[Federal Register: June 10, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 112)]
[Notices]
[Page 32582-32586]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10jn04-105]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) Program
Announcement Type: New.
Funding Opportunity Number: 04024.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.161.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: July 26, 2004.
Executive Summary: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR) Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU)
Program was developed as a national resource for pediatricians, other
health care providers, Federal staff, and the public. The mission is
to: (1) Reduce environmental health threats to children; (2) improve
access to expertise in pediatric environmental medicine; and (3)
strengthen public health prevention capacity.
The three primary focus areas of the Program are education and
health promotion, consultation, and referral of children who may have
been exposed to environmental hazards.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: This program is authorized under sections 104(i) of the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 [42 U.S.C. 9604(i)].
Purpose: The grantee under this PEHSU Program will operate as a
national resource for pediatricians, other health care providers,
Federal staff, and the public. The purpose of the Program is to: (1)
Reduce environmental health threats to children; (2) improve access to
expertise in pediatric environmental medicine; (3) strengthen public
health prevention capacity; and (4) assist pediatric patients, their
families, health care providers, and Federal/regional staff. The
grantee will also assist sites or local communities where the ATSDR and
the PEHSU Program are intended to provide services to pediatric
patients and their families, health care providers, and Federal/
regional staff. The PEHSU will have a special focus to assist sites or
local communities where ATSDR and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
are involved. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus
area of Educational and Community-Based Programs, Environmental Health,
and Age-Related Objectives for Children.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one
(or more) of the following performance goal(s) for the ATSDR: (1)
Prevent ongoing and future exposures and resultant health effects from
hazardous waste sites and releases; (2) Mitigate the risks of human
health effects at toxic waste sites with documented exposures; and (3)
Build and enhance effective partnerships.
Activities
Awardee activities for this program are as follows:
Manage and Oversee the PEHSU Services
Establish and administer a PEHSU Program in each of the
ten EPA regions. (Please see Attachment One for a list of these
regions. Attachments are posted with this announcement on the CDC Web
site at http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grantmain.htm).
Provide oversight and technical assistance in the regional
PEHSU organizational development and operations management.
Work closely with ATSDR and EPA staff located in federal
regional offices, as well as EPA staff in Washington, DC and ATSDR
staff in Atlanta, Georgia.
Monitor and report quantitatively and qualitatively on
PEHSU program accomplishments. Reports should be compatible with the
ATSDR management information system Site Tracking and Reporting System
(STARS).
Develop, coordinate and host an annual PEHSU conference to
promote professional and organizational
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development in pediatric environmental health and medicine.
Identify and select appropriate staff, based on experience
and capability, to successfully implement the program activities.
Education and Health Promotion
Develop and present pediatric environmental health
education events and support materials targeting health care providers,
environmental health professionals, families, teachers, communities
designated as superfund sites, and the general public.
Assure that PEHSU educational presentations provide
culturally relevant information to all groups, emphasizing prevention,
the special vulnerability of children to environmental threats, and
practical steps to protect children.
Provide expert speakers on various topics in pediatric
health.
Work with other organizations to define core competencies in
pediatric environmental health.
Provide a setting for Pediatric Environmental Medicine
Fellowships and other training programs.
Assist community self-empowerment in children's
environmental health issues, and work with local authorities in
developing prevention and intervention programs.
Identify and promote environmental health policies that
protect children.
Assist with local public health infrastructure development
and capacity building in all areas of pediatric environmental health,
including biochemical terrorism and disaster preparedness.
Consultation
Provide pediatric environmental health consultation to
health care professionals and public health officials through an
established toll-free telephone line with a mechanism for emergency
consultation (24 hour per day/7 days per week).
Provide consultation to parents and caregivers regarding
environmental exposures and possible health effects through a toll-free
telephone line.
Provide a forum for pediatricians and environmental health
specialists to combine knowledge to better serve children with
environmental exposures and diseases of suspected environmental origin.
Foster communication between existing medical resources as
a means of improving pediatric health care.
Provide communication and coordination with regional
poison control centers.
Referral
Provide medical referrals to pediatric patients and their
families when the child is impacted by environmental exposures to
potentially toxic agents.
Maintain an accurate list of operating pediatric
environmental health specialist clinics within each regional PEHSU.
In a cooperative agreement, ATSDR staff is substantially involved
in the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring.
ATSDR Activities for this program are as follows:
Provide technical assistance in identifying needs for
pediatric environmental health education targeting health care
providers, environmental health professionals, families, teachers, and
the general public.
