Response to shortage of medical laboratory personnel; programs of Health Resources and Services Administration

(a)

Scholarship and loan repayment programs

Section 737 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293a)) is amended by adding at the end the following subsection:

(e)

Scholarship and loan repayment program for medical technologists, medical laboratory technicians, and other medical laboratory personnel

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall establish a program of scholarships and loan repayment for the purpose of alleviating the shortage of medical laboratory personnel. The scholarship and loan repayment program shall include a period of obligated service for recipients in a designated health professional shortage area, or other area where there is a shortage of medical laboratory personnel. The Secretary may model the program after the scholarship and loan repayment programs under sections 338A and 338B. (2)

Eligible entities

Schools of allied health, and health care institution-based programs training medical laboratory personnel, are eligible to receive awards under paragraph (1). (3)

Authorization of appropriations

For the purpose of carrying out this subsection, there are authorized to be appropriated $11,193,000 in fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2010. Such authorization is in addition to other authorizations of appropriations that are available for such purpose.

(b)

Other programs under title VII

(1)

Allied health and other disciplines

(A)

Preference in making awards; public service announcements

Section 755 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294e)) is amended by adding at the end the following subsections:

(c)

Preference in making awards

In making awards of grants and contracts under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference to making awards to assist entities in meeting the costs associated with expanding or establishing programs that will increase the number of individuals trained as medical laboratory personnel. (d)

Public service announcements

The Secretary shall develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote medical laboratory personnel careers, highlight the advantages and rewards of medical laboratory personnel careers, and encourage individuals to enter medical laboratory personnel careers.

(B)

Authorization of appropriations

Section 757 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294g(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following subsection:

(d)

Allied health and other disciplines

For the purpose of carrying out section 755, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2010. Such authorization is in addition to the authorizations of appropriations under subsection (a) that are available for such purpose.

(2)

Other title VII programs

Section 740 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293d) is amended— (A)by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and (B)by inserting after subsection (c) the following subsection:

(d)

Medical laboratory personnel

For the purpose of increasing the number of individuals trained as medical laboratory personnel through making awards of grants or contracts under sections 737 through 739 for appropriate schools of allied health, there are authorized to be appropriated, in addition to authorizations of appropriations under subsections (a) through (c) that are available for such purpose, the following: (1)For awards under section 738 to serve as members of the faculty of such schools, $332,500 for fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2010. (2)For awards under section 739 to such schools, $8,200,000 for fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2010.

(3)

Definition of medical laboratory personnel

Section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(12)The term medical laboratory personnel means allied health professionals (as defined in paragraph (5)) who are medical technologists, cytotechnologists, histotechnologists, phlebotomists, or medical laboratory technicians, or who are in other fields that, within the meaning of section 353(a) (relating to the certification of clinical laboratories), examine materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of the health of, human beings.

Response to shortage of medical laboratory personnel; programs of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Title XV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300k et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 1509 the following section:

1509A.

Shortage of technologists for laboratory analysis regarding screening for cervical cancer

(a)

In general

The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall make grants to appropriate public and nonprofit private entities to provide training to increase the number of cytotechnologists who are available with respect to screening women for cervical cancer. (b)

Funding

(1)

In general

Subject to paragraph (2), for the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2010. (2)

Limitation

The authorization of appropriations established in paragraph (1) is not effective for a fiscal year unless the amount appropriated under section 1510(a) for the fiscal year is equal to or greater than $173,928,000.