1.This Act may be cited as the
Allied Health Reinvestment
Act
.
2.
(a)Congress
makes the following findings:
(1)The United States
Census Bureau and other reports highlight the increased demand for acute and
chronic healthcare services among both the general population and a rapidly
growing aging portion of the population.
(2)The calls for
reduction in medical errors, increased patient safety, and quality of care have
resulted in an amplified call for allied health professionals to provide
healthcare services.
(3)Several allied
health professions are characterized by workforce shortages, declining
enrollments in allied health education programs, or a combination of both
factors, and hospital officials have reported vacancy rates in positions
occupied by allied health professionals.
(4)Many allied
health education programs are facing significant economic pressure that could
force their closure due to an insufficient number of students.
(b)It
is the purpose of this Act to provide incentives for individuals to seek and
complete high quality allied health education and training and provide
additional funding to ensure that such education and training can be provided
to allied health students so that the United States healthcare industry with
have a supply of allied health professionals needed to support the health care
system of the United States in this decade and beyond.
3.Amendment to the
Public Health Service
ActTitle VII of
the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C.
292 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
GAllied health professionals
799C.In this part:
(1)Allied health
education programThe term allied health education
program means any postsecondary educational program offered by an
institution accredited by an agency or commission recognized by the Department
of Education, or leading to a State certificate or license or any other
educational program approved by the Secretary. Such term includes colleges,
universities, or schools of allied health and equivalent entities that include
programs leading to a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level
degree in an allied health profession.
(2)Allied health
professionsThe term allied health professions
includes professions in the following areas at the certificate, associate,
baccalaureate, or graduate level:
(A)Dental
hygiene.
(B)Dietetics or
nutrition.
(C)Emergency medical
services.
(D)Health
information management.
(E)Clinical
laboratory sciences and medical technology.
(F)Cytotechnology.
(G)Occupational
therapy.
(H)Physical
therapy.
(I)Radiologic
technology.
(J)Nuclear medical
technology.
(K)Rehabilitation
counseling.
(L)Respiratory
therapy.
(M)Speech-language
pathology and audiology.
(N)Any other
profession determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(3)The term health care facility means an
outpatient health care facility, hospital, nursing home, home health care
agency, hospice, federally qualified health center, nurse managed health
center, rural health clinic, public health clinic, or any similar healthcare
facility or practice that employs allied health professionals.
799C–1.Public service
announcementsThe Secretary
shall develop and issue public service announcements that shall—
(1)advertise and
promote the allied health professions;
(2)highlight the
advantages and rewards of the allied health professions; and
(3)encourage
individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter the allied health
professions.
799C–2.State and local public service
announcements
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to designated eligible
entities to support State and local advertising campaigns that are conducted
through appropriate media outlets (as determined by the Secretary) to—
(1)promote the
allied health professions;
(2)highlight the
advantages and rewards of the allied health professions; and
(3)encourage
individuals from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds to enter the allied
health professions.
(b)To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), an
entity shall—
(1)be a
professional, national, or State allied health association, State health care
provider, or association of one or more health care facilities, allied health
education programs, or other entities that provides similar services or serves
a like function; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
799C–3.Allied health recruitment grant
program
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities
to increase allied health professions education opportunities.
(b)To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), an
entity shall—
(1)be a
professional, national, or State allied health association, State health care
provider, or association of one or more health care facilities, allied health
education programs, or other eligible entities that provides similar services
or serves a like function; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)An entity shall use amounts received under a grant under
subsection (a) to—
(1)support outreach
programs at elementary and secondary schools that inform guidance counselors
and students of education opportunities regarding the allied health
professions;
(2)carry out special
projects to increase allied health education opportunities for individuals who
are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including racial and ethnic minorities that
are underrepresented among the allied health professions) by providing student
scholarships or stipends, pre-entry preparation, and retention
activities;
(3)provide
assistance to public and nonprofit private educational institutions to support
remedial education programs for allied health students who require assistance
with mathematics, science, English, and medical terminology;
(4)meet the costs of
child care and transportation for individuals who are taking part in an allied
health education program at any level; and
(5)support
community-based partnerships seeking to recruit allied health professionals in
rural communities and medically underserved urban communities, and other
communities experiencing an allied health professions shortage.
