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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

93.155:  Rural Health Research Centers

Objectives:  To support the operation of rural health research centers to provide an information base and policy analysis capability on the full range of rural health services issues, including financing, recruitment and retention of health professionals, access to care, and rural delivery systems.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

93.155 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  All public and private entities, nonprofit and for-profit, are eligible to apply. Eligible entities may include, but are not limited to, public and private institutions for higher education, public or private health research organizations, and foundations.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  The entities that will benefit from this program are health care personnel, health research personnel, and the general public.

Credentials/Documentation:  The basis for determining the allowance and allocability of costs charged to Public Health Service (PHS) grants is set forth in 45 CFR 74, Subpart Q. The five separate sets of cost principles are: (1) OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments, (2) OMB Circular No. A-21 for institutions of higher education, (3) 45 CFR 74, Appendix E for hospitals, (4) OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit organizations, and (5) 48 CFR, Subpart 31.2 for-profit (commercial) organizations.

93.155 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  Preapplication coordination is not required. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  The standard application forms, PHS 398, Rev. 5/95, as furnished by the PHS and required by 45 CFR, Part 92, must be used for this program. This program is subject to the provisions of 45 CFR, Part 92 for State and local governments and OMB Circular No. A-110 for nonprofit organizations. Application kit can be obtained by writing HRSA Grants Application Center, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 4-91, Rockville, MD 20857, or by calling toll free: 1-877-477-2123.

Award Procedure:  The review of applications is carried out by Federal and nonfederal professionals in health services research. Applications are reviewed for merit and are recommended for approval or disapproval. Final decisions are made by the Director, Office of Rural Health Policy.

Deadlines:  Contact Headquarters Office for competing application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  About 5 months.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  Cooperative Agreements may be made for up to 4-year project periods. Subject to availability of funds, after initial awards, projects may be renewed non-competitively contingent upon submission and approval of an application.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Criteria will be published in the HRSA Preview for competitive application cycles.

Examples of Funded Projects:  (1) The Maine Rural Health Research Center is based in the Muskie Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Southern Maine. This center's research focuses on issues in rural primary mental health services, and rural aging and long-term care. (2) The University of North Carolina Rural Health Research Program is a multi-disciplinary health policy analytic unit in the Health Services Research Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This program addresses issues in rural hospitals, including the expanded rural hospital and the limited service hospital; collects and publishes data on rural health care providers and the rural workforce; and produces maps displaying the location of a variety of rural health resources. (3) The Project HOPE Walsh Center for Rural Health Analyses, located in Bethesda, Maryland prepares issue analyses on a breadth of rural health issues of current national interest such as proposed changes in Medicare and Medicaid, and the health insurance coverage of rural children. This center is creating a data base that will permit speedy analyses of the impact of proposed changes in Federal health programs. (4) The University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center focuses on rural networks and managed care, the impact of the changing health care market on rural providers and consumers, and implications of the diffusion of health care technology in rural areas. (5) The WAMI Rural Health Research Center is based in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. It has close working relationships with the other health science schools at the university as well as the other major universities in the five WAMI States (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). This center focuses on the rural health professions workforce, perinatal care in rural areas, and health care restructuring and its influence on clinical performance and outcomes.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  From $400,000 to $600,000; $490,000.

93.155 RELATED PROGRAMS:

93.155 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

93.155 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $2,813,576; FY 00 est $3,000,000; and FY 01 est $3,000,000.

Budget Account Number:  75-0350-0-1-550.

Authorization:  Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1992, Public Law 102-170.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Program guidelines may be obtained by contacting the Headquarters Office for PHS Grants Policy Statement, DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 94-50,000, (Rev.) April 1, 1994.

93.155 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Program Contact: Joan Van Nostrand, D.P.A., Director, Rural Research Centers, Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Parklawn Bldg., Room 9A-55, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Phone: (301) 443-0835. Grants Management Contact: Larry Poole, Chief, Grant Award Operations Section, Grants Management Office, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Public Health Service, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, 4350 East-West Highway, 11th Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814. Phone: (301) 594-4235. Use the same number for FTS.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

93.155 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  There are no statutory formula or matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Awards are made annually. Awards are normally made in a lump sum for the entire budget period. Payments are made through an Electronic Transfer System or Cash Demand System.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  All funds awarded should be expended solely for carrying out the approved projects in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 102-170.

93.155 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Annual Program reports and special reports (if any) are required. In addition, a Financial Status Report is to be submitted within 90 days after the close of each budget period.

Audits:  In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal officials.

Records:  Grantees are required to maintain grant accounting records for 3 years after the end of the budget period. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other action involving the records has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the regular 3-year period, whichever is later.