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 effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled Performance Measurement for STD Prevention. This information collection is for the 59 state, local, and territorial health departments that are recipients of CDC's cooperative agreement PS19-1901 STD PCHD. The information collection covers key performance measures that will be used to assess recipients' individual and collective progress towards the larger aims of the cooperative agreement, direct technical assistance to recipients, and obtain information needed to help assess the cooperative agreement's public health impact.

DATES:

CDC must receive written comments on or before October 15, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-0067 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov.

Please note: Submit all comments 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 Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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 the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Performance Measurement for STD Prevention and Control Program—New—National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Health departments play a critical role in addressing STD prevention and control and are well-positioned to monitor and understand local trends in STDs through case-based surveillance, and to respond to emerging threats and outbreaks. Health department STD programs also have the authority and skills to conduct disease investigation activities including partner services, an effective intervention to prevent STD transmission in some populations. Given that most STDs are diagnosed outside of public STD clinics, health departments must also work with primary care and other health care providers and organizations to promote the delivery of recommended, evidence-based STD screening, timely treatment, and other prevention services.

Federal support for state, local, and territorial health departments to carry out these functions has been in place for decades and remains a critical source of funding to monitor and fight increasing STDs across the US. CDC's cooperative agreement PS19-1901 STD PCHD is the latest iteration of this support, covering the five-year period 2019-2024. The cooperative agreement represents a focused scope of work that reflects the core public health functions of assessment, assurance, and policy, and aligns with today's STD epidemiology and best practices. In 2019, approximately $92.5 million dollars were awarded by CDC to 59 state, local, and territorial health departments to carry out these functions.

The goal of this data collection is to guide performance measurement efforts among the 59 health departments that receive funding from CDC to conduct STD surveillance, prevention and control through cooperative agreement PS19-1901. The purpose is to assess recipients' individual and collective progress towards the larger aims of the cooperative agreement, direct technical assistance to recipients, and obtain information needed to help assess the cooperative agreement's public health impact. The resulting data will be used to identify areas for improvement both within individual sites and as it pertains to the funded community as a whole, and to document outcomes associated with STD surveillance, prevention, and control efforts.

Data will be collected in aggregate using a Microsoft Excel-based data collection tool. All health department recipients will be required to submit the data tool annually. The population from which data will be collected is the 59 state, local, and territorial health departments that are funded through the cooperative agreement PS19-1901 STD PCHD. The total annual burden hours are 1,475. There are no other costs to respondents other than their time.