[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]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P