[Federal Register: June 9, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 111)]
[Notices]
[Page 32355-32356]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jn04-75]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-04-53]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports
Clearance Officer on (404)498-1210.
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. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11,
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to omb@cdc.gov. Written comments
should be received within 60 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
State-based Evaluation of the Alert Notification Component of CDC's
Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) Secure Public Health
Communications
[[Page 32356]]
Network (OMB No. 0920--0636)--Extension Epidemiology Program Office
(EPO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Great attention has been focused on improving secure public health
communications networks for the dissemination of critical disease
outbreak and/or bioterrorism-related events, which may have multi-
jurisdictional involvement and cause disease and death within a short
time-frame. A central component of the mission of the CDC's
Epidemiology Program Office (EPO) is to strengthen the nation's public
health infrastructure by coordinating public health surveillance at CDC
and providing domestic and international support through scientific
communications and terrorism preparedness and emergency response. The
Office of Scientific and Health Communication's Epidemic Information
Exchange (Epi-X) provides CDC and its state and local partners and
collaborators with a secure public health communications network
intended for routine and emergent information exchange in a secure
environment.
The purpose of the information gathered during this notification
proficiency testing exercise is to evaluate the extent to which new
registrants and currently authorized users of the Epidemic Information
Exchange (Epi-X) are able to utilize alert notification functionality
to minimize or prevent unnecessary injury or disease-related morbidity
and mortality through the use of secure communications and rapid
notification systems. In this case, notification alerts would be sent
to targeted public health professionals through a ``barrage'' of office
cell phone, home telephone, and pager calls to rapidly inform key
health authorities from multidisciplinary backgrounds and multiple
jurisdictions of evolving and critical public health information, and
assist with the decision making process. Presently, the necessity of
this evaluation process is timely because of ongoing terrorism threats
and acts perpetrated worldwide.
The survey information will be gathered through an online
questionnaire format, and help evaluate user comprehension and facility
solely with the targeted notification and rapid alerting
functionalities of Epi-X. The questionnaire will consist of both
closed- and open-ended items, and will be administered through
Zoomerang, an online questionnaire program, or as a last resort, by
telephone. Approximately 6,000 Epi-X users from every state of the
union will be asked to volunteer input (in a 5-10 question format)
about their experiences using the alert notification functionalities of
the Epi-X communications system. There will be no cost to respondents,
whose participation will be strictly voluntary. The estimated
annualized burden is 500 hours.
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No. of Average burden
Respondents No. of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hrs) hours
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State Epidemiologists and critical state public 2000 1 15/60 500
health emergency responders...................
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Total...................................... 2000 ............... ............... 500
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Dated: June 2, 2004.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-13006 Filed 6-8-04; 8:45 am]
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