Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 120 / Thursday, June 20, 1996 / Notices 31537

applicants to ask questions of program

officials.

CONTACT: Anyone interested in

participating in this telephone

conference should contact Mr. Pete

Conway, Division of Maternal, Infant,

Child and Adolescent Health, Room 18–

A–39, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville,

Maryland 20857, telephone: (301) 443–

2250, fax: (301) 443–1296, e-mail:

pconway@hrsa.ssw.dhhs.gov, by COB,

June 21. Prospective participants must

identify a telephone number where they

can be reached by an operator for

purposes of connecting to the telephone

conference. They are also encouraged to

submit questions in advance via fax or

e-mail.

A copy of this announcement is

available on the World Wide Web via

the Internet at address: http://

www.os.dhhs.gov/hrsa/mchb.

DATES AND TIMES: June 24, 1996, 2:00–

4:00 p.m.

Dated: June 13, 1996.

Ciro V. Sumaya,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96–15677 Filed 6–19–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–P

Special Project Grants; Maternal and

Child Health (MCH) Services;

Community Integrated Service

Systems (CISS) Set-Aside Program

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

SUMMARY: The HRSA announces that

applications will be accepted for fiscal

year (FY) 1996 funds for Maternal and

Child Health (MCH) Community

Integrated Service Systems grants to

support strategies for reducing infant

mortality and improving the health of

mothers and children through

development and expansion of

successful community integrated service

systems. These systems are publicprivate partnerships of community

health and other related organizations

and individuals working collaboratively

to use community resources to address

community-identified health problems.

Awards are made under the program

authority of section 502(b)(1)(A) of the

Social Security Act, the CISS Federal

Set-Aside Program. Within the HRSA,

CISS projects are administered by the

Maternal and Child Health Bureau

(MCHB).

Of the approximately $9.5 million

available for CISS activities in FY 1996,

about $7.0 million will be available to

support approximately 132 new and

competing renewal projects at an

average of about $53,000 per award for

a one-year period under the MCH CISS

Federal Set-Aside Program. The

remaining funds will be used to

continue existing CISS projects and for

other activities in support of overall

CISS program goals. The actual amounts

available for awards and their allocation

may vary, depending on unanticipated

program requirements and the volume

and quality of applications. Awards are

made for grant periods which generally

run from 1 up to 4 years in duration.

Funds for CISS awards are appropriated

by Public Law 104–134.

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

priority areas. The MCH Block Grant

Federal Set-Aside Program addresses

issues related to the Healthy People

2000 objectives of improving maternal,

infant, child and adolescent health and

developing service systems for children

with special health care needs. 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, DC 20402–9325

(telephone: 202 783–3238).

The 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: Grant application materials

for CISS awards must be obtained from

and submitted to: Chief, Grants

Management Branch, Office of

Operations and Management, Maternal

and Child Health Bureau, Health

Resources and Services Administration,

Room 18–12, Parklawn Building, 5600

Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland

20857, Attn: CISS, (301) 443–1440.

Applicants will use Form PHS 5161–1,

approved by OMB under control

number 0937–0189. You must obtain

application materials by mail.

Federal Register notices and

application guidance for MCHB

programs are available on the World

Wide Web via the Internet at address:

http://www.os.dhhs.gov/hrsa/mchb.

Click on the file name you want to

download to your computer. It will be

saved as a self-extracting (Macintosh or)

Wordperfect 5.1 file. To decompress the

file once it is downloaded, type in the

file name followed by a <return>. The

file will expand to a Wordperfect 5.1

file. If you have difficulty accessing the

MCHB Home Page via the Internet and

need technical assistance, please contact

Linda L. Schneider at 301–443–0767 or

‘‘lschneider@hrsa.ssw.dhhs.gov’’.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of

applications for Health Systems

Development Grants for Child Care is

August 1; the deadline for all other CISS

grants covered by this announcement is

July 22, 1996. Applications will be

considered to have met the deadline if

they are either: (1) Received on or before

the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on

or before the deadline date and received

in time for orderly processing.