Provide information, instructional resources, technical
assistance and collaboration needed to effectively work.
Assist health care providers, environmental health
professionals, families, teachers, and the general public in
communities to understand health effects of known contaminants, and how
to take appropriate action to protect the health of those impacted.
Assist in the development of evaluation plans that address
the effectiveness and impact of the overall project.
Provide assistance in establishing communication and
resource networks including such partners as other Federal agencies,
State and local health departments, tribal governments, environmental
and health professionals, non-governmental organizations, and academic,
medical, and clinical associations.
Provide technical assistance and collaboration in the
dissemination of resource materials, such as providing guidance in the
use of distance learning methods, outreach consultation, and
educational design.
Assist in providing training related to exposure
assessment, health concerns response, and community involvement in
contaminated sites.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ATSDR involvement in this
program is listed in the Activities section above.
Fiscal Year Funds: 2004.
Approximate Total Funding: $1,400,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: One.
Approximate Average Award: $1,400,000 (This amount is for the first
12-month budget period, and includes both direct and indirect costs.)
Floor of Award Range: None.
Ceiling of Award Range: $1,400,000.
Anticipated Award Date: August 1, 2004.
Budget Period Length: 12 months.
Project Period Length: Five years.
Throughout the project period, ATSDR's commitment to continuation
of awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds, evidence of
satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required
reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best
interest of the Federal Government.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted by national professional
organizations, comprised of health care practitioners in environmental
and pediatric-related medicine, providing environmental health
education, environmental medical guidance, and environmental public
health promotion activities. To be a successful applicant, an
organization must have:
A national network of medical specialists with pediatric
and environmental medicine experience and expertise.
Expertise and experience in conducting both health care
provider and community health education and promotion activities
related to environmental exposure to toxic substances.
Expertise and experience in providing pediatric medical
consultation and clinical referral to children and other individuals
who may have experienced environmental exposure to toxic substances.
Documentation that supports the expertise, experience and
maintenance of a national network of pediatric and environmental
medical specialists and clinics.
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Matching funds are not required for this program.
III.3. Other
If you request a funding amount greater than the ceiling of the
award range, your application will be considered non-responsive, and
will not be entered into the review process. You will be notified that
your application did not meet the submission requirements.
If your application is incomplete or non-responsive to the
requirements
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listed in this section, it will not be entered in to the review
process. You will be notified that your application did not meet
submission requirements.
Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.
IV. Application and Submission Information
IV.1. Address To Request Application Package
To apply for this funding opportunity use application form PHS
5161. Application forms and instructions are available on the CDC Web
site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section
(PGO-TIM) staff at: (770) 488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to
you.
IV.2. Content and Form of Submission
Application: You must include a project narrative with your
application forms. Your narrative must be submitted in the following
format:
Maximum number of pages: 25 pages. If your narrative
exceeds the page limit, only the first pages which are within the page
limit will be reviewed.
Font size: 12 point unreduced.
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches.
Double spaced.
Page margin size: One inch.
Printed only on one side of page.
Held together only by rubber bands or metal clips; not
bound in any other way.
You must submit a signed original and two copies of your
application forms.
Your narrative should address activities to be conducted over the
entire project period, and must include the following items in the
order listed:
Project Plan:
[cir] Background: A brief discussion demonstrating an understanding
of chemical and toxic contamination issues of communities in the U.S.,
including disproportionate risk to children and other vulnerable
populations.
[ctrcir] Target Populations and Their Health Education and
Promotion Needs: An explanation of populations (e.g., organizational
members, partners, and community residents) that can be reached by the
regional PEHSU Network and the perceived needs these populations have
for health education and promotion services and environmental health
resources.
[cir] Project Goals and Objectives: These sections should provide
clearly stated project objectives that are realistic, measurable, and
related to program requirements.
[cir] Activities and Timeline: The activities of the project should
be clearly presented to demonstrate a sufficient time allocation, and
chronology or sequence of events to be conducted. The activities should
provide specificity and demonstrate feasibility of the proposed
activities in the form of a plan of work and timeline for accomplishing
the project activities.
[cir] Plan for Collaboration: The project plan should present the
scope of activities that the applicant intends to undertake within the
National PEHSU Network.
Capacity for Health Education and Promotion: In this section,
include a discussion of past and present activities that demonstrate a
capability to:
[cir] Plan, conduct, and evaluate environmental health education
and promotion initiatives.
