Announcement of Availability of Grants for General Family Planning Training Projects

SUMMARY: The Office of Family Planning (OFP) of the Office of

Population Affairs requests applications for grants under the Family

Planning Service Training Program authorized under section 1003 of the

Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 300a-1(a)). Funds are

available to train family planning personnel in order to maintain the

high level of performance of family planning services projects funded

under Title X of the PHS Act. Training will be provided under this

announcement at general training centers in three of the Department of

Health and Human Services' (DHHS) regions.

DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the

Grants Management Office no later than May 28, 1996. Applications will

be considered as meeting 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 submission to the review

committee. A legibly dated 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 are postmarked or delivered to the Grants Management Office later

than May 28, 1996 will be judged late and will not be accepted for

review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the

program announcement or meet the applicable requirements of 42 CFR part

59, subpart C, will not be accepted for review. Applicants will be

notified, and applications will be returned.

ADDRESSES: Requests for application kits may be faxed to (301) 594-

5980. Application kits may also be obtained from and applications must

be submitted to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management

Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD

20814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Susan Moskosky, Office of Family Planning at (301) 594-4008 is

available for assistance on scientific, technical and program aspects,

or Ms. Diane J. Osterhus, Grants Management Officer at (301) 594-4012

is available for business management issues. Staff are available to

answer questions and provide limited technical assistance in the

preparation of grant applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et

seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award

grants for projects to provide training for family planning service

personnel. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.260). This

notice announces the availability of approximately $700,000 in funding

and solicits applications for three general training projects to assist

in the establishment and operation of regional training centers for

Regions I, V, and VII. Grants will be funded within certain ranges, as

set out below. The funding ranges for the regions are determined based

on the assessment of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population

Affairs (DASPA) of the regions' relative need for training funds;

funding of individual grants within each funding range will be based on

the DASPA's assessment of such factors as the training needs within the

region and the cost and availability of personnel for training.

The training projects are as follows:

One general training grant for DHHS Region I (Connecticut, Maine,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). A funding

range of $181,500-$200,600 is available for this grant.

One general training grant for DHHS Region V (Illinois, Indiana,

Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin). A funding range of $315,400-

$348,600 is available for this grant.

One general training grant for DHHS Region VII (Iowa, Kansas,

Missouri, Nebraska). A funding range of $168,400-$186,100 is available

for this grant.

Statutory and Regulatory Background

Title X of the PHS Act, enacted by Public Law 91-572, authorizes

grants for projects to provide family planning services to persons from

low-income families and others. Section 1001 of the Act, as amended,

authorizes grants ``to assist in the establishment and operation of

voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of

acceptable and effective family planning methods and services

(including natural family planning methods, infertility services and

services for adolescents).'' Section 1003 of the Act, as amended,

authorizes the Secretary to make grants to entities to provide the

training for personnel to carry out the family planning services

programs.

The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern grants

for family planning services training. Prospective applicants should

refer to the regulations in their entirety.

Role and Operation of the Training Program

Under the regulations, ``training'' means job-specific skill

development. Continuing education activities that are innovative or

non-traditional are encouraged. The development or use of self-paced,

self-instructional or other training materials which utilize

technological advancements in the learning field are also acceptable.

The purpose of the general training program is to provide short-

term training, continuing education, inservice education and staff

development for personnel in order to improve or maintain at a high

level the performance of Title X family planning services providers.

Successful applicants will be required to work closely with a

network of other PHS agencies, including the central and regional

office staffs, Title X service delivery providers, and regional

training advisory committees which provide representation from all

service grantees. Successful applicants will be required to review and

consider policy and program goals of the Title X family planning

program, solicit advice from the regional training advisory committee,

and consult with Title X service delivery providers about training

priorities, course content, and curriculum. Because of outcomes from

the community planning process and emphasis on community involvement,

successful applicants should also stress mechanisms that solicit input

from the ``customer,'' both clinician and client.

In developing curricula and training programs, general training

programs supported under this announcement should be sensitive to the

importance of supporting the program priorities of the Title X services

program, which include:

Increased outreach to individuals not likely to seek

services, including homeless persons, disabled persons, substance

abusers and adolescents;

Expansion of comprehensiveness of reproductive health

services, including STD and cancer screening and prevention, increased

involvement of male partners, HIV prevention, education and counseling,

and substance abuse screening and referral;

Increased emphasis on services to adolescents, including

more community education, emphasis on postponement of sexual activity,

and more accessible

[[Page 14213]]

provision of contraceptive counseling and contraception;

Elimination of disincentives to providing long-acting,

highly effective contraceptives, serving high risk (and high-unit cost)

clients, and providing nonrevenue-generating services, such as

community education and prevention services; and

Increased emphasis on training and retention of Women's

Health nurse practitioners, particularly minority nurse practitioners

and nurse practitioners serving disadvantaged and medically underserved

communities.

