DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES                 
Office of the Secretary
Assistant Secretary for Health
Office of Public Health and Science  
Office of Population Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20201


Date:    February 24, 1998

From:    Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs

         Subject:  OPA Program Instruction Series, OPA 98-1: 
         Certifications for Encouraging Family Participation and 
         Counseling to Minors on How to Resist Coercive Attempts 
         to Engage In Sexual Activities

To:      Regional Health Administrators, Regions I-X



The fiscal year 1998 appropriations bill for the Departments of 
Labor/HHS and Education (P.L. 105-78) contains language governing 
the use of Title X funds. Specifically, the language states:

    "None of the funds appropriated in the Act may be made available 
    to any entity under Title X of the Public Health Service Act unless
    the applicant for the award certifies to the Secretary that it 
    encourages family participation in the decision of minors to seek 
    family planning services and that it provides counseling to minors 
    on how to resist attempts to coerce minors into engaging in 
    sexual activities."

To implement this requirement, each Title X grantee is required to have
on file with the Office of Grants Management, an updated Title X 
Certification of Compliance certifying that the grantee: (1) encourages 
family participation in the decision of minors to seek family planning 
services, and (2) provides counseling to minors on how to resist coercive 
attempts to engage in sexual activities. Attached for your information is 
a copy of the revised certification. The Office of Grants Management will 
contact each Title X grantee to obtain the necessary signatures. Compliance 
with the signed certification will continue to be an item reviewed by 
regional office staff as part of ongoing program oversight activities 
and during periodic on-site program reviews.

Clinic staff should be made aware of the new certification requirement. 
Toward that end, we encourage sharing of this memorandum with delegate 
agencies and service providers. We would also like to take this 
opportunity to encourage grantees to review existing policies to 
assure that service, counseling and outreach provisions reflect the 
concerns contained in the appropriations language. As is always the 
case, it is important that client records include documentation of all 
counseling and information provided. We also encourage grantees to 
assure that appropriate training is available, including utilization 
of training available through the Title X training grantees, as need be.

If you have any questions, please contact Sam Taylor, Acting Director 
of the Office of Family Planning at (301) 594-4008.


                                   /s/
                              Thomas C. Kring
                              Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary 
                                for Population Affairs
  

Attachment

cc: Regional Program Consultants
    Regions I-X