29812 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices

Dated: May 21, 2001.

Stephen D. Nightingale,

Executive Secretary, Advisory Committee on

Blood Safety and Availability.

[FR Doc. 01–13745 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4150–28–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Public Health and Science

Announcement of Availability of Funds

for Research in Family Planning

Service Delivery Improvement

AGENCY: Office of Population Affairs,

OPHS, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Office of Population

Affairs (OPA) requests applications for

family planning service delivery

improvement research grants.

Applications should address Title X

Family Planning Program priorities in

two general areas: (1) Providing family

planning and reproductive health

services to undeserved populations; and

(2) assessing the impact of increasing

costs on the delivery of family planning

and reproductive health services.

DATES: The closing date for this grant

announcement is July 26, 2001.

Applications will be considered as

meeting the deadline date if they are: (1)

Received on or before the deadline date

or (2) postmarked on or before the

deadline date and received in time to be

considered during the competitive

review process. A legible date receipt

from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal

Service will be accepted in lieu of a

postmark. Private metered postmarks

will not be accepted as proof of timely

mailing. Applications which do not

conform to requirements of this

announcement will be accepted for

review. Applicants will be so notified

and the applications will be returned.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be

obtained from the Office of Population

Affairs, Office of Grants Management,

4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200,

Bethesda, MD 20814. Application kits

may also be downloaded from the OPA

web site at http://www.hhs.gov/opa or

requests may be faxed to (301) 594–

5980. To facilitate the handling of

written requests, please include: name,

title, organization, mailing address,

telephone number and e-mail address.

All completed applications must be

submitted to the Office of Grants

Management at the above mailing

address. Please label the application

envelope: ‘‘Attention: Family Planning

Research.’’

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information on specific research issues:

Eugenia Eckard, Office of Population

Affairs, (301) 594–6534. For questions

about the technical preparation of the

grant application: Andrea Brandon,

Grants Management Officer, (301) 594–

4012.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of

the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.

300a–2) authorizes the Secretary of

Health and Human Services to award

grants and enter into contracts with

public agencies or private nonprofit

entities to provide research in

behavioral and program implementation

fields related to family planning.

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic

Assistance No. 93.974.) This research

program is not subject to the

intergovernmental review requirements

of Executive Order 12372 and 45 CFR

100.

It is the policy of OPA that women

and members of minority groups and

their subpopulations be included in all

OPA supported research projects

involving human subjects, unless a clear

and compelling rationale and

justification are provided indicating that

inclusion is inappropriate with respect

to the health of the subject or the

purpose of the research.

All investigators proposing research

involving human subject should read

the updated ‘‘NIH Guidelines for

Inclusion of Women and Minorities as

Subjects in Clinical Research’’,

published in the NIH Guide for Grants

and Contracts on August 2, 2000 and

available at: http://grants.nih.gov/

grants/funding/women_min/

guidelines_update.htm.

In the interest of making data

available to others, copies of data sets

and accompanying documentation

produced with funds granted trough this

announcement will be deposited with a

public use data achieve or with the

OPA. The cost of making such data

available should be budgeted in the

proposal.

Applications should address how

findings from the proposed study will

have general applicability to the

improvement of the delivery of family

planning services, and a plan must be

presented on how information from the

research findings will be disseminated.

Healthy People 2010: The OPA is

committed to achieving the health

promotion and disease prevention

objectives of ‘‘Healthy People 2010,’’ a

PHS-led national activity for setting

priority areas. This Request for

Applications (RFA) is related to one or

more of the priority areas, in particular

the focus area on family planning.

Potential applicants may obtain

‘‘Healthy People 2010’’ at http://

www.health.gov/healthypeople.

Research Goals and Scope: The

primary purpose of the Title X Family

Planning Program is to provide family

planning and reproductive health

services to all persons desiring them. To

that end, the program is guided by a set

of priorities: maintain a high level of

quality in the family planning and

reproductive health services delivered;

ensure comprehensiveness in the range

of services offered, and; increase access

to services through partnerships with

other public health providers and

community-based organizations, as well

as outreach to underserved populations.

