FEDERAL AGENCY:

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.

OBJECTIVES:

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:  

FY 2015 range: $488,566 to $650,000; average award: $629, 469

FY 16 est. range: $629,552 to $650,000; average award est.: $646,783

FY 2017 est. range: $629,989 to $650,000; average award est.: $646,458.

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:  
Violet Woo, Project Officer, Health Careers Pipeline Branch, Division of Health Careers and Financial Support, Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15N50, , Rockville, Maryland 20886 Email: VWoo@hrsa.gov Phone: 301-443-6950

Web Site Address:  
http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/diversity/hcop.html

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.