Applicants should request a legibly

dated receipt from a commercial carrier

or the U.S. Postal Service, or obtain a

legibly dated U.S. Postal Service

postmark. Private metered postmarks

will not be accepted as proof of timely

mailing. Late applications or those sent

to an address other than specified in the

ADDRESSES section will be returned to

the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for technical or programmatic

information from MCHB should be

directed to Joe Zogby, Division of

Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent

Health, Maternal and Child Health

Bureau, Health Resources and Services

Administration, Room 18A–39,

Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, Maryland 20857, telephone

(301) 443–4393. Requests for

information concerning business

management issues should be directed

to Arlethia Dawson, Grants Management

Specialist, Grants Management Branch,

Maternal and Child Health Bureau, at

the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Program Background and Objectives

Public Law 101–239, the Omnibus

Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989

(OBRA 1989) provided for a new setaside program under the MCH Block

Grant that would be activated when the

annual appropriation for Title V exceeds

$600 million dollars. This has become

known as the CISS program. The

program seeks to reduce infant mortality

and improve the health of mothers and

children, including those living in rural

areas and those having special health

care needs, through project support for

development and expansion of

strategies which have proved successful
31538 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 120 / Thursday, June 20, 1996 / Notices

in helping communities to achieve

integrated service systems.

OBRA 89 also provided the

conceptual framework for strengthening

Federal-State partnerships under the

MCH Block Grant. States are now

expected to work with their Federal and

local partners to promote development

of comprehensive, community-based

systems of health and related services

which can assure family-centered,

culturally competent, coordinated care

for children and their families.

CISS Phase I (FY 92–95) featured

support of demonstrations of one or

more Congressionally-designated

service delivery strategies: home visiting

activities; providers participation in

publicly funded programs; one stop

shopping services integration projects;

not-for-profit hospital/community based

initiatives; MCHB projects serving rural

populations and outpatient and

community based program alternatives

to inpatient institutional care. These

service delivery demonstrations served

as focal points or platforms from which

linkages were established with a variety

of agencies, laying the foundation for a

local system of delivery of services.

Initial CISS grants funded in FY 1992

were required to use at least one of the

above-listed six strategies to achieve

program objectives. In FY 1993, CISS

grants were directed toward developing

and/or expanding successful

community integrated service systems

using at least one of the six strategies.

Priority was given to projects which

could demonstrate a high likelihood of

having continuing support beyond the

federal grant period and strong

community based public/private

organizational collaboration, including

participation of the local county/

municipal health departments, the State

MCH and CSHCN programs, and, where

they exist, community and migrant

health centers.

In FY 1994 and 1995 CISS grants

supported Home Visiting for At-Risk

Families (HVAF), in collaboration with

the Administration for Children and

Families’ (ACF) Family Preservation

and Support Program. The purpose of

the CISS/HVAF was to assist State MCH

programs to emphasize the home

visiting model as an important

component of care. The CISS/HVAF

grants were used to support

development of an enhanced health

component in the ACF’s Five Year State

Plans for Family Preservation and

Family Support Services.

Prior to establishing the CISS Phase II

program priorities for FY 1996 and

beyond, feedback was solicited from

members of the MCH community, the 41

current CISS grantees, and the MCH–

ACF Technical Assistance Group, a

working group of senior State and

Federal-level child health, welfare,

social services, and child care officials.

Beginning with FY 1996, CISS Phase II

will carry on with the local systems

integration activities developed in Phase

I, using a variety of approaches to

complement the grants announced

below.

Special Concerns

In its administration of the MCH

Services Block Grant, the MCHB places

special emphasis on improving service

delivery to women and children from

racial and ethnic minority populations

who have had limited access to care.