This RFA invites proposals for applied

research to address these priorities in

two general areas: (1) Providing family

planning and reproductive health

services to underserved populations;

and (2) assessing the impact of

increasing costs on the delivery of

family planning and reproductive health

services.

Underserved Populations

It has been demonstrated that access

to family planning and reproductive

health services has a positive impact on

reducing the incidence of sexually

transmitted diseases (STD)/HIV

infection, unintended pregnancy,

abortion, maternal and infant morbidity

and mortality, and diseases of the

reproductive system. The Title X Family

Planning Program was established in

1970 to facilitate such access by offering

a broad range and family planning and

reproductive health services-at low or

no cost, on a voluntary and confidential

basis, and without regard to race,

national origin, age, gender, or

disability.

The Title X program currently serves

approximately 4.5 million persons

annually and service data indicate the

program is meeting its mandate of

providing family planning and

reproductive health services to many of

those in need. For example, a major

barrier to receiving health care is its

cost. Title X regulations specify that

priority in the provision of services be

given to persons from low income

families and, in 1999, 83 percent of Title

X clients had family incomes at or

below 150 percent of the poverty level.

There are, however, factors other than

low income that can have a negative

impact on the ability of come

populations to obtain family planning

and reproductive health services. Of

particular concern are the social,

cultural, physical, and language barriers

that may hinder access for certain

populations subgroups. These factors

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices 29813

must be better understood and

addressed, and protocols to meet the

unique service delivery requirements of

affected populations need to be

developed and tested.

Under this announcement, funds are

available for research, directly

applicable to service provision, on one

or more of the following underserved

populations: Homeless persons, migrant

workers, recent immigrants, substance

abusers, disabled persons, and males.

Proposals must demonstrate a well

developed understanding of the family

planning and reproductive health needs

of the target population(s) chosen.

Relevant areas of inquiry include, but

are not limited to: Client behavior—

when and why they do or do not seek

services; physical or location barriers

which may inhibit client access; the

implications of clinic personnel

knowledge, attitudes and behavior on

client access; providing services in

nontraditional settings; the development

and testing of outreach and

communication strategies, and; the

development and testing of information

and education materials specifically

targeting underserved populations.

Increasing Costs

Even as the Title X Family Planning

Program works to provide outreach and

services to underserved populations,

increasing costs are having an impact on

the program’s ability to maintain the

level and quality of the services it

provides to currently enrolled clients.

Inflationary pressures are easily

quantified; for example, during the past

decade, the medical care component of

the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

increased at an average annual rate of

5.1 percent, compared with an average

annual increase of 2.7 percent in the

overall CPI. What are not as easily

quantified are the cost increases

incurred by technology advances,

changes in the population served and

the mix of services they require, and

maintaining adequate clinic staffing in

terms of both number and qualification.

A fundamental charge to the Title X

program is to ensure contraceptive

choice; program regulations and

guidelines require that a full range of

contraceptive methods and related

counseling be available to clients.

Hormonal methods of contraception are

highly effective and nearly threequarters of Title X clients choose them.

They are also costly, particularly in the

case of implants and injectables. Other

contraceptive methods, such as the

diaphragm or natural family planning,

while not costly in terms of supplies, do

require extensive instruction and

counseling—which are costly.

Similarly, screening for STDs, cancers

and other diseases of the reproductive

system are core Title X services and an

integral element in maintaining high

standards of care and

comprehensiveness of services. There

are new diagnostic technologies

available that have the potential to

better manage diagnoses and reduce the

need for invasive procedures; they are

often significantly more expensive than

the traditional technologies.

The true cost of providing services is,

however, more complicated than the

cost of a contraceptive method or a

diagnostic test multiplied by the

number of persons receiving the service.

Who is receiving services would also

have an impact on cost. For example,

the reported influx of uninsured or

underinsured clients into the Title X

system has implications for the type and

quantity of services required, as well as

for provider revenue. Efforts to reach

underserved, and often hard-to-serve,

populations could have similar effects.

Demands for increased staff time spent

providing counseling as well as clinical

services are another consideration, as

are increases in personnel costs as State

requirements for masters degree level

nurse practitioners are implemented.

