Health Services Act

(LATEST SUMMARY)

Health Services Act - =Title I: Community Health Centers= - Sets forth congressional findings regarding the need for the provision of high quality essential health services and comprehensive mental health services in all American communities.

States that the essential health services which shall be provided by a community health center are: (1) physician services (including consultant and referral services by a physician) and, where feasible, services of physicians' assistants and nurse clinicians; (2) emergency medical services; (3) diagnostic laboratory and radiologic services; (4) preventive health services; (5) transportation services necessary to overcome special difficulty of access to services provided by the community health center; and (6) services which promote and facilitate optimal use of available health services.

Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make planning and development grants to any public or private nonprofit agency, organization, or institution which has demonstrated the capacity to prepare a satisfactory plan for providing essential health services through a community health center.

Provides that the Secretary may make start-up grants to any public or private nonprofit agency, organization, or institution which has a plan satisfactory to the Secretary for providing essential health services through a community health center.

States that grants for development shall be made to assist in meeting the cost of: (1) development of essential and supplemental health services, including the addition of new services to those already offered, to the extent that such costs are not ordinary costs of operation, as defined in regulations of the Secretary; (2) development of the resources and techniques to achieve compliance with specified conditions; and (3) acquisition and construction of new facilities, expansion and remodeling of existing facilities, leasing of facilities, and initial equipment of facilities acquired, constructed, expanded, remodeled, or leased with financial assistance provided for grants under this Act.

Authorizes the Secretary to make operating grants to any: (1) community health center; or (2) public or private nonprofit agency, organization, or institution which is providing services or meets the definition of a community health center except that it is not providing all of the essential health services described in this Act.

Sets forth conditions to be met for approval of grant applications.

Directs the Secretary to appoint and organize a National Advisory Council on Community Health Centers which shall advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary on matters concerning the organization, operation, and funding of community health centers and other grantees.

Authorizes appropriations of $500,000 for each fiscal year 1975-1978 for planning and development grants. Authorizes appropriations of $30,000,000 for each fiscal year 1975-1978 for start-up grants. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, and for each of the succeeding three fiscal years to make operating grants.

=Title II: Migrant Health Centers= - Authorizes the Secretary to make available planning, development, and operating grants for the establishment and maintenance of migrant health centers. Sets forth conditions for the approval of migrant health center grants.

Directs the Secretary to appoint and organize a National Advisory Council on Migrant Health Centers which shall advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary on matters concerning the organization, operation, and funding of migrant health centers and other grantees under this part.

Authorizes appropriations for migrant health center grants for the fiscal years 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978.

=Title III: Community Mental Health Centers= - Authorizes the Secretary to make available planning, development, and operating grants for the establishment and maintenance of community mental health centers. Sets forth conditions for the approval of mental health center grants.

Authorizes the Secretary to provide all necessary technical and other nonfinancial assistance (including fiscal and program management and training in fiscal and program management) to any public or private, nonprofit agency, organization, or institution which is eligible to receive grants under this Act to assist such agency, organization, or institution in developing plans for and in becoming a community health center.

Authorizes appropriations for community mental health center grants for the fiscal years 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978.

=Title IV: General Provisions= - Provides that each grantee of a grant under this title shall keep such records as the Secretary shall prescribe, including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by such grantee of the proceeds of such grant, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which such grant is given or used, and the amount of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit.

Requires that if any facility remodeled, constructed, or acquired with funds provided under this title is, at any time within 20 years after the completion of such remodeling or construction or after the date of its acquisition with such funds: (1) sold or transferred to any person or entity which is not qualified to file an application for a grant under this title; or (2) ceases to be used for the purposes described in this title and the Secretary has not determined that there is good cause for termination of such use, the United States shall be entitled to recover from either the transferor or the transferee in the case of a sale or transfer or from the owner in the case of termination of use an amount bearing the same ratio to the then value (as determined by the agreement of the parties or by action brought in the district court of the United States for the district in which the center is situated) of so much of such facility as constituted an approved project or projects, as the amount of the Federal participation bears to the cost of the construction of such project or projects.

