Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022
This bill provides statutory authority for the Medical Student Education Program, through which the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awards matching grants for expanding and supporting medical education with a particular focus on training students to serve as primary care physicians in tribal, rural, or medically underserved communities.
HRSA must award the grants to public institutions of higher education located in states that rank in the top quartile of states based on projected unmet demand for primary care providers. In awarding the grants, HRSA must give priority to recipients that (1) are located in states with two or more federally recognized Indian tribes, and (2) demonstrate a public-private partnership.
Recipients must use grant funds for specified activities that include developing curricula, expanding partnerships with health care providers and community-based organizations, and providing scholarships.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3497 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3497
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to
award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a
covered State, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 13 (legislative day, January 10), 2022
Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to
award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a
covered State, 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 ``Medical Student Education
Authorization Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Access to high quality primary care is associated with
improved health outcomes and lower health care costs.
(2) Substantial disparities exist in the distribution of
primary care providers.
(3) Shortages of health care providers affect Tribal,
rural, and medically underserved communities more than the
populations of more densely populated areas, resulting in such
communities experiencing significant health challenges and
disparities.
(4) American Indian, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians
tend to have lower health status, lower life expectancy, and
disproportionate disease burden when compared to other
Americans.
(5) Having training experiences in, living among, and being
a member of Tribal, rural, and medically underserved
communities increases cultural awareness and can influence
career choice for physicians to better serve such populations.
(6) Research shows there is a relationship between the
characteristics of a physician and the eventual practice
location, including being part of an underrepresented minority
or growing up in a rural area.
SEC. 3. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR
UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS.
Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 742. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR
UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration,
shall establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions
of higher education located in a covered State to carry out the
activities described in subsection (d) for the purposes of--
``(1) expanding and supporting education for medical
students who are preparing to become physicians in a covered
State; and
``(2) preparing and encouraging each such student training
in a covered State to serve Tribal, rural, or medically
underserved communities as a primary care physician after
completing such training.
``(b) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible to receive a grant
under this section, a public institution of higher education shall
submit an application to the Secretary that includes--
``(1) a certification that such institution will use
amounts provided to the institution to carry out the activities
described in subsection (d); and
``(2) a description of how such institution will carry out
such activities.
``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to public institutions of higher
education that--
``(1) are located in a State with not fewer than 2
federally recognized Tribes; and
``(2) demonstrate a public-private partnership.
``(d) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a
grant under this section shall use the funds made available under such
grant to carry out the following activities:
``(1) Support or expand community-based experiential
training for medical students who will practice in or serve
Tribal, rural, and medically underserved communities.
``(2) Develop and operate programs to train medical
students in primary care services.
``(3) Develop and implement curricula that--
``(A) includes a defined set of clinical and
community-based training activities that emphasize care
for Tribal, rural, or medically underserved
communities;
``(B) is applicable to primary care practice with
respect to individuals from Tribal, rural, or medically
underserved communities;
``(C) identifies and addresses challenges to health
equity, including the needs of Tribal, rural, and
medically underserved communities;
``(D) supports the use of telehealth technologies
and practices;
``(E) considers social determinants of health in
care plan development;
``(F) integrates behavioral health care into
primary care practice, including prevention and
treatment of opioid disorders and other substance use
disorders;
``(G) promotes interprofessional training that
supports a patient-centered model of care; and
``(H) builds cultural and linguistic competency.
``(4) Increase the capacity of faculty to implement the
curricula described in paragraph (3).
``(5) Develop or expand strategic partnerships to improve
health outcomes for individuals from Tribal, rural, and
medically underserved communities, including with--
``(A) federally recognized Tribes, Tribal colleges,
and Tribal organizations;
``(B) Federally-qualified health centers;
``(C) rural health clinics;
``(D) Indian health programs;
``(E) primary care delivery sites and systems; and
``(F) other community-based organizations.
``(6) Develop a plan to track graduates' chosen specialties
for residency and the States in which such residency programs
are located.
``(7) Develop, implement, and evaluate methods to improve
recruitment and retention of medical students from Tribal,
rural, and medically underserved communities.
``(8) Train and support instructors to serve Tribal, rural,
and medically underserved communities.
``(9) Prepare medical students for transition into primary
care residency training and future practice.
``(10) Provide scholarships to medical students.
``(e) Grant Period.--A grant under this section shall be awarded
for a period of not more than 5 years.
``(f) Grant Amount.--Each fiscal year, the amount of a grant made
to a public institution of higher education under this section shall be
in amount that is not less than $1,000,000.
``(g) Matching Requirement.--Each public institution of higher
education that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from
non-Federal sources, an amount equal to or greater than 10 percent of
the total amount of Federal funds provided to the institution each
fiscal year during the period of the grant (which may be provided in
cash or in kind).
``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Covered state.--The term `covered State' means a
State that is in the top quartile of States by projected unmet
demand for primary care providers, as determined by the
Secretary.
``(2) Federally-qualified health center.--The term
`Federally-qualified health center' has the meaning given such
term in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act.
``(3) Indian health program.--The term `Indian health
program' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
``(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965,
provided that such institution is public in nature.
``(5) Medically underserved community.--The term `medically
underserved community' has the meaning given such term in
section 799B.
``(6) Rural health clinic.--The term `rural health clinic'
has the meaning given such term in section 1861(aa) of the
Social Security Act.
``(7) Rural population.--The term `rural population' means
the population of a geographical area located--
``(A) in a non-metropolitan county; or
``(B) in a metropolitan county designated as rural
by the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration.
``(8) Tribal population.--The term `Tribal population'
means the population of any Indian Tribe recognized by the
Secretary of the Interior pursuant to section 104 of the
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $150,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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