Under this announcement, funds are

available for research on the complex

interplay of factors that contribute to the

increasing costs of providing family

planning and reproductive health

services and to document and assess the

extent and impact of such increases. It

is preferable that analyses address

change over time rather than one single

point in time. Relevant areas of inquiry

include, but are not limited to: the

increasing cost of providing specific

contraceptive methods, including the

actual cost of the method(s), shifts in

demand for the method(s), and staff

level and time required; the cost of

using advanced diagnostic technologies,

including the actual cost of the

technology, staff level and time

required, and the long range cost

implications—to the provider—of

adopting the technology; the cost of

providing services to underserved

populations(s), including outreach

efforts and the specific mix of services

required; the costs involved in

recruiting and retaining adequate

numbers of qualified clinical and

nonclinical staff, and; factors affecting

provider revenue, including increases in

the number of clients requiring

subsidized services, changes in third

party reimbursement to providers, and

shifts in Federal, state, and local

funding sources.

Eligible applicants: Any public or

private nonprofit entity is eligible to

apply for a grant under this

announcement.

Funds Available: The OPA intends to

make available approximately

$1,000,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 to

support an estimated three to four new

research grants, each in the range of

$150,000 to $250,000. Grants will be

funded in annual increments (budget

periods) and may be funded for a project

period of up to two years. A match will

not be required. Funding for the second

approved budget period is contingent

upon the availability of funds,

satisfactory progress on the project, and

adequate stewardship of federal funds.

Funding decisions can be expected by

September 30, 2001.

Review Procedures and Criteria:

Applications in response to this

solicitation will be reviewed and scored,

in competition with other submitted

applications, by an independent review

panel. Review criteria include:

1. Potential usefulness. How the

results of the proposed research project

are expected to advance knowledge in

the field of family planning and

reproductive health service delivery

with respect to underserved populations

or assessing the extent and impact of

increasing costs. (30 points)

2. Quality and soundness of research

design. The strength and

appropriateness of the conceptual

framework underlying the project, as

well as the methodology and analytic

strategies proposed. (30 points)

3. Qualifications of personnel and

organizational capacity. The

qualifications of project personnel for

conducting the proposed research as

evidenced by professional training and

experience. Principal investigator and

staff time commitments will also be

considered, as will the capacity of the

organization to provide necessary

infrastructure and support. (20 points)

4. Adequacy of work plan and budget.

The reasonableness and sufficiency of

the work plan and budget to ensure

timely implementation and completion

of the proposed research. (20 points)

Final grant award decisions will be

made by the Deputy Assistant Secretary

for Population Affairs (DASPA) on the

basis of priority score, program

relevance, and availability of funds.

Applicants will be notified, by letter,

of final funding decisions. The official

document notifying an applicant that an

application has been approved for

funding is the Notice of Grant Award,

which specifies the amount of money

awarded, the purpose of the grant, and

the terms and conditions of the grant

award.

Method of Applying: Applications

should be prepared on form PHS 5161,

29814 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices

which is included in the application kit

for this announcement and also

available from the business or grant and

contracts office at most academic and

research institutions, as well as at: http:/

/forms.psc.gov/forms/PHS/phs.html.

Submissions should include a signed

typewritten original of the application

and two signed photocopies.

Application submissions may not be

faxed or sent electronically.

Dated: May 18, 2001.

Mireille B. Kanda,

Acting Director, Office of Population Affairs.

[FR Doc. 01–13743 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4150–34–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Notice of Meeting of the Advisory

Committee on Minority Health

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office

of Public Health and Science, Office of

Minority Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice is given of the second

meeting.

The Advisory Committee on Minority

Health will meet on Thursday, June 21,

2001 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and

Friday, June 22, 2001, from 8:30 am–12

Noon. The meeting will be held at the

Hilton Washington and Towers Hotel,

The State Room, 1919 Connecticut

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

The Advisory Committee will discuss

racial and ethnic disparities in health,

as well as, other related issues.

The meeting is open to the public.

