Program Announcement and Proposed Project Requirements and Review Criteria for Grants for Chiropractic Demonstration Projects for Fiscal Year 1994

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

RIN: 0905-ZA65

Program Announcement and Proposed Project Requirements and Review

Criteria for Grants for Chiropractic Demonstration Projects for Fiscal

Year 1994

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces

that applications will be accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1994 grants for

Chiropractic Demonstration Projects under the authority of section 782,

title VII of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Health

Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Pub. L. 102-408,

dated October 13, 1992. Comments are invited on the proposed project

requirements and review criteria.

Approximately $730,000 will be available in FY 1994 for this

program. It is anticipated that $730,000 will be available to support 3

to 4 competing awards averaging $182,500 to 243,333.

Purpose

Section 782 of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the

Secretary to carry out demonstration projects in which chiropractors

and physicians collaborate to identify and provide effective treatment

for spinal and lower-back conditions.

The period of Federal support will not exceed 3 years.

Eligibility

Entities eligible to apply for these grants are public or private

nonprofit schools, colleges, and universities of chiropractic. Each

applicant must enter into a formal agreement as necessary to ensure

that a school of allopathic or osteopathic medicine will participate in

the project.

Proposed Project Requirements

The following project requirements are proposed:

1. The project must address the identification and treatment of

spinal and/or lower-back conditions.

2. The project must represent collaborative efforts between schools

of chiropractic and schools of allopathic or osteopathic medicine.

3. Each project must include a strong research protocol which will

result in a significant expansion of documented research in the area

addressed and which is suitable for publication in refereed health

professions journals, including research-oriented publications.

4. The project must include an explicit strategy for case-finding

and a strategy for making direct comparisons to other forms of

treatment. The results must be generalizable to patients cared for in

clinical practices addressing spinal and/or lower-back conditions.

5. Whenever feasible, minorities and women should be included in

study populations so that research findings can be of benefit to all

persons at risk of the disease, disorder, or condition under study.

National Health Objectives for the Year 2000

The Public Health Service urges applicants to submit work plans

that address specific objectives of Healthy People 2000. 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 202-783-3238).

Education and Service Linkage

As part of its long-range planning, HRSA will be targeting its

efforts to strengthening linkages between U.S. Public Health Service

education programs and programs which provide comprehensive primary

care services to the underserved.

Smoke-Free Workplace

The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients

to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all

tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect

and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

Proposed Review Criteria

It is proposed that the review of applications will take into

consideration the following criteria and the quality of the supporting

documentation for:

(1) The strength of the rationale for the project;

(2) The quality and clarity of the objectives to be achieved in

relation to the stated statutory purposes of the program and the

potential of the project for meeting them;

(3) The strength of the applicant's institutional background in

chiropractic training and research;

(4) The competency of all faculty, both chiropractic and allopathic

or osteopathic medicine, to be involved in the project, including past

experience in chiropractic and/or chiropractic research and allopathic

or osteopathic research;

(5) The proposed methodology to be used in carrying out the goals

and objectives of the project, including those pertaining to research

and its outcomes;

(6) The appropriateness of timelines to be used in achieving the

project's goals and objectives;

(7) The strength of the proposed evaluation methodology to be used

in evaluating the accomplishments of the project, including those

pertinent to research;

(8) The strength of the evidence of the applicant institution's

commitment, including letters of support, to carrying out the project

successfully and the institutional commitment of the allopathic or

osteopathic school of medicine collaborating in the project;

(9) The suitability and availability of all proposed facilities and

resources to be used in carrying out the project;

(10) The appropriateness of the proposed budget and fiscal plan for

carrying out the project and the administrative and management

capability of the applicant to implement the project in a cost-

effective manner; and

(11) The documentation, terms, and specificity of a formal

agreement with a school of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for its

collaboration in carrying out the goals, objectives, and evaluation of

the project.

The peer review group which reviews applications for this program

will include no fewer than two, and no more than three, chiropractors.

Additional Information

Interested persons are invited to comment on the proposed project

requirements and review criteria. The comment period is 30 days. All

comments received on or before July 5, 1994 will be considered before

the final project requirements and review criteria are established.

Written comments should be addressed to: Mr. Neil Sampson, Director,

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

of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration,

Parklawn Building, Room 8-101, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland

20857.

All comments received will be available for public inspection and

copying at the Division of Associated, Dental, and Public Health

Professions, Bureau of Health Professions, at the above address,

weekdays (Federal holidays excepted) between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and

5:00 p.m.

Application Requests

Requests for application materials and questions regarding grants

policy and business management issues should be directed to: Ms. Brenda

Selser, Grants Management Branch, Bureau of Health Professions, Health

Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 8C-26,

5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857; telephone: (301) 443-6960

FAX: (301) 443-6343 Completed applications should be returned to the

Grants Management Branch at the above address.

If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact:

Mr. Fred Paavola, 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 FAX: (301) 443-

1164.

The standard application form PHS 398, Competing Training Grant

Application and General Instructions will be used for this program.

This form has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget

under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB Clearance Number is 0925-

0001.

The deadline date for receipt of applications is July 8, 1994.

Applications will be considered to be ``on time'' if they are either:

(1) Received on or before the established deadline date, or

(2) Sent 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

shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)

Late applications not accepted for processing will be returned to

the applicant.

This program, Chiropractic Demonstration Projects, is listed at

93.212 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. It 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 12, 1994.

John H. Kelso,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-13571 Filed 6-2-94; 8:45 am]

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