Geriatric Education Centers (93.969)
Program
93.969 Geriatric Education Centers
Federal Agency
HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Authorization
Public Health Service Act, Title VII, Section 753(a), as amended; Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998, Public Law 105-392.
Program Number
93.969
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
Grants are given to support the development of collaborative arrangements involving several health professions schools and health care facilities. Geriatric Education Centers facilitate training of health professional faculty, students, and practitioners in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, disability, and other health problems of the aged. Health professionals include allopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, health administrators, and other allied health professionals. Projects supported under these grants must offer training involving four or more health professions, one of which must be allopathic or osteopathic medicine, and must address all of the following statutory purposes: (a) improve the training of health professionals in geriatrics, including geriatric residencies, traineeships, or fellowships; (b) develop and disseminate curricula relating to the treatment of the health problems of elderly individuals; (c) support training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction in geriatrics; (d) support continuing education of health professionals who provide geriatric care; and (e) provide students with clinical training in geriatrics in nursing homes, chronic and acute disease hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and senior centers.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Grant funds may not be used for: trainee costs; the construction of buildings (including initial equipment, additions, and extensions); the acquisition of land; or any costs prohibited in 45 CFR 74, Subpart Q. Grant funds may not be spent for sectarian instruction or for religious purposes.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Grants may be made to accredited health professions schools as defined by Section 799B(1) of the Public Health Service Act, or programs for the training of physicians assistants as defined by Section 799B(3), or schools of allied health as defined in Section 799B(4), or schools of nursing as defined by Section 801(2).
Beneficiary Eligibility
Professional schools, faculty of institutions of higher education, and health practitioners.
Credentials/Documentation
For existing schools: accredited by a recognized body or bodies approved for such purposes by the Secretary of Education. For new schools: a letter of reasonable assurance of accreditation from the Secretary of Education. Costs will be determined by DHHS Regulations, 45 CFR 74, Subpart Q.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Not applicable. 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 Web page is http://bhpr.hrsa/gov/GRANTS2002/index.htm. This year BHPr has decided to use Adobe Acrobat and Word to publish the grants documents on the Web page. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be obtained without charge from the Adobe Web page (http://www.adobe.com) Detailed instructions on how to download and use the Adobe Acrobat Reader may be found on the BHPr Grants Web page under "Notes on this WWW Page."
Award Procedure
Notification is made in writing by a Notice of Grant Award issued from the Headquarters Office.
Deadlines
Application deadlines are available on the World Wide Web at address: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/GRANTS2002/APPLICATIONS/GEC.HTM.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Appeals are available only to grantees.
Renewals
Competitive continuations may be submitted during the final budget period of the approved project period.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Project periods are for five years.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
A Uniform Summary Progress Report must be submitted annually. A financial status report must be submitted within 90 days after the end of each budget period. A final progress report and 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 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 government officials.
Records
Financial records must be kept available for 3 years after submission of expenditure reports, and 3 years after final disposition of non-expendable property. If questions remain, such as those raised by an audit, records must be retained until the matter is resolved.
Program Accomplishments
In fiscal year 2001, 36 awards were made. It is estimated that 12 new awards and 29 non-competing continuations will be made in fiscal year 2002. No awards are anticipated for fiscal year 2003.
Financial Information
Account Identification
75-0350-0-1-550.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $7,590,565; FY 03 est $11,097,693; and FY 04 est $0.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$93,029 to $323,979; $210,849.
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. Telephone (301) 443-6880.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Program Contacts: Barbara Broome, Division of State, Community, and Public Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, Public Health Service, Parklawn Building, Room 8-103, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Grants Management Contact: Mark Wheeler, Grants Management Officer, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 8C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone: (301) 443-6960. Use same numbers for FTS.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Four new projects are minority focused: the Stanford Geriatric Education Center (GEC) offers course work in ethnogeriatrics; the New Mexico GEC collaborates with the National Indian Council on Aging; and the Meharry GEC conducts programming on-campus and in rural areas in support of improving health care for older Black Americans. Three GECs have interdisciplinary training in geriatrics as a major focus of their grants: Wisconsin GEC has training experiences in interdisciplinary rehabilitation; the Colorado GEC provides interdisciplinary training on Alzheimer's Disease and other geriatric topics; and the Northwest GEC program focuses upon an interdisciplinary training program of Health Promotion for Undeserved Older Adults. The Minnesota Area GEC focuses upon managed care and quality improvement. They have produced a training module on managed care and a workshop curricula for quality improvement. South Texas GEC focuses on the two illnesses that occur in the African-American and Hispanic communities: diabetes and hypertension. All continuing grants are involved in mental health projects, especially Alzheimer's Disease. Several have begun using distance learning methods to train their enrollees and participants. Notable among them are the GECs in Texas, the Texas Consortium and the South Texas GEC. The GEC/PA at the University of Pittsburgh, in addition to focusing on ethnogeriatrics and elder abuse, addresses older driver safety and issues for care givers of Alzheimer's patients.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
All applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers to determine the extent to which the applicant documents the following criteria: (1) The need for the proposed project; (2)the potential effectiveness of the proposed in carrying out the education purposes; (3)the potential effectiveness of the proposed project and expected outcomes; (4) the methodology; (5) the plan for project management; (6) the potential effectiveness of the evaluation mechanism; (7) the potential of the project to recruit and/or retain minority faculty members and trainees; (8) the fiscal plan for assuring effective use of grant funds.