[cir] Provide consultative services in environmental health
education and promotion activities.
[cir] Develop and deliver resources that support environmental
health education and promotion efforts.
[cir] Demonstrate a history of collaborative environmental health
work.
Personnel: This section should address the qualification,
experience, and responsibilities of each individual working on the
project. Adequate time and effort necessary to provide effective
leadership should be demonstrated by the project lead. Any new staffing
requirements should be addressed with inclusion of a recruitment plan
and position descriptions. Vitas or resumes should be provided for all
existing staff. (Curriculum vitas and resumes will not be counted
toward the narrative page limit.)
Evaluation Plan: The project evaluation plan should address
the evaluation strategies and methods necessary to measure impacts and
outcomes of the project interventions. It should present measures for
the overall project and its impact and outcome, such as achievement of
stated public health objectives and effect of the project on the stated
population. Other project measures may be changes in the knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors or practices of the target population/
audience, or community-wide changes intended to occur in programs,
policies, or the physical environment that influences the health of the
target populations. To the extent possible, the evaluation measures
must be objective and quantitative and relate to the performance goals
stated in section ``B. Purpose'' of this announcement.
Budget Justification: A clearly justified budget narrative
that is consistent with the purpose, relates directly to project
activities, is clearly justified, and is consistent with intended use
of funds is required. The budget justification will not be counted
towards the narrative page limit.
Additional information may be included in the application
appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative
page limit. This additional information includes:
Organizational chart
Curriculum vitas or resume
Letters of support
Samples of health education/promotion materials, or
Internet address for accessing these materials on the Web
You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the Federal government. The DUNS number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a
DUNS number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
For more information, see the CDC Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/pubcommt.htm.
If your application form does not have a DUNS
number field, please write your DUNS number at the top of the first
page of your application, and/or include your DUNS number in your
application cover letter.
Additional requirements that may require you to submit additional
documentation with your application are listed in section ``VI.2.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements.''
IV.3. Submission Date, and Time
Application Deadline Date: July 26, 2004.
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC
PGO by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the
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deadline date. If you send your application by the United States Postal
Service or commercial delivery service, you must ensure that the
carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the
closing date and time. If CDC receives your application after closing
due to: (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a
guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant
weather delays or natural disasters, you will be given the opportunity
to submit documentation of the carriers guarantee. If the documentation
verifies a carrier problem, CDC will consider the application as having
been received by the deadline.
This program announcement is the definitive guide on application
submission address and deadline. It supersedes information provided in
the application instructions. If your application does not meet the
deadline above, it will not be eligible for review, and will be
discarded. You will be notified that your application did not meet the
submission requirements.
CDC will not notify you upon receipt of your application. If you
have a question about the receipt of your application, first contact
your courier. If you still have a question, contact the PGO-TIM staff
at: (770) 488-2700. Before calling, please wait two to three days after
the application deadline. This will allow time for applications to be
processed and logged.
IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Your application is subject to Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs, as governed by Executive Order (EO) 12372. This order sets up
a system for State and local governmental review of proposed Federal
assistance applications. You should contact your State single point of
contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert the SPOC to prospective
applications, and to receive instructions on your State's process.
Click on the following link to get the current SPOC list: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html
.
IV.5. Funding Restrictions
Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing your
budget, are as follows:
Funds may be expended for reasonable program purposes,
such as personnel, travel, supplies, and services, including
contractual.
ATSDR funding is generally not to be used for the purchase
of furniture or equipment.
Funds may not be used for clinical services.
The direct and primary recipient in a cooperative agreement program
must perform a substantial role in carrying out project objectives and
not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provider
who is an ineligible party.
If you are requesting indirect costs in your budget, you must
include a copy of your indirect cost rate agreement. If your indirect
cost rate is a provisional rate, the agreement should be less than 12
months of age.
Awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs.
Guidance for completing your budget can be found on the CDC Web
site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm
.
IV.6. Other Submission Requirements
Application Submission Address: Submit the original and two hard
copies of your application by mail or express delivery service to:
Technical Information Management-PA 04024, CDC Procurement and
Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341.
Applications may not be submitted electronically at this time.
