[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1402 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1402

 To amend the Social Security Act to establish a community health aide 
 program for Alaskan communities that do not qualify for the Community 
   Health Aide Program for Alaska operated through the Indian Health 
                                Service.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 7, 1997

 Mr. Murkowski introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Social Security Act to establish a community health aide 
 program for Alaskan communities that do not qualify for the Community 
   Health Aide Program for Alaska operated through the Indian Health 
                                Service.

    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 ``Alaskan Community Health Aide 
Program Expansion Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Numerous communities in Alaska have no physicians or 
        health care providers of any kind.
            (2) While those communities are served by Alaskan public 
        health nurses on an itinerant basis, Alaskan law prohibits 
        those nurses from treating patients for individual health 
        concerns.
            (3) Physical and cultural isolation is so severe in those 
        communities that private health care providers often opt not to 
        serve those communities.
            (4) Not enough Native Alaskans reside in such communities 
        to warrant placement of a community health aide pursuant to the 
        Community Health Aide Program for Alaska operated through the 
        Indian Health Service.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AIDE PROGRAM FOR ALASKA.

    Part A of title XI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1301-
1320b-16), as amended by section 4321(c) of the Balanced Budget Act of 
1997 (42 U.S.C. 1320b-16), is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

                ``alaskan community health aide program

    ``Sec. 1147. Not later than October 1, 1998, the Secretary shall 
establish an Alaskan Community Health Aide Program (in this section 
referred to as the `Program') under which the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) provide for the training of Alaskans as community 
        health aides or community health practitioners;
            ``(2) use such aides or practitioners in the provision of 
        health care, health promotion, and disease prevention services 
        to Alaskans living in communities that do not qualify for the 
        Community Health Aide Program for Alaska operated through the 
        Indian Health Service and established under section 119 of the 
        Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616l);
            ``(3) provide for the establishment of teleconferencing 
        capacity in health clinics located in or near such communities 
        for use by community health aides or community health 
        practitioners;
            ``(4) using trainers accredited under the Program, provide 
        a high standard of training to community health aides and 
        community health practitioners to ensure that such aides and 
        practitioners provide quality health care, health promotion, 
        and disease prevention services to the Alaskan communities 
        served by the Program;
            ``(5) develop a curriculum for the training of such aides 
        and practitioners that--
                    ``(A) combines education in the theory of health 
                care with supervised practical experience in the 
                provision of health care; and
                    ``(B) provides instruction and practical experience 
                in the provision of acute care, emergency care, health 
                promotion, disease prevention, and the efficient and 
                effective management of clinic pharmacies, supplies, 
                equipment, and facilities;
            ``(6) establish and maintain a Community Health Aide 
        Certification Board to certify as community health aides or 
        community health practitioners individuals who have 
        successfully completed the training described in paragraphs (4) 
        and (5), or can demonstrate equivalent experience;
            ``(7) develop and maintain a system which identifies the 
        needs of community health aides and community health 
        practitioners for continuing education in the provision of 
        health care, including the areas described in paragraph (5)(B), 
        and develop programs that meet the needs for such continuing 
        education;
            ``(8) develop and maintain a system that provides close 
        supervision of community health aides and community health 
        practitioners; and
            ``(9) develop a system under which the work of community 
        health aides and community health practitioners is reviewed and 
        evaluated to ensure the provision of quality health care, 
        health promotion, and disease prevention services in accordance 
        with this section.''.
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