799C–4.Grants for health career
academies
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to
assist such entities in collaborating to carry out programs that form education
pipelines to facilitate the entry of students of secondary schools (as defined
in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801)), especially underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students,
into careers in the allied health professions.
(b)To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), an
entity shall—
(1)be an institution
that offers allied health education programs, a health care facility, or a
secondary educational institution; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
799C–5.Allied health education, practice, and
retention grants
(a)The Secretary may award grants to or enter into
contracts with eligible entities to—
(1)expand the
enrollment of individuals in allied health education programs, especially
through the recruitment of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority
students; and
(2)provide education
through new technologies and methods, including distance-learning
methodologies.
(b)The Secretary may award grants to or enter into
contracts with eligible entities to—
(1)establish or
expand allied health practice arrangements in noninstitutional settings to
demonstrate methods to improve access to primary health care in rural areas and
other medically underserved communities;
(2)provide care for
underserved populations and other high-risk groups such as the elderly,
individuals with HIV/AIDS, substance abusers, the homeless, and victims of
domestic violence;
(3)provide managed
care, information management, quality improvement, and other skills needed to
practice in existing and emerging organized health care systems; or
(4)develop
generational and cultural competencies among allied health
professionals.
(c)
(1)The Secretary may award grants to and enter into
contracts with eligible entities to enhance the allied health professions
workforce by initiating and maintaining allied health retention programs
described in paragraph (2) or (3).
(2)Grants for
career ladder programsThe Secretary may award grants to and
enter into contracts with eligible entities for programs—
(A)to
promote—
(i)career
advancement for allied health personnel in a variety of training
settings;
(ii)cross training
or specialty training in the allied health professions among diverse population
groups; and
(iii)the advancement
of individuals in the allied health professions; and
(B)to assist
individuals in obtaining the education and training required to enter the
allied health professions and advance within such professions, such as by
providing career counseling and mentoring.
(3)Enhancing
patient care delivery systems
(A)The
Secretary may award grants to eligible entities to improve the retention of
allied health professionals and to enhance patient care that is directly
related to allied health activities by enhancing collaboration and
communication among allied health professionals and other health care
professionals, and by promoting allied health involvement in the organizational
and clinical decisionmaking processes of a health care facility.
(B)In
making awards of grants under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give
preferences to applicants that have not previously received an award under this
paragraph and to applicants from rural, underserved areas.
(C)The Secretary shall make continuation of any award under
this paragraph beyond the second year of such award contingent on the recipient
of such award having demonstrated to the Secretary measurable and substantive
improvement in allied health personnel retention or patient care.
(d)To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an
entity shall—
(1)be a health care
facility, or any partnership or coalition containing a health care facility or
allied health education program; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
799C–6.Developing models and best practices
program
(a)The
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to
carry out demonstration programs using models and best practices in allied
health for the purpose of developing innovative strategies or approaches for
the retention of allied health professionals.
(b)To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an
entity shall—
(1)be a health care
facility, or any partnership or coalition containing a health care facility or
allied health education program; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall
ensure that grantees represent a variety of geographic regions and a range of
different types and sizes of facilities, including facilities located in rural,
urban, and suburban areas.
(d)An entity shall use amounts received under a grant under
this section to carry out demonstration programs of models and best practices
in allied health for the purpose of—
(1)promoting
retention and satisfaction of allied health professionals;
(2)promoting
opportunities for allied health professionals to pursue education, career
advancement, and organizational recognition; and
(3)developing
continuing education programs that instruct allied health professionals in how
to use emerging medical technologies and how to address current and future
health care needs.
(e)Area health
education centersThe Secretary shall award grants to area health
education centers to enable such centers to enter into contracts with allied
health education programs to expand the operation of area health education
centers to work in communities to develop models of excellence for allied
health professionals or to expand any junior and senior high school mentoring
programs to include an allied health professions mentoring program.