Directs that no later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare shall submit to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of the Senate a report setting forth: (1) national standards for care provided by community mental health centers; and (2) criteria for evaluation of community mental health centers and the quality of the services provided by the centers.

=Title V: Health Revenue Sharing= - Authorizes appropriations of $90,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, and for each of the four succeeding fiscal years for grants to States for comprehensive public health resources.

Authorizes to be appropriated $70,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, to enable the Secretary to make grants to State health authorities to assist the States in establishing and maintaining programs for the screeing, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension.

=Title VI: Home Health Services= - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to meet the initial costs of establishing and operating such agencies, and expanding the services available in existing agencies, and to meet the costs of compensating professional and paraprofessional personnel during the initial operation of such agencies or the expansion of services in existing agencies. Authorizes to be appropriated $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, $18,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, $21,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977, and $24,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, for the purpose of making such grants.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private agencies and institutions to assist them in initiating, developing, and maintaining programs for the training of professional and paraprofessional personnel to provide home health services.

Authorizes to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, $6,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, $7,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977, and $8,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, for the purpose of making such grants.

=Title VII: Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly= - Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly Act - Establishes a temporary commission to be known as the Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly. Provides that such Commission shall not exceed five years in existence.

Makes it the duty of the Commission to: (1) develop a national policy for the proper maintenance of mental health for aged and aging persons and the care and treatment of mental illness for such persons; (2) undertake studies to assess future needs for mental health facilities, manpower, research, and training to meet the mental health care needs of aged and aging persons; (3) submit to the President for transmittal to Congress an annual report describing major developments concerning the treatment and care of elderly persons suffering from mental illness, identifying priority issues, and proposing recommendations for solving these problems; (4) recognizing that proper physical health and proper mental health are inseparable, evaluate present mental health programs to determine whether such programs are responsive to the needs of aged and aging persons; and (5) develop priorities for programs designed to increase knowledge about various aspects of mental illness among aged and aging persons.

Establishes an Advisory Council on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly. Provides that the Commission shall make available to the Council such staff, information, and other assistance as it may require to carry out its activities.

Directs the Council to advise the Commissioner on policy matters relating to mental health and illness.

=Title VIII: Rape Prevention and Control= - Rape Prevention and Control Act - Directs the Secretary to establish within the National Institute of Mental Health a center to be known as the National Center for the Control and Prevention of Rape.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of: (1) the effectiveness of existing Federal, State, and local laws dealing with rape; (2) the relationship, if any, between traditional legal and social attitude toward sexual roles, the act of rape, and the formulation of laws dealing with rape; (3) the treatment of the victims of rape by law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or other medical institutions, prosecutors, and the courts; (4) the causes of rape; (5) sexual assults in correctional institutions; (6) the actual incidence of forcible rape as compared to the reported cases and the reasons therefor; and (7) the effectiveness of existing private, and local and State government education and counseling programs designed to prevent and control rape.

Makes it the duty of the Center to: (1) complie, analyze, and publish and annually submit, through the Secretary, to Congress a summary of the continuing study conducted under this Act; (2) develop and maintain an information clearinghouse with regard to the prevention and control of rape, the treatment and counseling of the victims of rape and their families, and the rehabilitation of offenders; and (3) compile and publish training materials for personnel who are engaged or intend to engage in programs designed to prevent and control rape.

Provides that funds available to any department or agency of the Federal Government for research and development for the prevention and control of rape shall be available for transfer with the approval of the head of the department or agency involved, in whole or in part, to the Center for such use as is consistent with the purposes for which such funds were provided, and funds so transferred shall be expendable by the Center for the purposes for which the transfer was made.