Applicants must be prepared to focus training on emerging issues,

such as managed care, new concepts in communication and increased

emphasis on public information and education. The DHHS project officer

or designee may periodically direct the training grantee to make

adjustments in the training agenda. The applicant must demonstrate the

ability to be flexible in terms of scheduling training that responds to

emerging issues as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee.

All training events shall be approved (in advance) by the DHHS project

officer or designee.

Successful applicants will be responsible for the overall

management of a general training program within the geographic area for

which the grant is made. This responsibility includes:

Developing an annual training plan which demonstrates

flexibility in responding to emerging focus areas, and which reflects

national and regional goals and the training needs of local Title X

service providers;

Developing criteria for selection of staff or consultants

who will conduct training, including prerequisite qualifications. Such

criteria should reflect a sensitivity to the unique types of training

that will be needed to address emerging issues;

Developing a process to identify the appropriateness of

training offerings for the various levels of Title X services grantee

personnel;

Maintaining data on the regional training program

sufficient to allow evaluation by central and regional offices, and

self-evaluation by the training grantees;

Developing and implementing an annual training schedule

which includes measurable objectives for sessions, and which confers

continuing education units to participants where appropriate;

Making available at cost all materials developed with

Title X funds to other federally-funded projects upon request;

Attending at least one training meeting called by Central

Office annually.

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (PHS-5161-1)

(OMB Approval No. 0937-0189) and in the manner prescribed in the

application kits available from the Office of Grants Management.

Applicants are required to submit an application signed by an

individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization

and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms

and conditions of the grant award. Applicants are required to submit an

original application and two copies.

Accepted applications will be subjected to a competitive review

process. The results of this review will assist the DASPA in

considering competing applications and in making the final funding

decisions.

Any public or private nonprofit organizations or agency is eligible

to apply for a grant. It is not required that an entity applying for a

grant be physically located in the region to be served by the proposed

project. Awards will be made only to those organization or agencies

which have demonstrated the capability of providing the proposed

services, and which have met all applicable requirements.

A copy of the legislation and regulations governing this program

will be sent to applicants as part of the application kit package.

Applicants should use the legislation, regulations and information

included in this announcement to guide them in developing their

applications. Applications should be limited to 50 doubled-spaced

pages, not including appendices providing curriculum vitae or

statements of organizational capabilities.

Application Consideration and Assessment

Eligible competing grant applications will be reviewed by a

multidisciplinary panel of independent reviewers and assessed according

to the following criteria:

1. The extent to which the proposed training program will enhance

the delivery of services to Title X clients, particularly persons from

low-income families. (15 points)

2. The extent to which the proposed training program has the

potential to fulfill the training needs of the family planning services

grantees in the areas to be served, which may include among other

things:

a. Development of a capability within family planning services

projects to provide pre- and in-service training to their own staffs;

b. Improvement of the family planning service delivery skills of

family planning and health services personnel; and

c. Improvement in the utilization and career development of

paraprofessional and paramedical manpower in family planning services.

Total consideration for a, b, and c. (15 points)

3. The extent to which the training program proposes appropriate

strategies to improve the provision of family planning services in

rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). (10 points)

4. The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use of

the training grant. (10 points)

5. The administrative and management capability and competence of

the project staff and applicant organization. (15 points)

6. The ability of the applicant to be flexible in making timely

adjustments to the training agenda in order to meet emerging family

planning needs, as directed by the DHHS project officer or designee.

(20 points)

7. The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for the

requirements set forth in 42 CFR 59.205, including the applicant's

presentation of the project's objectives, the methods for achieving

project objectives, the ability to involve providers and the regional

office, and the results or benefits expected. (15 points)

In making grant award decisions, the DASPA will fund those projects

which will, in her judgment, best promote the purposes of section 1003

of the Act, within the limits of funds available for such projects.

Grants will be approved for project periods of up to 3 years.

Grants are funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for

all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is

contingent upon satisfactory progress of the project, efficient and

effective use of grant funds provided, and availability of funds.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

Applicants under this announcement are subject to the review

requirements of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of

Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities, as

implemented by 45 CFR part 100. As soon as possible, the applicant

should discuss the project with the State Single point of Contact

(SPOC) for each state in

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the area to be served. The application kit contains the currently

available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the

submission of applications. For those States not represented on the

listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding

the submission of the relevant SPOC. The SPOC's comment(s) should be

forwarded to the Office of Population Affairs, Grants Management

Office, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, West Tower, Bethesda, MD

20814. Such comments must be received by the Office of Population

Affairs by May 28, 1996 to be considered.

When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be

notified by letter of the outcome. The official document notifying an

applicant that a project application has been approved for funding is

the Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to the grantee the amount of

money awarded, the purposes of the grant, and terms and conditions of

the grant award.

Dated: March 20, 1996.

Felicia H. Stewart,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96-7638 Filed 3-28-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-17-M