V. Application Review Information
V.1. Criteria
You are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will
demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified objectives of
the cooperative agreement. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the
performance goals stated in the ``Purpose'' section of this
announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative, and must
measure the intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be
submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
Your application will be evaluated against the following criteria:
1. Proposed Project--40 percent
a. Clearly stated understanding of environmental public health
problem(s); and a clear understanding of the types of exposures and
health issues to be addressed; and the health education and promotion,
consultation, and referral services to be provided, including any
special risks to children as a susceptible population.
b. Clear and reasonable public health goals and clearly stated
project objectives that are realistic, measurable, and related to
program requirements.
c. Identification of specific target audiences and their
environmental health education and promotion needs.
d. Specificity and feasibility of the proposed timeline for
implementing project activities.
e. Appropriateness and thoroughness of the proposed activities for
the proposed target groups.
f. Plans for collaborative efforts.
g. Appropriate letters of support.
2. Capability--20 percent
a. Capability to develop and distribute nationally environmental
public health education and promotion initiatives and the supporting
resource materials.
b. Demonstrated ability to plan, conduct, and evaluate
environmental health education and promotion activities, including
professional training and community education.
c. Capability to document and prove a multi-disciplinary, patient-
centered public health prevention and consultative services approach
nationally through the National Network of PEHSU.
d. Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with a variety
of public health partners.
3. Proposed Personnel--20 percent
a. The ability of the applicant to provide consulting clinical
staff in departments of pediatrics and occupational/environmental
medicine. Clinics participating in site work should have staffs that
are: Either board certified or have nationally recognized expertise in
environmental medicine or occupational medicine; either board certified
toxicologist or have nationally recognized expertise in toxicology; and
board certified pediatricians.
b. The proposed staff should have experience and expertise in
developing, distributing, implementing, and evaluating medical
consultation, and health education and promotion initiatives along with
supportive intervention materials.
4. Evaluation Plan--20 percent
a. Strategies and methods to measure impacts and outcomes of
project interventions, such as changes in target population/audience
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, or practices and community or
organizational-wide environmental changes.
b. Specific evaluation plan to measure overall project impact and
outcome, such as achievement of stated public health objectives and
effect of the project on the stated population.
5. Proposed Budget--(not scored)
Is the budget reasonable, clearly justified with a budget
narrative, and consistent with the intended use of cooperative
agreement funds?
V.2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement
and
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Grants Office (PGO) staff and for responsiveness by ATSDR. Incomplete
applications and applications that are non-responsive to the
eligibility criteria will not advance through the review process.
Applicants will be notified that their application did not meet
submission requirements.
An objective review panel will evaluate your application according
to the criteria listed section ``V.1. Criteria'' section above.
In addition, the following factor may affect the funding decision:
Ability to provide site-specific educational consultation on
environmental medicine and pediatric health concerns in locations such
as superfund sites where ATSDR or the EPA is assisting communities to
cope with hazardous contamination.
V.3. Anticipated Announcement Award Date
August 1, 2004
VI. Award Administration Information
VI.1. Award Notices
Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Grant Award (NGA)
from the CDC PGO. The NGA shall be the only binding, authorizing
document between the recipient and CDC. The NGA will be signed by an
authorized Grants Management Officer, and mailed to the recipient
fiscal officer identified in the application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of
the application review by mail.
VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
45 CFR Parts 74 and Part 92.
For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, see the
National Archives and Records Administration at the following Internet
address: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html.
The following additional requirements apply to this project:
AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
AR-2 Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and
Ethnic Minorities in Research
AR-8 Public Health System Reporting Requirements
AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14 Accounting System Requirements
AR-18 Cost Recovery-ATSDR
AR-19 Third Party Agreements-ATSDR
Additional information on these requirements can be found on the
CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/ARs.htm
.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide CDC with an original, plus two copies of the
following reports:
1. Interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of
the budget period. The progress report will serve as your non-competing
continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
e. Additional Requested Information.
f. Measures of Effectiveness.
2. Financial status report and annual progress report, no more than
90 days after the end of the budget period.
3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days
after the end of the project period.
These reports must be sent to the Grants Management Specialist
listed in the ``Agency Contacts'' section of this announcement.
VII. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical
Information Management Section, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
For program technical assistance, contact:
Robert H. Johnson, MD, Medical Officer, Division of Health
Education and Promotion, 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Mailstop E-33,
Atlanta, GA 30333, Telephone: (404) 498-0498, e-mail: rdj2@cdc.gov.
For budget assistance, contact: Edna Green, Grants Management
Specialist, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: (770) 488-2743, e-mail: ecg4@cdc.gov.
Dated: June 4, 2004.
William P. Nichols,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-13140 Filed 6-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P