Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:

Comment Request

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public

comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed

projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed

project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft

instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1129.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the agency, including whether the information shall have practical

utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,

utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways

to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,

including through the use of automated collection techniques or other

forms of information technology.

Proposed Projects

1. Project To Assess Bi/Multilingual Services Offered at Selected

Community and Migrant Health Centers--NEW

Recognizing the importance of language-appropriate services to full

and effective health care provision, the Office of Minority and Women's

Health in the Bureau of Primary Health Care [BPHC], Health Resources

and Services Administration [HRSA], proposes to conduct a voluntary

telephone survey to assess the composition and provision of bi/

multilingual services at a sample of 40 Community and Migrant Health

Centers [C/MHCs] selected from those C/MHCs indentified as likely to be

serving high percentages of people who speak languages other than

English. This effort was developed so that information could be

gathered to assist the field, funding agency staff, and policymakers in

better understanding what methods are being used to provide services to

these populations, what works, what does not, and barriers and

facilitators to effective health service provision for speakers of

languages other than English.

The information gathered will provide HRSA with an information base

upon which to build in making future program decisions regarding C/MHC

resource and staffing needs in order to reduce or eliminate the

barriers to health care often faced by non-or limited-English-speaking

populations. The end result of the program will be to assist the

funding agency to help C/MHCs and by extension, other providers of

health care for non-or limited-English speaking populations to provide

appropriate services. An estimate of the hour burden for the 40 C/MHC

Directors selected for the survey is shown below.

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Responses

Form Number of respondents per Hours per Total hour

respondent response burden

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Bi/Multilingual Services Survey........... 40 C/MHC Directors........... 1 2 80

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Send comments to Patricia Royston, HRSA Reports Clearance Officer,

Room 14-36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Dated: October 9, 1997.

Jane Harrison,

Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.

[FR Doc. 97-27429 Filed 10-15-97; 8:45 am]

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