[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 121 (Tuesday, June 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37667-37668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13492]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Healthcare Preparedness Programs (NHPP); Single Source
Cooperative Agreement to the American Red Cross
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
(ASPR), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Healthcare Preparedness Programs (NHPP) Branch of
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
(ASPR), in the Department of Health and Human Services intends to
provide a Single Source Cooperative Agreement to the American Red
Cross. The Cooperative Agreement will support the stability of the
American Red Cross blood operations and humanitarian services during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The total proposed cost of the Single Source
Cooperative Agreement is not to exceed $118,000,000 for a total of 12
months.
DATES: The period of performance is from June 22, 2020 to June 21,
2021. The recipient may use a portion of the funding to retroactively
compensate costs for preparedness activities undertaken since January
20, 2020. The recipient must request retroactive compensation at the
time of the application, and the request should contain the following
information: Time period; line item budget for the period; and,
narrative description of the COVID-19 preparedness activities. Award
amount: Estimate $118,000,000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: [email protected], (202) 245-
0722.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Healthcare Preparedness Program
(NHPP) Branch is the program office for this Cooperative Agreement:
Single Source Justification: The American Red Cross is both the
largest provider of blood products in the nation and the largest global
humanitarian network, as well as a critical partner to the U.S.
Government in bolstering the
[[Page 37668]]
strength of health care during national emergencies. The American Red
Cross and NHPP will collaborate to maintain American Red Cross
operations and support the nation's health care during the COVID-19
pandemic. This collaboration will enable hospitals and other health
care entities to meet demand for blood supply and avoid shortages of
this lifesaving medical resource, as well as sustain the American Red
Cross's disaster relief work, which provides supplies, financial
assistance, food, and connections to health care providers to
communities during large scale disasters. During this unprecedented
outbreak, it is particularly important to maintain continuity of vital
disaster relief operations and to preserve the strength of America's
blood supply. The American Red Cross is facing increased costs--for
example, for supplies and equipment related to infection control during
blood donation operations. As the nation moves out of response and into
recovery from COVID-19, it will be vital to maintain operations in
order to ensure communities have uninterrupted access to the American
Red Cross's frontline humanitarian services and to prevent health care
from facing blood supply shortages at an already precarious time. There
is no direct equivalent of the American Red Cross, which supported more
than 97,300 households with recovery assistance and provided over 6.4
million blood products to help patients in Fiscal Year 2019 and which
is uniquely positioned to quickly respond to the demands of the health
care system. Supporting collaboration between the U.S. Public Health
Service and public and private community health programs and agencies
to respond to health emergencies is an authority provided to HHS under
section 311(c)(1) of the Public Health Service Act. Funding to respond
to the coronavirus, including addressing the blood supply chain, is
appropriated to HHS in the CARES Act. Collaboration with the American
Red Cross has the potential to augment existing nationwide COVID-19
community relief efforts, and to provide solutions and mitigate risks
to the nation's blood supply. The dual protection of American Red
Cross's humanitarian aid network and its blood operations, a piece of
critical infrastructure for the United States health care system, is
essential to ASPR's mission to save lives and protect Americans against
21st century health security threats. By collaborating with the
American Red Cross to meet new challenges and costs incurred by the
COVID-19 pandemic, maintain blood supply and continuity of relief
services, and strengthen partnerships between the American Red Cross
and health care coalitions supported through NHPP's Hospital
Preparedness Program, NHPP's goal for this cooperative agreement is for
health care to be able to quickly draw upon a strong public-private
partnership and humanitarian network to provide lifesaving medical care
for Americans--now and in the future as the United States continues to
recover from this pandemic event.
Dated: June 18, 2020.
Robert P. Kadlec,
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
[FR Doc. 2020-13492 Filed 6-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-37-P