Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices 14923

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 federallyrecognized 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]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–P

Availability of Funds To Provide

Technical and Non-Financial

Assistance to Federally Funded

Migrant Health Centers on

Environmental and Occupational

Health Services for Migrant and

Seasonal Farmworkers

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services

Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds,

CFDA #: 93.129.

SUMMARY: The Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA)

anticipates that approximately $305,000

will be available in FY 1997 to support

two cooperative agreements for the

purpose of providing technical and nonfinancial assistance to Migrant Health

Centers (MHCs) receiving funding under

Section 330(g) of the Public Health

Service (PHS) Act. These cooperative

agreements will provide environmental

and occupational health services to

migrant and seasonal farmworkers

(MSFWs) and their families. These

cooperative agreements will be awarded

under section 330(k) of the PHS Act (42

U.S.C. 254b(k)) with a budget period of

one year and a project period of up to

three years.

The Public Health Service (PHS) is

committed to achieving the health

promotion and disease prevention

objectives of Healthy People 2000, a

PHS-led national activity for setting

health priorities. These cooperative

agreements are related to the objectives

cited for special populations,

particularly socio-economically

depressed minorities and other

underserved populations, which

constitute a significant portion of the

migrant and seasonal farmworker

(MSFW) population. Potential

applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy

People 2000 (Full Report; Stock No.

017–001–00474–0) or Healthy People
14924 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices

2000 (Summary Report; Stock No. 017–

001–00473–1) through the

Superintendent of Documents,

Government Printing Office,

Washington, D.C. 20402–9325

(telephone 202/783–3238). Applicants

should also request copies of the

Recommendations of the National

Advisory Council on Migrant Health

through the Migrant Health Program

(MHP), Bureau of Primary Health Care,

4350 East/West Hwy., Bethesda, MD

20814.

The PHS strongly encourages all

cooperative agreement 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.

DATES: Applications are due April 28,

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

deadline date and received in time for

submission to the review committee.

Applicants should request a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or

obtain a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal

Service. Private metered postmarks are

not acceptable as proof of timely

mailing. Faxed copies of applications

will not be accepted. Applications not

received in time to be considered for

review will not be considered for

funding.

ADDRESSES: Application kits (PHS form

5161–1 with revised face sheets DHHS

Form 424, as approved by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) under

control number 0937—0189), may be

obtained from: HRSA Grants

Application Center, Suite 100, 40 W.

Gude Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. The

telephone number is toll-free 1–888–

300–HRSA (4772). The e-mail address is

HRSA.GAC@IX.NETCOM.COM.

Completed applications for awards for

the provision of technical and other

non-financial assistance to MHCs must

be sent to: HRSA Grants Application

Center at the above address. For

information on grants management

issues, please contact the Grants

Management Specialist, Nancy Benson,

at 301/594–4232.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general program information and

information about these technical

assistance funds, contact Jack Egan,

Deputy Director, MHP, 4350 East-West

Highway, Room 7–4A2, Bethesda, MD

20814, (301) 594–4303

(JEGAN@HRSA.DHHS.GOV) or Susan

Hagler at the same address and phone

number

(SHAGLER@HRSA.DHHS.GOV).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: One

cooperative agreement of up to $260,000

will be for a national resource center on

environmental and occupational health

issues concerning farmworkers. This

resource center will respond to MHC

requests for information and support in

the following areas: (1) The promotion,

development, and implementation of

environmental and occupational health

services for migrant and seasonal

farmworkers, such as the detection and

alleviation of unhealthful conditions,

accident prevention, including pesticide

exposures, and infection and parasitic

disease screening and control; and (2)

the development of migrant health

center specific patient and provider

educational and guidance materials and

technical publications for farmworkers

and growers, which are culturally and

linguistically appropriate.

The recipient will provide technical

assistance and contracts to BPHC

funded Migrant Health Centers and

Programs in order to alleviate and

correct conditions among migrant and

seasonal farmworkers and their families.

This assistance should be provided in

the following areas: (1) Field sanitation;

(2) safe drinking water; (3) housing; (4)

rodent and parasitic infestation; (5)

solid waste disposal; (6) sewage

treatment; and (7) other environmental

areas related to health.

Examples of the technical assistance

to be provided in addressing these

problems include: (a) Well water testing,

(b) outreach to educate growers and

farmworkers on the importance of safe

drinking water and handwashing

facilities and proper usage procedures to

prevent environmentally induced

illness, (c) assistance to migrant health

centers by providing expert advice on

local, State, and federal laws and

regulations, and (d) referral to sources of

private and public funding which may

be available to improve housing and

environmental health conditions for

migrant farmworkers.

The other cooperative agreement of

up to $45,000 will be used for a national

resource center that will focus its

technical assistance and training on

changes to the Worker Protection

Standards designed to protect

agricultural workers from pesticide

risks. In addition, the grantee will

provide environmental and

occupational health and safety

information for farmworkers. Technical

assistance and training will be provided

for MHC employees at national migrant

health conferences and forums, enabling

the staff to stay up to date on

environmental/occupational health

issues in the following areas: (1)

Workers’ Compensation Coverage for

farmworkers in the 50 states and Puerto

Rico; (2) the Environmental Protection

Agency’s Worker Protection Standards;

(3) changes in legislation that will affect

farmworkers’ access to health care; and

(4) environmental/occupational health

issues that impact farmworkers.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for the technical

assistance cooperative agreement are

public and private nonprofit entities.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications

Applications will be evaluated and

rated on the applicant’s ability to meet

the following criteria:

(1) The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates an adequate

understanding of the environmental/

occupational health needs of MSFWs;

(2) The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates a capability to serve as a

resource to federally funded Migrant

Health Centers/Projects to maximize

collaboration, and identify and integrate

resources in assisting farmworkers in

addressing their environmental and

occupational health needs;

