their area and their readiness 
to provide them.
     Administration--the extent to which the applicant 
demonstrates that it has the administrative experience and capacity to 
successfully implement this program.
     Health Care Services--the extent to which the applicant 
has the capacity to provide or arrange for the required services.
     Collaborative Arrangements--the extent to which the 
applicant has developed and documented collaborative arrangements with 
other local providers to conduct outreach, provide services and make 
referrals.
     Appropriateness of Budget--the extent to which the 
applicant's budget is appropriate for the scope of the proposed 
activities.
    Grant awards will be made subject to the provisions of the Public 
Health Service Grants Policy Statement and to 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
    Funding preferences and priorities: The BPHC intends to fund no 
more than one award in any single State. The goal of the BPHC is to 
award funds to organizations that can best provide comprehensive 
services to the largest number of eligible individuals in a cost-
effective manner. In the final award determinations, the following 
factors will be used to select applications for funding. Funding 
preferences and priorities may come from legislation, regulations, or 
program leadership decisions. They are not the same as review criteria. 
Funding preferences are any objective factors used to re-order the 
post-review priority score funding list by moving applicants approved 
by the objective review committee (ORC) with those factors to the top 
of the ORC's rank order list. Funding priorities are those objective 
factors given extra points during the review or by staff after the ORC 
meets--which may similarly change the order of applicants on the list.

Funding Preferences

     Applicants that propose a Statewide service area.
     Applicants proposing to serve affected populations in the 
States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, 
Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Funding Priorities

     Applicants that are currently operating a clinic for 
patients with radiogenic cancers and other radiogenic diseases.
     Applicants that demonstrate strong outreach and 
educational efforts for eligible individuals.
     Applicants with a history of managing Federal grant funds 
without operational problems.

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    Estimated amount of available funds: Up to $3.0 million will be 
available in Fiscal Year 2002 for this program.
    Estimated number of awards: It is estimated that 10-15 awards will 
be awarded with awards ranging from $200,000 to $400,000.
    Use of grant funds: Grants will support appropriate cancer 
screening, referrals for treatment, the development and dissemination 
of educational information, and eligibility assistance for radiation 
exposure compensation. Such grants will encourage treatment to start at 
a time when it can be the most effective. Grant funds may not be used 
to pay for inpatient services; to make cash payments to intended 
recipients of primary health care services or specialty care; to 
supplant other provider/third party coverage payments available to the 
patient; to purchase or improve real property (other than minor 
remodeling of existing improvements to real property); or to purchase 
major medical equipment without the approval of the Office of Grants 
Management, BPHC. Not more than 10 percent of any grantee's funds shall 
be used for services to assist users in obtaining benefits under the 
Radiation Exposure Compensation Program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Vanessa Hooker, Director, 
Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program, Bureau of Primary 
Health Care, Health Resources Services Administration, 4350 East-West 
Highway, 9th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Phone: 301-594-5105, Fax: 
301-594-2470, E-mail: [email protected].

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    Under these requirements (approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget 0937-0195), a community-based non-governmental applicant must 
prepare and submit a Public Health System Impact Statement to the head 
of the appropriate State and local health agencies in the area(s) to be 
impacted no later than the Federal application receipt due date. This 
statement must include:
    (a) A copy of the face page of the application (SF 424).
    (b) A summary of the project, not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
     A description of the population to be served,
     A summary of the services to be provided, and
     A description of the coordination planned with the 
appropriate State and local health agencies.

Executive Order 12372

    This program has been determined to be a program which is subject 
to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 concerning intergovernmental 
review of Federal programs by appropriate health planning agencies, as 
implemented by 45 CFR part 100. Executive Order 12372 allows States the 
option of setting up a system for reviewing applications from within 
their States for assistance under certain Federal programs. The 
application packages to be made available under this notice will 
contain a listing of States that have chosen to set up such a review 
system and will provide a single point of contact (SPOC) in the States 
for review.
    Applicants (other than Federally-recognized Indian tribal 
governments) should contact their State SPOC as early as possible to 
alert them to the prospective applications and receive any necessary 
instructions on the State process. For proposed projects serving more 
than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each 
affected State. The due date for State process recommendations is 60 
days after the application deadline for new and competing awards. The 
granting agency does not guarantee to ``accommodate or explain'' for 
State process recommendations it receives after that date. (See part 
148, Intergovernmental Review of PHS Programs under Executive Order 
12372 and 45 CFR part 100 for a description of the review process and 
requirements.)

    Dated: April 3, 2002.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-10634 Filed 4-29-02; 8:45 am]
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