Collapse to view only § 294. General provisions
- § 294. General provisions
- § 294a. Area health education centers
- § 294b. Continuing educational support for health professionals serving in rural and underserved communities
- § 294c. Education and training relating to geriatrics
- § 294d. Quentin N. Burdick program for rural interdisciplinary training
- § 294e. Allied health and other disciplines
- § 294e-1. Mental and behavioral health education and training grants
- § 294f. Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages
- § 294g. Repealed.
- § 294h. Repealed.
- § 294i. Program for education and training in pain care
- § 294i-1. Emergency department alternatives to opioids program
- § 294j. Demonstration program to integrate quality improvement and patient safety training into clinical education of health professionals
- § 294k. Training demonstration program
To be eligible to receive assistance under this part, an academic institution shall use such assistance in collaboration with 2 or more disciplines.
The Secretary shall make awards to eligible entities to enable such entities to initiate health care workforce educational programs or to continue to carry out comparable programs that are operating at the time the award is made by planning, developing, operating, and evaluating an area health education center program.
The Secretary shall make awards to eligible entities to maintain and improve the effectiveness and capabilities of an existing area health education center program, and make other modifications to the program that are appropriate due to changes in demographics, needs of the populations served, or other similar issues affecting the area health education center program. For the purposes of this section, the term “Program” refers to the area health education center program.
For purposes of subsection (a)(1), the term “eligible entity” means a school of medicine or osteopathic medicine, an incorporated consortium of such schools, or the parent institutions of such a school. With respect to a State in which no area health education center program is in operation, the Secretary may award a grant or contract under subsection (a)(1) to a school of nursing.
For purposes of subsection (a)(2), the term “eligible entity” means an entity that has received funds under this section, is operating an area health education center program, including an area health education center or centers, and has a center or centers that are no longer eligible to receive financial assistance under subsection (a)(1).
An eligible entity desiring to receive an award under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
With respect to the costs of operating a program through a grant under this section, to be eligible for financial assistance under this section, an entity shall make available (directly or through contributions from State, county or municipal governments, or the private sector) recurring non-Federal contributions in cash or in kind, toward such costs in an amount that is equal to not less than 50 percent of such costs. At least 25 percent of the total required non-Federal contributions shall be in cash. An entity may apply to the Secretary for a waiver of not more than 75 percent of the matching fund amount required by the entity for each of the first 3 years the entity is funded through a grant under subsection (a)(1).
Not less than 75 percent of the total amount provided to an area health education center program under subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) shall be allocated to the area health education centers participating in the program under this section. To provide needed flexibility to newly funded area health education center programs, the Secretary may waive the requirement in the sentence for the first 2 years of a new area health education center program funded under subsection (a)(1).
An award to an entity under this section shall be not less than $250,000 annually per area health education center included in the program involved. If amounts appropriated to carry out this section are not sufficient to comply with the preceding sentence, the Secretary may reduce the per center amount provided for in such sentence as necessary, provided the distribution established in subsection (j)(2) is maintained.
The periods described in paragraph (1) shall not apply to programs receiving point of service maintenance and enhancement awards under subsection (a)(2) to maintain existing centers and activities.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, section 295j(a) of this title shall not apply to an area health education center funded under this section.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $41,250,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
An entity that receives an award under this section may carry over funds from 1 fiscal year to another without obtaining approval from the Secretary. In no case may any funds be carried over pursuant to the preceding sentence for more than 3 years.
It is the sense of the Congress that every State have an area health education center program in effect under this section.
The Secretary, as appropriate, shall make grants to, and enter into contracts with, eligible entities to support access to accredited continuing medical education for primary care physicians and health care providers at community health centers or rural health clinics to improve and increase access to care for patients in rural and medically underserved areas. Such grants or contracts may be used to improve health care, increase retention, increase representation of minority health care providers, enhance the practice environment, increase primary care physician and health care provider knowledge, and provide information dissemination and educational support to reduce professional isolation through the timely dissemination of research findings using relevant resources.
