Community Education and Training To Address Environmental Health Research; Near Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facilities

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 10, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36380-36382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17526]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Announcement 656]


Community Education and Training To Address Environmental Health 
Research; Near Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Facilities

Introduction

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of funds in fiscal year (FY) 1996 for a cooperative 
agreement program to develop community education and training for 
environmental health research near Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear 
weapons facilities. The CDC is committed to achieving the health 
promotion and disease prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' 
a national activity to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the 
quality of life. This announcement is related to the priority area of 
Environmental Health. (For ordering a copy of ``Healthy People 2000,'' 
see the Section ``WHERE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.'')

Authority

    This program is authorized under sections 301(a) and 317 [42 U.S.C. 
241(a) and 247b] of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are State and local health departments, or 
their bona fide agents or instrumentalities. This includes federally 
recognized Indian tribal governments.

    Note: Eligible applicants may enter into contractual agreements, 
as necessary, to meet the requirements of the program and to 
strengthen the overall application. The intent to use such 
mechanisms must be stated in the application and the nature and 
scope of work

[[Page 36381]]

of these mechanisms require the approval of CDC. Recipient(s) must 
maintain the primary responsibility for conduct of the cooperative 
agreement.

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $300,000 will be available in FY 1996 (for both 
direct and indirect costs) to fund approximately one or more awards. 
The amount of each award will be dependent upon the number of awards 
made. It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 
30, 1996, for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up to 
3 years. Funding estimates may vary and are subject to change. 
Continuation awards within the project period will be made on the basis 
of satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

Purpose

    The purpose of this program is to support a health education effort 
for communities in proximity to DOE nuclear weapons facilities sites to 
increase understanding of environmental health research. A key focus is 
to increase community understanding of issues associated with potential 
health effects of radionuclide and chemical exposures from releases 
from DOE nuclear weapons facilities near the community. Another key 
focus will be to address community understanding of environmental 
health research related to past operations of nuclear weapons 
facilities. CDC is presently conducting dose reconstruction and health 
studies in communities. Increasingly, communities desire educational 
and health communication activities that address their need to 
understand the conduct of studies and interpretation of results.
    Applications must focus on the following sites, listed by facility/
city and State (only one award will be made per site): (1) Fernald, 
Ohio; (2) Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Washington; (3) Idaho National 
Engineering Laboratory, Idaho; (4) Los Alamos, New Mexico; and (5) 
Savannah River Site, Georgia/South Carolina.

Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient shall be responsible for the activities under A., below, 
and CDC shall be responsible for conducting activities under B., below:
    A. Recipient Activities:
    1. Develop and implement a pilot health education program on 
potential health effects of radionuclide and chemical exposures in 
communities near DOE nuclear weapons facilities. The education program 
should include information that promotes a basic understanding of the 
scientific methods used to estimate these exposures and conduct health 
studies, and, at a minimum, the following:
    a. Assessment of community needs and development of an educational 
plan to address the identified needs.
    b. Production and distribution of educational materials such as 
brochures, fact sheets, and posters.
    c. Involvement of and outreach to community members, including the 
youth of the community.
    d. Development of workshops designed to communicate the concepts 
depicted in the educational materials.
    2. Develop and implement a parallel evaluation program focusing on 
the effectiveness of every aspect of the education program in the 
community in the vicinity of the DOE site.
    3. Develop a guidebook, based on lessons learned during the 
community education process, for use at the local health department 
level regarding education efforts for the DOE site.
    4. As a follow-up to the education process, develop a report on the 
types of education materials/information, either generic or specific to 
the DOE site, that were unavailable and still need to be developed.
    5. Meet with representatives of other education/community outreach 
project representatives at least once a year. These meetings will be 
coordinated by CDC.
    6. Develop protocol for a community education and training program 
cooperatively with CDC.
    7. Explore the use of distance-based learning methods for community 
health education.
    B. CDC Activities:
    1. Provide scientific assistance needed to produce the educational 
materials to educate the community members.
    2. Provide technical assistance in regard to assessment and 
evaluation activities, the use of distance based learning methods, and 
other activities associated with the project.
    3. Coordinate annual meetings.
    4. Provide information regarding CDC environmental health research 
projects.

Evaluation Criteria

    The application will be reviewed and evaluated according to the 
following criteria:
    1. The extent to which the applicant's proposal addresses: (a) a 
plan for developing a health education program for diverse communities, 
including the youth of these communities; (b) a plan for providing 
information support and liaison services to other State, local, and 
tribal health organizations on radiation-related health studies and; 
(c) plans and methods by which collaboration with other agencies will 
take place. The applicant must demonstrate a cultural competency for 
the proposed site of the education and training. (35%)
    2. The extent to which the proposal has described: (a) the 
qualifications and commitment of the applicant; (b) detailed 
allocations of time and effort of staff devoted to the project, and; 
(c) the qualifications of the support staff. (35%)
    3. The applicant's ability to collaborate with other agencies for 
conduct of the project, including the degree of commitment and 
cooperation of collaborating parties. (30%)
    4. The proposed budget on the basis of its reasonableness, concise 
and clear justification, and consistency with the intended use of 
cooperative agreement funds. The application will also be reviewed as 
to the adequacy of existing and proposed facilities and resources for 
conducting project activities. (Not Scored)

Executive Order 12372 Review

    This program is not subject to the Executive Order 12372 review.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.283.

Other Requirements

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Projects that involve the collection of information from 10 or more 
individuals and are funded by the cooperative agreement will be subject 
to review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Application Submission and Deadline

    An original and two copies of the application PHS Form 5161-1 (OMB 
Number 0937-0189) must be submitted to Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management 
Officer, Attention: David Elswick, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-
13, Atlanta, GA 30305, on or before August 5, 1996.

[[Page 36382]]

1. Deadline
    The application shall be considered as meeting the deadline if it 
is either:
    A. Received on or before the deadline date, or
    B. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the objective review group. Applicant must request a 
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated 
receipt from a commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal Service. Private 
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.
2. Late Applications
    Applications which do not meet the criteria in 1.A. or 1.B. above 
are considered late applications. Late applications will not be 
considered in the current competition and will be returned to the 
applicant.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

    A complete program description, information on application 
procedures, an application package, and business management technical 
assistance may be obtained from David Elswick, Grants Management 
Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry 
Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 
842-6521, Internet address: DCE1@opspgo1.em.cdc.gov.
    Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from Art 
Robinson, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, 
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, Mailstop F-35, Atlanta, GA 
30341, telephone (770) 488-7630.
    Please refer to Announcement 656 when requesting information and 
submitting an application.
    A copy of ``Healthy People 2000'' (Full Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00474-0) or ``Healthy People 2000'' (Summary Report; Stock No. 017-001-
00473-1) referenced in the ``INTRODUCTION'' may be obtained through the 
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 
20402-9325, telephone (202) 512-1800.
    Atlanta, Georgia, will be the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics 
Games (July 19 through August 4, 1996). As a result of this event, it 
is likely that the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) may experience 
delays in the receipt of both regular and overnight mail deliveries. 
Contacting PGO employees during this time frame may also be hindered 
due to the possible telephone disruptions.
    To the extent authorized, please consider the use of voice mail, e-
mail, and facsimile transmissions to the maximum extent practicable. 
Please do not fax lengthy documents, contract proposals or grant 
applications.

    Dated: July 3, 1996.
Joseph R. Carter,
Acting Associate Director for Management and Operations, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 96-17526 Filed 7-9-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P