This means that CISS projects are

expected to serve and appropriately

involve in project activities individuals

from the populations to be served,

unless there are compelling

programmatic or other justifications for

not doing so. The MCHB’s intent is to

ensure that project interventions are

responsive to the cultural and linguistic

needs of special populations, that

services are accessible to consumers,

and that the broadest possible

representation of culturally distinct and

historically underrepresented groups is

supported through programs and

projects sponsored by the MCHB. This

same special emphasis applies to

improving service delivery to children

with special health care needs.

In keeping with the goals of

advancing the development of human

potential, strengthening the Nation’s

capacity to provide high quality

education by broadening participation

in MCHB programs of institutions that

may have perspectives uniquely

reflecting the Nation’s cultural and

linguistic diversity, and increasing

opportunities for all Americans to

participate in and benefit from Federal

public health programs, a funding

priority will be placed on projects from

Historically Black Colleges and

Universities (HBCU) or Hispanic

Serving Institutions (HSI) in both

categories in this notice. An approved

proposal from a HBCU or HSI will

receive a 0.5 point favorable adjustment

of the priority score in a 5 point range

before funding decisions are made.

Evaluation Protocol

An MCH discretionary project,

including a CISS, is expected to

incorporate a carefully designed and

well planned evaluation protocol

capable of demonstrating and

documenting measurable progress

toward achieving the project’s stated

goals. The protocol should be based on

a clear rationale relating the project

activities, the project goals, and the

evaluation measures. Wherever

possible, the measurements of progress

toward goals should focus on health

outcome indicators, rather than on

intermediate measures such as process

or outputs. A project lacking a complete

and well-conceived evaluation protocol

as part of the planned activities will not

be funded.

Program Goal

The goal of the CISS program is to

enhance development of service systems

at the community level that are capable

of addressing the physical,

psychological, social well-being, and

related needs of pregnant women,

infants, and children, including

children with special health care needs

and their families. CISS projects assist

communities to better meet consumeridentified needs, fill gaps in services,

reduce duplication of effort, coordinate

activities, increase availability of

services, improve efficiency, and

enhance quality of care. Programs must

be developed in collaboration and

coordination with the State MCH

Services Block Grant programs and State

efforts in community systems

development.

Award Categories

Two categories of projects will be

funded this year: (A) Community

Organization Grants in 2 subcategories;

and (B) Health System Development in

Child Care Grants.

A. Community Organization Grants

These grants will support community

organization activities in two priority

areas: (1) local level agencies; and (2)

State MCH agencies. Funds may be used

to hire staff to assist in consortium

building and to function as community

organizers, to help formulate a plan for

integrated service systems, to obtain

and/or provide technical assistance, and

to convene community or State

networking meetings for information

dissemination and replication of

systems integration programs.

1. Local Level Community Organization

Grants

Up to $2.5 million is available to

support up to 50 new Local Level

Community Organization Grants of up

to $50,000 per year, beginning October

1, 1996. The project period is four years.

This CISS program category provides

direct support to individual

communities for the purpose of arraying

existing resources in the most beneficial

fashion to serve the community’s need.

While not designed to support direct

service delivery, these monies may be
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 120 / Thursday, June 20, 1996 / Notices 31539

used to modify functions of existing

service organizations to better

complement each other. The specific

approach is at the discretion of each

community. Because CISS projects are

intended to facilitate the development

of systems of services in communities,

projects must be consistent with State

systems development efforts. In the

interest of equitable geographic

distribution, special consideration for

funding in this subcategory will be

given to projects from communities

without a currently-funded CISS

project. Special consideration means

that merit reviewers will assign scores

based on the extent to which applicants

address areas identified in this notice as

meriting special consideration.

2. State Community Organization Grants

Up to $1 million will be available to

support up to 20 State Community

Organization Grants to State MCH

agencies in an amount up to $50,000 per

year, beginning October 1, 1996. The

project period is four years. Preference

for funding of these grants will be given

to State MCH agencies. The purpose of

these grants is to strengthen ties

between MCHB’s community and Statelevel system development initiatives

since FY 1992, thus reinforcing the

benefits of the substantial investment in

State and local infrastructure-building

represented by ongoing SPRANS State

Systems Development Initiative (SSDI)

grants as well as CISS initiatives.