For purposes of this section, the term “eligible entity” means an entity described in section 295o–1(b) of this title, such as a community health center or rural health clinic.
Entities may use amounts awarded under a grant or contract under this section for continuing educational activities that include a clinical training component, including in-person patient care, in the respective community health center or rural health clinic, with the primary care physician or health care provider at such site and the clinical specialist from whom such additional training is being provided.
An entity that revives a grant or contract under this section shall use not more than 5 percent of the amounts received under the grant or contract under this section for administrative expenses.
The Secretary shall ensure that activities under this section do not unnecessarily duplicate efforts of other programs overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration, including activities described in section 254c–20 of this title.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
The Secretary shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under this subsection to entities described in paragraph (1), (3), or (4) of section 295p of this title, section 296(2) of this title, or section 298(d) of this title, or other health professions schools or programs approved by the Secretary, for the establishment or operation of Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs that meet the requirements of paragraph (2).
A Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program receiving an award under this section shall support the training of health professionals in geriatrics, including traineeships or fellowships. Such programs shall emphasize, as appropriate, patient and family engagement, integration of geriatrics with primary care and other appropriate specialties, and collaboration with community partners to address gaps in health care for older adults.
Each grant, contract, or cooperative agreement or contract awarded under paragraph (1) shall be for a period not to exceed 5 years.
To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under paragraph (1), an entity described in such paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to entities that provide services in areas with a shortage of geriatric workforce professionals.
The Secretary may provide awardees with additional support for activities in areas of demonstrated need, which may include education and training for home health workers, family caregivers, and direct care workers on care for older adults.
Each entity awarded a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary on the activities conducted under such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, which may include information on the number of trainees, the number of professions and disciplines, the number of partnerships with health care delivery sites, the number of faculty and practicing professionals who participated in such programs, and other information, as the Secretary may require.
The Secretary shall make reports submitted under paragraph (B) publically available on the internet website of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Secretary shall, as appropriate, establish or maintain a program to provide geriatric academic career awards to eligible entities applying on behalf of eligible individuals to promote the career development of such individuals as academic geriatricians or other academic geriatrics health professionals.
If an eligible individual is promoted during the period of an award under this subsection and thereby no longer meets the criteria of subparagraph (B)(ii), the individual shall continue to be treated as an eligible individual through the term of the award.
In making awards under this subsection, the Secretary shall seek to ensure geographical distribution among award recipients, including among rural or medically underserved areas of the United States.
The amount of an award under this subsection shall be at least $75,000 for fiscal year 2021, adjusted for subsequent years in accordance with the consumer price index. The Secretary shall determine the amount of an award under this subsection for individuals who are not physicians.
The Secretary shall make awards under paragraph (1) for a period not to exceed 5 years.
An individual who receives an award under this subsection shall provide training in clinical geriatrics, including the training of interprofessional teams of health care professionals. The provision of such training shall constitute at least 75 percent of the obligations of such individual under the award.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, section 295j(a) of this title shall not apply to awards made under this section.
There is authorized to be appropriated $40,737,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 for purposes of carrying out this section.
The Secretary may make grants or contracts under this section to help entities fund authorized activities under an application approved under subsection (c).
An applicant shall not use more than 10 percent of the funds made available to such applicant under subsection (a) for administrative expenses.
Not more than 10 percent of the individuals receiving training with funds made available to an applicant under subsection (a) shall be trained as doctors of medicine or doctors of osteopathy.
An institution that receives a grant under this section shall use amounts received under such grant to supplement, not supplant, amounts made available by such institution for activities of the type described in subsection (b)(1) in the fiscal year preceding the year for which the grant is received.
For the purposes of this section, the term “rural” means geographic areas that are located outside of standard metropolitan statistical areas.
The Secretary may make grants or contracts under this section to help entities fund activities of the type described in subsection (b).
For grants awarded under paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (a), at least 4 of the grant recipients shall be historically black colleges or universities or other minority-serving institutions.
The Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (in this section referred to as the “Advisory Committee”).
The Secretary shall determine the appropriate number of individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee. Such individuals shall not be officers or employees of the Federal Government.
