Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice with comment period.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on the proposed information collection entitled “Poison Center Collaborations for Public Health Emergencies.” The goal for this new information collection is to create a timely generic clearance mechanism to allow a network of U.S. poison centers, in collaboration with CDC, to obtain critical exposure and health information during public health emergencies. CDC will collect follow-up information not captured during poison center callers' initial calls.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before August 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-0053 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to Regulations.gov.

Please note:

All public comment should be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: omb@cdc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

Proposed Project

Poison Center Collaborations for Public Health Emergencies—NEW—National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requesting a three-year Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance for a new generic clearance information collection request (Generic ICR) titled “Poison Center Collaborations for Public Health Emergencies.”

CDC's key partner, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), is a national network of 55 poison centers working to prevent and treat poison exposures. The goal for this new Generic ICR is to create a timely mechanism to allow poison centers, in collaboration with CDC, to obtain critical exposure and health information during public health emergencies. This information is not captured during initial poison center calls about triage and treatment of potential poison exposures. Additional data collections are needed quickly to further characterize exposures, risk factors, and illnesses.

When a public health emergency of interest to CDC and AAPCC occurs, the CDC and AAPCC hold a meeting to mutually decide whether the incident needs further investigation. For a public health emergency to be selected for call-back, adverse health effects must have occurred and a response is needed to prevent further morbidity and mortality. The event must meet the criteria below:

(1) The event is a public health emergency causing adverse health effects.

(2) Timely data are urgently needed to inform rapid public health action to prevent or reduce injury, disease, or death.

(3) The event is characterized by a natural or man-made disaster, contaminated food or water, a new or existing consumer product, or an emerging public health threat.

(4) The event has resulted in calls to a poison center, and the poison center agrees to conduct the call-back data collection.

(5) The event is domestic.

(6) Data collection will be completed in 60 days or less.

Trained poison center staff will conduct the call-back telephone survey, after administering consent. Respondents will include individuals who call poison centers about exposures related to the select public health emergencies. These respondents include adults, 18 years and older; adolescents, 15 to less than 18 years; and parents or guardians on behalf of their children less than 15 years of age.

The total estimate of 300 annual respondents is based on poison center experience which assumes two incidents per year with approximately 150 respondents per event. The average burden per respondent is approximately 40 minutes for the call-back questionnaire. We anticipate a total annualized burden of 200 hours.

There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.