799C–7.Allied health faculty loan
program
(a)The
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration, may enter into an agreement with any institution
offering an eligible allied health education program for the establishment and
operation of a faculty loan fund in accordance with this section (referred to
in this section as the loan fund
), to increase the number of
qualified allied health faculty.
(b)Each
agreement entered into under this section shall—
(1)provide for the
establishment of a loan fund by the institution offering the allied health
education program involved;
(2)provide for
deposit in the loan fund of—
(A)the Federal
capital contributions to the fund;
(B)an amount
provided by the institution involved which shall be equal to not less than
one-ninth of the amount of the Federal capital contribution under subparagraph
(A);
(C)any collections
of principal and interest on loans made from the fund; and
(D)any other
earnings of the fund;
(3)provide that the
loan fund will be used only for the provision of loans to faculty of the allied
health education program in accordance with subsection (c) and for the costs of
the collection of such loans and the interest thereon;
(4)provide that
loans may be made from such fund only to faculty who are pursuing a full-time
course of study or, at the discretion of the Secretary, a part-time course of
study in an advanced degree program; and
(5)contain such
other provisions determined appropriate by the Secretary to protect the
financial interests of the United States.
(c)Loans from any faculty loan fund established pursuant
to an agreement under this section shall be made to an individual on such terms
and conditions as the allied health education program may determine, except
that—
(1)such terms and
conditions are subject to any conditions, limitations, and requirements
prescribed by the Secretary;
(2)in the case of
any individual, the total of the loans for any academic year made by an allied
health education program from loan funds established pursuant to agreements
under this section may not exceed $30,000, plus any amount determined by the
Secretary on an annual basis to reflect inflation;
(3)upon completion
by the individual of each of the first, second, and third year of full-time
employment, as required under the loan agreement, as a faculty member in an
allied health education program, the program shall cancel 20 percent of the
principal and interest due on the amount of the unpaid portion of the loan on
the first day of such employment;
(4)upon completion
by the individual of the fourth year of full-time employment, as required under
the loan agreement, as a faculty member in an allied health education program,
the program shall cancel 25 percent of the principal and interest due on the
amount of the unpaid portion of the loan on the first day of such
employment;
(5)the loan may be
used to pay the cost of tuition, fees, books, laboratory expenses, and other
reasonable education expenses;
(6)the loan shall be
repayable in equal or graduated periodic installments (with the right of the
borrower to accelerate repayment) over the 10-year period that begins 9 months
after the individual ceases to pursue a course of study in an allied health
education program; and
(7)the loan
shall—
(A)beginning on the
date that is 3 months after the individual ceases to pursue a course of study
in an allied health education program, bear interest on the unpaid balance of
the loan at the rate of 3 percent per year; or
(B)subject to
subsection (e), if the allied health education program determines that the
individual will not complete such course of study or serve as a faculty member
as required under the loan agreement under this subsection, bear interest on
the unpaid balance of the loan at the prevailing market rate.
(d)Payment of
proportionate shareWhere all or any part of a loan (including
interest thereon) is canceled under this section, the Secretary shall pay to
the allied health education program involved an amount equal to the program’s
proportionate share of the canceled portion, as determined by the
Secretary.
(e)At the request of the individual involved, the
Secretary may review any determination by an allied health education program
under this section.
799C–8.Scholarship program for service in rural
and other medically underserved areas
(a)The Secretary shall establish a scholarship program
(referred to in this section as the program
) to provide
scholarships to individuals seeking allied health education who agree to
provide service in rural and other medically underserved areas with allied
health personnel shortages.
(b)In
awarding scholarships under this section, the Secretary shall give preference
to—
(1)applicants who
demonstrate the greatest financial need, including minority applicants;
(2)applicants who
agree to serve in health care facilities experiencing allied health shortages
in rural and other medically underserved areas;
(3)applicants who
are currently working in a health care facility and who agree to serve the
period of obligated service at such facility; and
(4)applicants with
an interest in a practice area of allied health that has unmet needs.
