FY 2009 Budget Justification

HRSA - U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

FY 2009 Budget Justification

Health Professions Training for Diversity

Centers of Excellence

	FY 2007 Actual	FY 2008 Enacted	FY 2009 Estimate	FY 2009 +/- FY 2008
BA	$11,880,000	$12,773,000	---	$12,773,000

Authorizing Legislation: Section 736 of the Public Health Service Act.

FY 2009 Authorization	Expired
Allocation Method	Competitive Grant/Contract

Program Description and Accomplishments
The Centers of Excellence (COE) Program was enacted in 1988 under Section 736 of the Public Health Service Act. The goal of the COE is to assist eligible schools in supporting programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minority individuals.

Awards are made competitively to designated health professions schools. Designated health professions schools include such schools that meet the required general conditions regarding: a) certain Historically Black Colleges and Universities, b) Hispanic individuals, c) Native American individuals, and d) enrollment of underrepresented minorities (URM) above the national average for such enrollments of health professions schools.

In FYs 2006 and 2007 four (4) COE grants were funded. These grantees reported via the Bureau of Health Professions’ 2007 Uniform Progress Report. In FY 2006, the combined efforts of these four (4) programs benefited in 215 URM students graduating from health professions schools and another 1,017 program participants and enrollees benefiting from program activities such as participation in research on minority health issues and cultural competency training to provide quality health care to diverse populations. Of these graduates and program participants, 252 practiced or received training at clinical sites in medically underserved communities.

Most of the Health Professions' Title VII and Title VIII PHS Act programs were reviewed as a unit in 2002 using the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). This program was included in that assessment. These programs, in the aggregate, received a rating of ineffective. See Summary of the Request.

Funding includes costs associated with grant reviews, processing of grants through the Grants Administration Tracking and Evaluation System (GATES) and HRSA’s electronic handbook, and follow-up performance reviews.

Funding History

FY 2004	$33,657,000
FY 2005	$33,609,000
FY 2006	$11,872,000
FY 2007	$11,880,000
FY 2008	$12,773,000

Budget Request
The FY 2009 Request does not request funding for this program. The budget focuses on activities that fund the placement of more doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals in the regions of the country that face shortages. In addition, evaluations have not linked the Health Professions training grants to changes in supply, distribution, and minority representation of physicians and other health professionals.

#	Key Outputs	FY 2004 Actual	FY 2005 Actual	FY 2006		FY 2007		FY 2008 Enacted	FY 2009 Est	Out-Year Target
#	Key Outputs	FY 2004 Actual	FY 2005 Actual	Target	Actual	Target	Actual	FY 2008 Enacted	FY 2009 Est	Out-Year Target
	Number of projects	34	34	NA	4	NA	4	6	--	NA
	Number of URM students participating in research on minority health issues	1,010	1,010	NA	120	NA	125	150	--	NA
	Number of URM faculty	1,850	1,850	NA	222	NA	224	264	--	NA
	Appropriated Amount ($ Million)	$33.66	$33.61		$11.87		$11.88	$12.77

NA – Not Applicable