[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 128 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 128

     To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide health care 
 practitioners in rural areas with training in preventive health care, 
    including both physical and mental care, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 1997

  Mr. Inouye introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide health care 
 practitioners in rural areas with training in preventive health care, 
    including both physical and mental care, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Preventive Health Care 
Training Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE TRAINING.

    Section 778 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294p) is 
amended--
            [(1) in subsection (b)(3)(C), by striking ``this section'' 
        and inserting ``subsection (a)'';]
            (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively;
            (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(e) Preventive Health Care Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to, and 
        enter into contracts with, eligible applicants to enable such 
        applicants to provide preventive health care training, in 
        accordance with paragraph (3), to health care practitioners 
        practicing in rural areas. Such training shall, to the extent 
        practicable, include training in health care to prevent both 
        physical and mental disorders before the initial occurrence of 
        such disorders. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary 
        shall encourage, but may not require, the use of 
        interdisciplinary training project applications.
            ``(2) Limitation.--To be eligible to receive training using 
        assistance provided under paragraph (1), a health care 
        practitioner shall be determined by the eligible applicant 
        involved to be practicing, or desiring to practice, in a rural 
        area.
            ``(3) Use of assistance.--Amounts received under a grant 
        made or contract entered into under this subsection shall be 
        used--
                    ``(A) to provide student stipends to individuals 
                attending rural community colleges or other 
                institutions that service predominantly rural 
                communities, for the purpose of enabling the 
                individuals to receive preventive health care training;
                    ``(B) to increase staff support at rural community 
                colleges or other institutions that service 
                predominantly rural communities to facilitate the 
                provision of preventive health care training;
                    ``(C) to provide training in appropriate research 
                and program evaluation skills in rural communities;
                    ``(D) to create and implement innovative programs 
                and curricula with a specific prevention component; and
                    ``(E) for other purposes as the Secretary 
                determines to be appropriate.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, 
        $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1998 through 2000.''; and
            (4) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by inserting 
        ``except subsection (e),'' after ``section,''.
                                 <all>