Directs the Secretary, through the Center, to make grants to community mental health centers, nonprofit private organizations, and public agencies (determined by the Secretary to be qualified), for the purpose of conducting research and demonstration projects concerning the control and prevention of rape.

Authorizes the appropriation of $9,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, $11,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977, and $12,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, for the purpose of making grants under this Act.

Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to him on matters relating to rape prevention and control.

=Title IX: Commission for Control of Epilepsy= - Commission for the Control of Epilepsy and Its Consequences Act - Establishes a temporary commission to be known as the Commission for the Control of Epilepsy and Its Consequences. Provides that such Commission shall exist for a period not to exceed one year.

Makes it the duty of the Commission to: (1) make a comprehensive study of the state of the art of medical and social management of the epilepsies in the United States; (2) investigate and make recommendations concerning the proper roles of the Federal and State governments, and the national and local public and private agencies, in research, prevention, identification, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons with epilepsy; (3) develop a comprehensive national plan for the control of epilepsy and its consequences, based on the most thorough, complete, and accurate data and information available on the disorder; and (4) transmit to the President and the Congress, no later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, a report detailing the findings and conclusions of the Commission, together with recommendations, including recommendations for legislation and appropriations, as it deems advisable.

=Title X: Hemophilia Programs= - Hemophilia Act - Declares the findings of the Congress: (1) that there are a significant number of individuals residing in the United States who suffer from hemophilia; (2) that there exists today the technology and the skills to enable such individuals to lead productive lives; and (3) that the high cost of such technology and skills are in most cases denying the benefits of such advances to individuals suffering from hemophilia.

Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to guarantee individuals suffering from hemophilia their entitlement to care commensurate with the technology and skills that are available.

Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of no less than 15 new centers for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from hemophilia.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities, and may enter into competitive contracts with public and private entities for projects for the establishment of hemophilia diagnostic and treatment centers.

Provides that no grant or contract may be made under this part unless an application therefor has been submitted to and approved by the Secretary. Requires that such application shall be in such form, submitted in such manner and contain such information, as the Secretary shall by regulation prescribe.

Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out these provisions $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, and $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977.

Directs the Secretary, in accordance with regulations promulgated by him, to make grants to public and private nonprofit entities, and to enter into competitive contracts with public and private entities to develop and/or expand blood-separation centers within existing facilities for the purpose of separating and making available for distribution, blood components to providers of blood services and manufacturers of blood fractions.

Provides that in the event the Secretary, after consultation with the Board established under this part, finds that there is an insufficient supply of blood fractions available to meet the medical treatment demands for hemophilia, and that public and other nonprofit centers already engaged in the production of blood fractions could alleviate such insufficiency with assistance under this section, he may make grants not to exceed $500,000 to each such center for the purpose of alleviating the insufficency.

Authorizes, for purpose of making payments pursuant to such grants and contracts, the appropriation of $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, and $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977.

Establishes in the National Institutes of Health a National Hemophilia Advisory Board.

Makes it the function of the Board to: (1) establish guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia; (2) make recommendations to the Secretary with regard to the provision of treatments under this title; (3) make recommendations to the Secretary pursuant this title; and (4) submit a report to the President for transmittal to the Congress not later than January 31 of each year on the scope of activities conducted under this title.

Provides that any individual who is a resident of the United States and suffering from hemophilia shall be entitled to receive benefits under this title.

Provides that the eligibility of an individual for benefits under this title consists of entitlement to have payment made to or on behalf of such individual in accordance with the provisions of this title for the following items and services associated with the treatment and diagnosis of hemophilia: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital services; (2) physician's and other professional services; (3) medical and other health services; (4) rehabilitative services; (5) home health services; (6) necessary drugs and biologicals (including blood and blood products); and (7) such other items and services determined by the Secretary in accordance with recommendations of the Board to be appropriate and necessary to assure that individuals suffering from hemophilia are properly diagnosed and treated so that they may lead productive lives.