Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the Statutory Funding Preference for Allied Health Project Grants for Fiscal Year 1994

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Health Resources and Services Administration

Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant

Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the Statutory Funding

Preference for Allied Health Project Grants for Fiscal Year 1994

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces

the final minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant

increase in the rate'' for implementation of the statutory funding

preference for fiscal year (FY) 1994 Allied Health Project Grants

funded under the authority of section 767, title VII of the Public

Health Service Act, as amended by the Health Professions Education

Extension Amendments of 1992, Public Law 102-408, dated October 13,

1992.

Purposes

Section 767 authorizes the award of grants to assist in meeting the

costs associated with expanding or establishing programs that will

increase the number of individuals trained in allied health

professions. Programs and activities funded under this section may

include:

(1) Those that expand enrollments in allied health professions with

the greatest shortages or whose services are most needed by the

elderly;

(2) Those that provide rapid transition training programs in allied

health fields to individuals who have baccalaureate degrees in health-

related sciences;

(3) Those that establish community-based allied health training

programs that link academic centers to rural clinical settings;

(4) Those that provide career advancement training for practicing

allied health professionals;

(5) Those that expand or establish clinical training sites for

allied health professionals in medically underserved or rural

communities in order to increase the number of individuals trained;

(6) Those that develop curriculum that will emphasize knowledge and

practice in the areas of prevention and health promotion, geriatrics,

long-term care, home health and hospice care, and ethics;

(7) Those that expand or establish interdisciplinary training

programs that promote the effectiveness of allied health practitioners

in geriatric assessment and the rehabilitation of the elderly;

(8) Those that expand or establish demonstration centers to

emphasize innovative models to link allied health clinical practice,

education, and research; and

(9) Those that provide financial assistance (in the form of

traineeships) to students who are participants in any such program; and

(A) who plan to pursue a career in an allied health field that has

a demonstrated personnel shortage; and

(B) who agree upon completion of the training program to practice

in a medically underserved community; that shall be utilized to assist

in the payment of all or part of the costs associated with tuition,

fees and such other stipends as the Secretary may consider necessary.

To maximize program benefit, programs that provide financial

assistance in the form of traineeships to students will not be

considered for funding in FY 1994.

Funding Preference

The statutory preference identified in section 767(b)(2) and the

statutory preference identified in section 791(a) of the PHS Act have

been combined in the following preference which will be applied to

Allied Health Project Grants for fiscal year 1994:

(A) expand and maintain first-year enrollment by not less than 10

percent over enrollments in base year 1992; or

(B) demonstrate that not less than 20 percent of the graduates of

such training programs during the preceding 2-year period are working

in medically underserved communities (high rate for placing graduates

in practice settings having the principal focus of serving residents of

medically underserved communities; OR

(C) during the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which

such an award is sought, has achieved a significant increase in the

rate of placing graduates in such settings.

Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase

in the Rate''

A notice which proposed minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and

``significant increase in the rate'' for implementation of the

statutory funding preference for Allied Health Project Grants was

published in the Federal Register on November 18, 1993 at 58 FR 60863.

No comments were received during the comment period. Therefore, the

minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant increase in the

rate'' remain as proposed. The final percentages are listed below.

``High rate'' is defined as a minimum of 20 percent of graduates in

academic year 1991-92 or academic year 1992-93, whichever is greater,

who spend at least 50 percent of their worktime in clinical practice in

the specified settings. Graduates who are providing care in a medically

underserved community as a part of a fellowship or other educational

experience can be counted.

``Significant increase in the rate'' means that, between academic

years 1991-92 and 1992-93, the rate of placing graduates in the

specified settings has increased by a minimum of 50 percent and that

not less than 15 percent of graduates from the most recent year are

working in these settings.

Additional Information

If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact:

Dr. Norman Clark, Program Officer, Associated Health Professions

Branch, Division of Associated, Dental and Public Health Professions,

Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services

Administration, Parklawn Building, room 8C-02, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone (301) 443-6763.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program

is 93.191. This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive

Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as

implemented through 45 CFR part 100). This program is not subject to

the Public Health System Reporting Requirements.

Dated: May 3, 1994.

John H. Kelso,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-11065 Filed 5-6-94; 8:45 am]

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