(3) Experience of the proposed project

personnel in working with migrant

farmworker environmental/occupational

health issues;

(4) The adequacy and appropriateness

of the proposed work plan with project

approaches that will support the

initiation or completion of specific

environmental health activities in local,

State, and regional areas served by

migrant health centers;

(5) The adequacy and appropriateness

of the proposed work plan in addressing

specific Migrant Health Program

priorities and focusing on the outcomes

as well as the methodology to be

employed;

(6) Appropriateness and

reasonableness of proposed budget and

staffing;

(7) Adequacy of the proposal to

evaluate the outcomes of the activities

proposed;

(8) The number of entities to be

served by the applicant; and

(9) The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates the capability to insure

that the personnel, training, programs,

materials and curricula are culturally

and linguistically appropriate.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices 14925

Federal Responsibilities Under

Cooperative Agreements

Federal responsibilities under the

cooperative agreement, in addition to

the usual monitoring and technical

assistance, will include: (1)

Participation in the development and

approval of an initial workplan, in

accord with changing events in

government policies and in the

environmental/occupational health care

environment, and modification thereof,

as appropriate; (2) consultation and

cooperation with the recipient regarding

the recipient’s preparation and

dissemination of materials; (3) approval

of specific studies and projects; and (4)

participation in the design, planning,

setting target task completion dates and

final approval of work plans for

activities under the cooperative

agreement, including the selection of

migrant health centers which will

receive technical and non-financial

assistance.

Other Award Information

These awards are not subject to the

provision of Executive Order 12372 or

the Public Health System Reporting

Requirement.

Dated: March 24, 1997.

Claude Earl Fox,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–7839 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–P

Availability of Funds for the National

Health Service Corps Loan Repayment

Program

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services

Administration, PHS, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA)

announces that applications will be

accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1997 for

awards for educational loan repayment

under the National Health Service Corps

(NHSC) Loan Repayment Program (LRP)

(Section 338B of the Public Health

Service (PHS) Act).

The HRSA, through this notice,

invites health professionals to apply for

participation in the NHSC LRP. The

HRSA estimates that approximately 664

NHSC Loan Repayment awards (465

new awards and 199 extension awards)

totaling $37 million will be made to

health professionals providing primary

health services.

The PHS is committed to achieving

the health promotion and disease

prevention objectives of Healthy People

2000, a PHS-led national activity for

setting health priority areas. These

programs will contribute to the Healthy

People 2000 objectives by improving

access to primary health care services

through coordinated systems of care for

medically underserved populations in

both rural and urban areas. Potential

applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy

People 2000 (Full Report, Stock No.

017–001–00474–01) 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 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.

ADDRESSES: Application materials may

be obtained by calling or writing to:

National Health Service Corps Loan

Repayment Program, 2070 Chain Bridge

Road, Suite 450, Vienna, Virginia

22182–2536, 1–800–221–9393 or (703)

821–8955. Completed applications must

be returned to: Loan Repayment

Programs Branch, Division of

Scholarships and Loan Repayments,

Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA,

4350 East-West Highway, 10th Floor,

Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 594–

4400. The 24-hour toll-free phone

number is 1–800–435–6464, and the

FAX number is 301–594–4981.

Applicants for the NHSC LRP will use

HRSA Form 873 approved under Office

of Management and Budget (OMB)

Number 0915–0127.

DATES: The deadline for applications is

June 30, 1997, or until all appropriated

funds have been obligated, whichever

occurs first. Due to limited funding, it

is anticipated that all appropriated

funds will be obligated prior to June 30,

1997. The volume of applications is

historically three times greater than the

number of contracts that can be

awarded. Therefore, to receive

consideration for funding, health

professionals must submit an

application and proof of a job offer at an

approved NHSC LRP Service Site.

Applications will be considered to be

on time if they are either: (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 legibly

dated receipt from a commercial carrier

or U.S. Postal Service. Private metered

postmarks are not acceptable as proof of

timely mailing. Applications received

after the announced closing date will

not be considered for funding.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further program information and

technical assistance, please contact

Sharley L. Chen, Chief, Loan Repayment

Programs Branch, HRSA/BPHC/DSLR,

at the above address, phone or FAX

number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

338B of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1)

authorizes the Secretary to establish the

NHSC LRP to help in assuring, with

respect to the provision of primary

health services, an adequate supply of

trained primary care health

professionals for the NHSC. The NHSC

is used by the Secretary to provide

primary health services in federally

designated health professional shortage

areas (HPSAs). Primary health services

are services regarding family medicine,

general internal medicine, general

pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology,

dentistry, or mental health, that are

provided by physicians or other health

professionals.

Under the NHSC LRP, the Secretary

will repay qualifying graduate and

undergraduate educational loans

incurred by primary care health

professionals. For the first 2 years of

full-time clinical practice at an

approved site in a federally designated

HPSA, the Secretary will repay up to

$25,000 per year of the educational

loans of such individual. (There is a

minimum 2-year service obligation.) For

subsequent years of full-time clinical

practice, if the NHSC LRP contract is

extended, the Secretary will repay up to

$35,000 per year. Participants must use

the loan repayment funds for payment

of their qualifying educational loans.

The Secretary shall, in addition to such

payments, make payments to the

individual in an amount equal to 39

percent of the total amount of loan

repayments made for the taxable year

involved. The 39% payment is

authorized to reimburse participants for

all or a part of the tax liability incurred

as a result of their LRP funding. In

addition to these amounts, NHSC LRP

participants will receive a salary from

the private or public entity which

employs them while they are serving.

In an effort to assist loan repayment

participants to reduce their educational

debt with as little interest expense as is

possible, the LRP will disburse

payments to participants on an

advanced basis. Three methods of