There will be an opportunity for public

comment which will be limited to five

minutes per speaker. Individuals who

would like to submit written statements

should mail or fax their comments to

the Office of Minority Health at least

two business days prior to the meeting.

For further information, please

contact Ms. Patricia Norris, Office of

Minority Health, Rockwall II Building,

5515 Security Lane, Suite 1000,

Rockville, Maryland 20852. Phone: 301–

443–5084 Fax: 301–594–0767.

Dated: May 25, 2001.

Nathan Stinson, Jr.,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority

Health.

[FR Doc. 01–13744 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4150–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[Program Announcement 01085]

Integrating Prevention Services for

Persons With Bleeding and Clotting

Disorders; Notice of Availability of

Funds

A. Purpose

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) announces the

availability of fiscal year (FY) 2001

funds for a cooperative agreement

program to demonstrate the

effectiveness of the comprehensive care

model in preventing or reducing

bleeding and clotting disorder related

complications through hemostasis and

thrombosis centers. This program

addresses the ‘‘Healthy People 2010’’

focus areas of access to quality health

services, disability and secondary

conditions, educational and

community-based programs, and public

health infrastructure.

The purpose of the program is to (1)

determine the efficacy of integrated

multi-disciplinary care and prevention

services for persons with hemophilia,

other hereditary bleeding disorders

including women with bleeding

disorders, and thrombophilia to reduce

morbidity and mortality associated with

bleeding and clotting diseases; (2) assess

unmet needs for service delivery and

identify outreach strategies designed to

improve access to care; (3) develop

effective messages aimed at disease

management and prevention; and (4)

foster the development of training

programs to enhance provider skills for

the delivery of hemostasis and

thrombosis care.

B. Eligible Applicants

Applications may be submitted by

public and private nonprofit

organizations and by governments and

their agencies; that is, universities,

colleges, research institutions, hospitals,

other public and private nonprofit

organizations, State and local

governments or their bona fide agents,

and federally recognized Indian tribal

governments, Indian tribes, or Indian

tribal organizations.

Note: Title 2 of the United States Code,

Chapter 26, section 1611 states that an

organization described in section 501(c)(4) of

the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that

engages in lobbying activities is not eligible

to receive Federal funds constituting an

award, grant, cooperative agreement,

contract, loan, or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

Approximately $1,000,000 is available

in FY 2001 to fund approximately four

awards. It is expected that the average

award will be $250,000, ranging from

$200,000 to $300,000. It is expected that

the awards will begin on or about

September 30, 2001, and will be made

for a 12-month budget period within a

project period of up to two years. The

funding estimate may change.

Continuation awards within an

approved project period will be made

on the basis of satisfactory progress as

evidenced by required reports and the

availability of funds.

D. Program Requirements

In conducting activities to achieve the

purpose of this program, the recipient

will be responsible for the activities

under 1. (Recipient Activities), and CDC

will be responsible for the activities

listed under 2. (CDC Activities).

1. Recipient Activities

a. Using the principles of the multidisciplinary comprehensive care model

utilized in hemophilia treatment center

prevention programs, implement the

model in a health care setting that

features strong clinical, research,

outreach, education, support and

provider training programs for persons

with hemophilia, other hereditary

bleeding disorders including women

with bleeding disorders, and

thrombophilia.

Specifically:

(1) Identify unmet needs of target

populations and establish outreach

mechanisms to improve access to care

for persons with bleeding and clotting

disorders for the purpose of evaluating

prevention interventions.

(a) Determine strategies that will

address unmet needs, assess the efficacy

of prevention activities and improve

access to under-served populations such

as women with bleeding disorders and

individuals with thrombophilia.

(b) Conduct outreach efforts to

increase prevention intervention

awareness and availability of

comprehensive care among the affected

population and referring providers and

establish referral patterns.

(c) Facilitate communication with

other sub-specialties concerning

awareness and prevention of the

complications of bleeding and clotting

disorders.

(2) Develop and implement a plan

that will provide clinical expertise for

diagnosing underlying causes of

coagulation disorders and provide

management and prevention services.

Experience with bleeding and clotting