82 FR 31610 - Notice of Single Source Award to the Genesee County Health Department for Addressing and Preventing Lead Exposure Through Healthy Start in Genesee County, Michigan

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 129 (July 7, 2017)

HRSA announces its intent to award up to $14,975,000 for a cooperative agreement to the Genesee County Health Department, which operates the Genesee County Healthy Start program. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to expedite and strengthen the ongoing response to address the health effects of lead exposure resulting from the Flint, MI, public water supply contamination.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31610-31611]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14274]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of Single Source Award to the Genesee County Health 
Department for Addressing and Preventing Lead Exposure Through Healthy 
Start in Genesee County, Michigan

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of single source award.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: HRSA announces its intent to award up to $14,975,000 for a 
cooperative agreement to the Genesee County Health Department, which 
operates the Genesee County Healthy Start program. The purpose of this 
cooperative agreement is to expedite and strengthen the ongoing 
response to address the health effects of lead exposure resulting from 
the Flint, MI, public water supply contamination.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Intended Recipient of the Award: Genesee County Health Department.
    Amount of Non-Competitive Awards: Up to $14,975,000.
    Period of Funding: July 1, 2017-June 30, 2022.
    CFDA Number: 93.926.
    Authority: Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) 
Act (Pub. L. 114-322); Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254c-8), as amended by Public Law 110-339, Section 2; and 
Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017 
(Pub. L. 114-254).
    Justification: Flint, MI, and the surrounding community continues 
to experience ongoing health needs, particularly among pregnant women 
and young children, associated with elevated levels of lead in the 
public water supply resulting from the city's switch from the Detroit 
Water Authority to the Flint Water Systems between April 2013 and 
October 2015.
    On January 5, 2016, the state of Michigan declared a state of 
emergency for Genesee County, which includes the city of Flint, 
authorizing the use of state resources to address the public health 
crisis created by the elevated levels of lead in the public water 
system. On January 16, 2016, a federal emergency was declared for the 
state of Michigan and authorized federal assistance to provide water, 
water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other 
necessary related items.
    Prenatal lead exposure can affect fertility, the likelihood of 
miscarriage, pre-term birth, low birth weight, infant neurodevelopment, 
and gestational hypertension. Of particular concern are the long-term 
effects in children such as developmental and cognitive delays, and 
behavioral disorders. The Healthy Start program aims to reduce 
disparities in infant mortality and improve perinatal and child health 
outcomes. To advance this mission, the goal of this program is to 
minimize developmental delays among lead-exposed children up to age 6 
in Flint and the surrounding Genesee County area by connecting them to 
appropriate screening, services, and supports.
    Thus, HRSA intends to award a one-time, single source cooperative 
agreement to the Genesee County Health Department to expedite and 
strengthen the ongoing response to address the health effects of lead 
exposure resulting from the Flint, MI, public water supply 
contamination. This award will enable the Genesee County Health 
Department to continue to play a vital role in assuring all pregnant 
women and children impacted by lead contamination in Genesee County 
have access to comprehensive health and social services. With these 
funds, the Genesee County Health Department will leverage its existing 
Healthy Start infrastructure and in-depth understanding of the maternal 
and child population in Genesee County to assess, mitigate, and provide 
consultation to pregnant women and children up to age 6 that may be 
impacted by lead exposure during the Flint water crisis. Activities 
under this award include identifying children in Flint and the

[[Page 31611]]

surrounding Genesee County area who have been affected by lead exposure 
to assess their receipt of recommended services in order to minimize 
developmental delay, and coordinating access to appropriate medical, 
behavioral, and developmental screening, services, and supports for 
impacted women, children, and their families. As the only Healthy Start 
grantee in the only community that had a federal emergency declaration 
concerning lead contamination in the last year, Genesee County Healthy 
Start has both the program and response infrastructure in place to 
immediately implement these enhanced activities.
    This award will supplement, but not supplant, other federal 
resources currently dedicated to this effort, including activities 
previously funded under the current Healthy Start grant. Several 
federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 
have provided funds to organizations in Flint and Genesee County to 
support prevention, treatment, and remediation initiatives to address 
lead contamination in the community. This award should build upon, but 
not duplicate federal and local efforts. Activities under this award 
also align with existing lead response activities and involve close 
collaboration with broader community health system organizations, 
families, health professionals, local social support and health 
systems, community-based organizations, and early childhood systems, 
etc. This approach should ensure access to family-centered and 
comprehensive health and social services for all pregnant women and 
children up to age 6 years and their families impacted by lead 
contamination in Genesee County.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Windom, Division of Healthy 
Start and Perinatal Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health 
Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18N78, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852, (301) 443-8283, [email protected]. For media 
inquiries, please contact [email protected].

    Dated: June 26, 2017.
George Sigounas,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-14274 Filed 7-6-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P