Among State networking activities

which may be supported by these grants

are: providing technical assistance to

community and local organizations

needing help in systems development;

convening statewide meetings; and

disseminating and replicating successful

local/community strategies.

B. Health System Development in Child

Care

Up to $2.5 million is available to

support up to 59 Health Systems

Development projects in an amount up

to $50,000 per year, beginning October

1, 1996. The project period is three

years. The purpose of these grants is to

support child care systems development

and improvements through

collaboration and integration of health

care, child care, and social support

services at State and communty levels.

Each project will serve as a vehicle for

State and community investments in

systems development, service

integration, and child care capacity

development. Proposed systems

improvements must identify and

address appropriate Healthy People

2000 health status indicators and be

consistent with the Blueprint for Action

of the Healthy Child Care America

Campaign. The Healthy Child Care

America Campaign is a nationallyfocused initiative, co-sponsored by the

MCHB and the ACF’s Child Care

Bureau. The campaign supports the

principle that, in partnership, families,

health care providers, and child care

providers can promote healthy

development; and increase access to

preventive health services and safe

physical environments for all children,

including children with special health

needs. Because the program is aimed at

building a unified, statewide systems

approach to child care service

integration, preference for funding will

be given to the 59 States and/or

territories participating under Title V or

to entities designated to assume the lead

in a State or territory’s child care

development and service integration

efforts. Proposals must show evidence

of support by and collaboration between

the State Title V and Child Care

Directors.

Project Review and Funding

Within the limit of funds determined

by the Secretary to be available for the

activities described in this

announcement, the Secretary will

review applications for funds as

competing applications and may award

Federal funding for projects which will,

in her judgment, best promote the

purpose of Title V of the Social Security

Act, with special emphasis on

improving service delivery to women

and children from culturally distinct

populations; best address achievement

of Healthy Children 2000 objectives

related to maternal, infant, child and

adolescent health and service systems

for children at risk of chronic and

disabling conditions; and otherwise best

promote improvements in maternal and

child health.

Criteria for Review

The criteria which follow are derived

from MCH project grant regulations at

42 CFR Part 51a or from HRSA

administrative policies that apply to all

MCHB discretionary grant projects.

These criteria are used, as pertinent, to

review and evaluate applications for

awards under all CISS grant categories

announced in this notice. Further

guidance in this regard is supplied in

application guidance materials, which

may specify other criteria:

Regulatory Criteria

—The quality of the project plan or

methodology.

—The extent to which the project will

contribute to the advancement of

maternal and child health and/or

improvement of the health of children

with special health care needs;

—The extent to which the project is

responsive to policy concerns

applicable to MCH grants and to

program objectives, requirements,

priorities and/or review criteria for

specific project categories, as

published in program announcements

or guidance materials.

—The extent to which the estimated

cost to the Government of the project

is reasonable, considering the

anticipated results.

—The extent to which the project

personnel are well qualified by

training and experience for their roles

in the project and the applicant

organization has adequate facilities

and personnel.

—The extent to which, insofar as

practicable, the proposed activities, if

well executed, are capable of attaining

project objectives.

Administrative Policy Criteria

—The strength of the project’s plans for

evaluation.

—The extent to which the project will

be integrated with the administration

of the MCH Block Grant, State

primary care plans, public health, and

prevention programs, and other

related programs in the respective

State(s).

—The extent to which the application is

responsive to the special concerns

and program priorities specified

elsewhere in this notice.

Eligible Applicants

Any public or private entity,

including an Indian tribe or tribal

organization (as defined at 25 U.S.C.

450b), is eligible to apply for CISS

grants.

Executive Order 12372

The MCH Federal set-aside program

has been determined to be a program

which is not subject to the provisions of

Executive Order 12372 concerning

intergovernmental review of Federal

programs.

The OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance number is 93.110.

Dated: June 17, 1996.

Ciro V. Sumaya,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96–15788 Filed 6–19–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–19–P