HEALTH
RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
AUTHORIZATION:
Public
Health Service Act, Title VII, Section 739, 42 U.S.C. 293c, as amended;
Health Professions Education Partnership Act of 1998, Public Law
105-392.
The
HCOP program strives to develop a more competitive applicant pool
to build diversity in the health professions. The program's goal
is to provide students from disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity
to develop the skills needed to successfully compete, enter, and
graduate from health professions schools, allied health professions
schools, graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, and
programs for the training of physician assistants.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Section 739 provides for
assisting individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake
education to enter a health or allied health profession. Grant funds
may be used for: (1) Development of a more competitive applicant
pool, (2) Recruitment, (3) Facilitating entry, (4) Counseling, mentoring
and other services, (5) Preliminary education and health research
training, (6) Financial aid/information dissemination, (7) Primary
care exposure activities, (8) Development of a more competitive
applicant pool, and (9) Stipends.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
Eligible applicants include accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic
medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry,
pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic, podiatric medicine, public
and nonprofit private schools that offer graduate programs in behavioral
and mental health, programs for the training of physician assistants,
and other public or private nonprofit health or educational entities.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
An individual will be determined to be disadvantaged if he or
she comes from a background that has inhibited the individual
from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to
enroll in and graduate from a health professions school or program
providing education or training in an allied health profession;
or comes from a family with an annual income below a level based
on low income thresholds according to family size published by
the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in
the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary for use
in health professions programs.
Credentials/Documentation:
Costs will be determined in accordance with appropriate OMB Circulars.
For other grantees, costs will be determined by DHHS Regulations
45 CFR 74, Subpart Q.
Pre-application
Coordination: This program is excluded from
coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure:
The new URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the Bureau of Health
Professions (BHPr) Grants Page is "bhpr.hrsa.gov/grants2003".
The BHPr uses Adobe Acrobat and Word to publish its grant documents
on the Web page. In order to download, view and print Adobe Acrobat
documents, you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This can be
obtained without charge from the Internet by going to the Adobe
Web page ("http://www.adobe.com") and downloading the version
of the Adobe Acrobat Reader which is appropriate for your operating
system, i.e., Windows, Unix, Macintosh, etc. A set of more detailed
instructions on how to download and use the Adobe Acrobat Reader
can be found on the BHPr Grants Web page under "Notes on this
WWW Page." Applicants are encouraged to obtain application materials
from the World Wide Web via the Internet.
Award Procedure:
Notification is made in writing by a Notice of Grant Award issued
from Headquarters Office.
Deadlines:
Application deadlines are available on the World Wide Web at address:
http://www.hrsa.gov/bhpr/grants2002.
Range of Approval/Disapproval
Time: Approximately 4 months after receipt
of applications.
Appeals:
Appeals are available only to grantees.
Renewals:
Competitive continuations may be submitted during the final budget
period within an approved project period.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching
Requirements: None.
Length and Time Phasing
of Assistance: Projects periods are 3 or 5
years.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
A Uniform Summary Progress Report must be submitted for a second
or subsequent budget period within a previously approved project
period. An annual financial status report are required 90 days after
the end of each budget period. A final progress report and final
financial status report must be submitted within 90 days after the
end of the project period.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133,
(Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments,
and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend
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 the year,
except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records:
Financial records must be kept available for 3 years after the
submission of a final financial status report and 3 years after
final disposition of non-expendable property. If questions remain,
such as those raised as a result of audit, records must be retained
until the matter is resolved.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
75-0350-0-1-550.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $32,018,778; FY 02 est $34,795,000; and FY 03 est
$0.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
From $71,754 to $1,267,033. Average: $367,000.
In fiscal year 2001, there
were 66 continuation and 22 new awards issued. It is estimated that
54 continuations and 37 new awards will be made in fiscal year 2002.
No awards are anticipated for fiscal year 2003.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND
LITERATURE:
Pertinent information
may be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Health Professions Grants
Office, Grants Management Branch, Room 8C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane,
Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone: (301) 443-6880.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local
Office: None.
Headquarters Office:
Program Contact: Ms. Shelia Norris, Acting Chief, Diversity Branch,
Division of Health Careers Diversity Developments, Bureau of Health
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S.
Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services,
Room 8A-09, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone:
(301) 443-2100. Grants Management Contact: Mark Wheeler, Grants
Management Officer, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources
and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services,
Parklawn Building, Room 8C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD
20857. Telephone: (301) 443-6960.
Web Site Address: http://www.hrsa.gov/bhpr
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Summer and academic year
projects were conducted offering preliminary education at pre-health
professions schools and U.S. health and allied health professions
schools for facilitating entry and retention activities for individuals
from disadvantaged backgrounds.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
All competitive applications
will be reviewed on the basis of: (1) The applicant's record in
developing, training, and strengthening the academic performance
of disadvantaged students throughout the educational pipeline, including
health professions schools, (2) the needs assessment study, (3)
the established relationship between the program's stated needs,
objectives, and outcomes, (4) the project's plan for developing
and expanding the pool of competitive health professions school
applicants, (5) the qualifications and experience of the faculty
and staff to implement and manage an HCOP program, as well as the
experience of the faculty and staff in working with the proposed
target group, (6) evidence that formal linkages have been established
in order to create a more comprehensive HCOP program, (7) the project
activities and their reasonability given the proposed level of staff
effort, length of project period and budget requested, resources
available, and linkages established, (8) the proposed methods for
evaluating the project (including data collection, analysis and
reporting procedures, quality control methods and type of personnel
involved, (9) the budget's demonstration of effective utilization
of grant funds and how reasonable is the request, (a) a detailed
justification for each line item, (b) the level of in-kind support
and other sources of funds, both Federal and non-Federal, the applicant
proposes to utilize for carrying out the program, (c) the applicant's
proposed plan for continuation of the proposed project beyond the
federally-funded project period, (10) the demonstrated knowledge
and expertise the applicant possess for coordinating activities
with school districts and other community based entities, as well
as identifying and leveraging resources from private, philanthropic,
business and other government entities.