Not later than 90 days after November 13, 1998, the Secretary shall appoint the members of the Advisory Committee from among individuals who are health professionals from schools of the types described in sections 294a(b)(1)(A), 294c(b), and 294e(b) of this title. In making such appointments, the Secretary shall ensure a fair balance between the health professions, that at least 75 percent of the members of the Advisory Committee are health professionals, a broad geographic representation of members and a balance between urban and rural members. Members shall be appointed based on their competence, interest, and knowledge of the mission of the profession involved.
In appointing the members of the Advisory Committee under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall ensure the adequate representation of women and minorities.
A vacancy on the Advisory Committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made and shall be subject to any conditions which applied with respect to the original appointment.
An individual chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member replaced.
The Advisory Committee shall meet not less than 3 times each year. Such meetings shall be held jointly with other related entities established under this subchapter where appropriate.
Not later than 14 days prior to the convening of a meeting under paragraph (1), the Advisory Committee shall prepare and make available an agenda of the matters to be considered by the Advisory Committee at such meeting. At any such meeting, the Advisory Council 1
Each member of the Advisory Committee shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5 for each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Committee.
The members of the Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5 while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Committee.
Chapter 10 of title 5 shall apply to the Advisory Committee under this section only to the extent that the provisions of chapter 10 of title 5 do not conflict with the requirements of this section.
The Secretary may make awards of grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to health professions schools, hospices, tribal health programs (as defined in section 1603 of title 25), and other public and nonprofit private entities for the development and implementation of programs to provide education and training to health care professionals in pain care.
The Secretary shall (directly or through grants or contracts) provide for the evaluation of programs implemented under subsection (a) in order to determine the effect of such programs on knowledge and practice of pain care.
For purposes of this section the term “pain care” means the assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, or management of acute or chronic pain regardless of causation or body location.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023. Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall carry out a program for purposes of awarding grants to hospitals and emergency departments, including freestanding emergency departments, to develop, implement, enhance, or study alternatives to opioids for pain management in such settings.
To be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph (1), a hospital or emergency department shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall seek to ensure geographical distribution among grant recipients.
The Secretary may carry out a demonstration program 1
The Secretary shall implement a process for recipients of grants under subsection (a) or (b) to share evidence-based and best practices and promote consultation with persons having robust knowledge, including emergency departments and physicians that have successfully implemented programs that use alternatives to opioids for pain management, as appropriate, such as approaches studied through the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health or other institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health, as appropriate. The Secretary shall offer to each recipient of a grant under subsection (a) or (b) technical assistance as necessary.
To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities or consortia under this section to carry out demonstration projects to develop and implement academic curricula that integrates 1
The Secretary may award a grant to an entity or consortium under this section only if the entity or consortium agrees to make available non-Federal contributions toward the costs of the program to be funded under the grant in an amount that is not less than $1 for each $5 of Federal funds provided under the grant.
Non-Federal contributions under paragraph (1) may be in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including equipment or services. Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be included in determining the amount of such contributions.
The Secretary shall take such action as may be necessary to evaluate the projects funded under this section and publish, make publicly available, and disseminate the results of such evaluations on as wide a basis as is practicable.
A recipient of a grant under subsection (a)(3) shall enter into a partnership with organizations such as an education accrediting organization (such as the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the Council on Social Work Education, American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation, or the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant) to carry out activities under subsection (a)(3).
To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a)(3), an entity shall be a school of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a nursing school, a physician assistant training program, a school of pharmacy, a school of social work, an accredited public or nonprofit private hospital, an accredited medical residency program, or a public or private nonprofit entity which the Secretary has determined is capable of carrying out such grant.
Grants awarded under this section shall be for a minimum of 5 years.
The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall conduct a study on the results of the demonstration program under this section.
Not later than 90 days after the completion of the first year of the training program and each subsequent year that the program is in effect, each recipient of a grant under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary such data as the Secretary may require for analysis for the report described in paragraph (2).
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, and 1 $31,700,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.