(c)
(1)Under
the program, the Secretary shall enter into contracts with eligible individuals
under which such individuals agree to serve as allied health professionals for
a period of not less than 2 years at a health care facility with a critical
shortage of allied health professionals in consideration of the Federal
Government agreeing to provide to the individuals scholarships for attendance
in an allied health education program.
(2)In this subsection, the term eligible
individual means an individual who is enrolled or accepted for
enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in an allied health education
program.
(3)
(A)The Secretary may not enter into a contract with an
eligible individual under this section unless the individual agrees to serve as
an allied health professional at a health care facility with a critical
shortage of allied health professionals for a period of full-time service of
not less than 2 years, or for a period of part-time service in accordance with
subparagraph (B).
(B)An individual may complete the period of service
described in subparagraph (A) on a part-time basis if the individual has a
written agreement that—
(i)is entered into
by the facility and the individual and is approved by the Secretary; and
(ii)provides that
the period of obligated service will be extended so that the aggregate amount
of service performed will equal the amount of service that would be performed
through a period of full-time service of not less than 2 years.
(d)Not
later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this part, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report describing the program carried out under this
section, including statements regarding—
(1)the number of
enrollees by specialty or discipline, scholarships, and grant
recipients;
(2)the number of
graduates;
(3)the amount of
scholarship payments made;
(4)which educational
institution the recipients attended;
(5)the number and
placement location of the scholarship recipients at health care facilities with
a critical shortage of allied health professionals;
(6)the default rate
and actions required;
(7)the amount of
outstanding default funds of the scholarship program;
(8)to the extent
that it can be determined, the reason for the default;
(9)the demographics
of the individuals participating in the scholarship program; and
(10)an evaluation of
the overall costs and benefits of the program.
799C–9.Grants for clinical education,
internship, and residency programs
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities
to develop clinical education, internship, and residency programs that
encourage mentoring and the development of specialties.
(b)To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity
shall—
(1)be a partnership
of an allied health education program and a health care facility; and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)An eligible entity shall use amounts received under a grant
under this section to—
(1)develop clinical
education, internship, and residency programs and curriculum and training
programs for graduates of an allied health education program;
(2)provide support
for faculty and mentors; and
(3)provide support
for allied health professionals participating in clinical education,
internship, and residency programs on both a full-time and part-time
basis.
799C–10.
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to
enable such entities to form partnerships to carry out the activities described
in this section.
(b)To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an
entity shall—
(1)be a partnership
between an allied health education program and a health care facility;
and
(2)prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)An eligible entity shall use amounts received under a grant
under this section to—
(1)provide employees
of the health care facility that is a member of the partnership involved
advanced training and education in a allied health education program;
(2)establish or
expand allied health practice arrangements in non-institutional settings to
demonstrate methods to improve access to health care in rural and other
medically underserved communities;
(3)purchase distance
learning technology to extend general education and training programs to rural
areas, and to extend specialty education and training programs to all areas;
and
(4)establish or
expand mentoring, clinical education, and internship programs for training in
specialty care areas.
799C–11.Allied health professions training for
diversityThe Secretary,
acting in conjunction with allied health professional associations, shall
develop a system for collecting and analyzing allied health workforce data
gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Health Resources and Services
Administration, other entities within the Department of Health and Human
Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, the Department of Defense, allied health professional
associations, and regional centers for health workforce studies to—
(1)determine educational pipeline and
practitioner shortages; and
(2)project future needs for such a
workforce.
799C–12.Allied health professions training for
diversityThe Secretary shall
include schools of allied health among the health professions schools that are
eligible to receive grants under this part for the purpose of assisting such
schools in supporting Centers of Excellence in health professions education for
individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds, including
under-represented minority individuals.
799C–13.Reports by Government Accountability
OfficeNot later than 4 years
after the date of enactment of this part, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct an evaluation of whether the programs carried out under
this part have demonstrably increased the number of applicants to allied health
education programs and prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report concerning the results of such evaluation.
799C–14.Authorization of
appropriationsThere is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part, such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 through
2015.
.