Educating to Prevent Eating Disorders Act of 2015

Summary: Educating to Prevent Eating Disorders Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish a pilot program to provide students with interventions for eating disorders. Under this pilot program, grants must be awarded to schools that serve students in grades 6-8 and need a nurse trained in recognizing and responding to eating disorders. Schools must use these grants to develop best practices for health care providers to assess, recognize, and respond to students with eating disorders and to hire a health care provider to: (1) follow these best practices, (2) provide information and seminars on eating disorders to teachers and parents, and (3) otherwise serve as a full time health care provider for the school.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Educating to Prevent Eating 
Disorders Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO TEST IMPACT OF EARLY INTERVENTION ON EATING 
              DISORDERS.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``SEC. 399V-6. PILOT PROGRAM TO TEST IMPACT OF EARLY INTERVENTION ON 
              EATING DISORDERS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, through the Director of the 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, may establish a pilot 
program, for a period of three consecutive school years, to test the 
impact of providing students in eligible schools with interventions to 
prevent, identify, intervene, and manage eating disorders.
    ``(b) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Under such pilot program, the Secretary 
        shall award grants to eligible schools. Each such grant shall 
        be for the period of the pilot program.
            ``(2) Uses.--Each eligible school receiving a grant under 
        the pilot program shall use such grant to--
                    ``(A) develop best practices, in accordance, as 
                appropriate, with input from research experts in the 
                eating disorders field, for eligible health care 
                providers to assess and recognize students with eating 
                disorders and to respond appropriately;
                    ``(B) hire an eligible health care provider to--
                            ``(i) in accordance with the best practices 
                        developed pursuant to subparagraph (A), assess 
                        and recognize whether students in grades 6 
                        through 8 attending such school have eating 
                        disorders and respond appropriately to 
                        individuals with eating disorders among 
                        students attending such school, including by 
                        providing counsel and by referral;
                            ``(ii) provide educational information and 
                        seminars, developed in partnership with 
                        research experts in the field of eating 
                        disorders, to teachers at such school and 
                        parents of students attending such school to 
                        assist such teachers and parents in recognizing 
                        the symptoms of eating disorders and 
                        understanding how to seek help and 
                        intervention; and
                            ``(iii) otherwise serve as a full-time 
                        health care provider for such school.
    ``(c) Eligible School.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`eligible school' means a public or private school that--
            ``(1) serves students in grades 6 through 8;
            ``(2) submits to the Secretary, through the Director of the 
        Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an application to 
        participate in the pilot program, containing such information 
        as specified by the Secretary, through the Director;
            ``(3) is assessed as having a need for a school nurse 
        trained in assessing students to recognize and respond to 
        eating disorders; and
            ``(4) is selected by the Secretary, through the Director of 
        the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in a manner 
        such that schools are selected in each of the regions served by 
        a regional office of the Department of Health and Human 
        Services.
    ``(d) Eligible Health Care Provider.--For purposes of this section, 
the term `eligible health care provider' means a health care provider, 
including a guidance counselor, who received a degree or training 
within a field of health, including mental health or counseling.
    ``(e) Reports.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the last 
        day of the pilot program, each eligible school participating in 
        the pilot program shall submit to the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services a report evaluating the process and the outcomes 
        of the pilot program, with respect to such school, during the 
        period of the program. Each such report, with respect to an 
        eligible school, shall include at least the following:
                    ``(A) The number of students assessed under the 
                pilot program at such school, presented by age, sex, 
                and ethnicity.
                    ``(B) The number of students identified under the 
                pilot program at such school during such program as 
                potentially in need of referral and counseling, the 
                number of such students that participated in counseling 
                and follow-up referrals, and the number of such 
                students who showed improvement based on follow up 
                assessments.
                    ``(C) The number of educational seminars described 
                in subsection (b)(2)(B) provided under the pilot 
                program at such school, presented by categories of 
                parents and teachers.
                    ``(D) The number of parents and teachers that 
                indicated they needed more information or assistance in 
                responding to a potential problem relating to eating 
                disorders.
                    ``(E) An evaluation of best practices which worked 
                best for the student population of the eligible school.
            ``(2) Posting on ahrq website.--Not later than 12 months 
        after the last day of the pilot program, the Secretary shall 
        post on the public Internet website of the Agency for 
        Healthcare Research and Quality aggregate information on the 
        pilot program described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 
        paragraph (1) based on the information submitted under such 
        paragraph.
    ``(f) No Additional Authorization of Appropriations.--Amounts 
otherwise made available to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention for purposes of surveillance activities shall be made 
available to carry out this section. No amounts other than those made 
available pursuant to the previous sentence are authorized for 
appropriation to carry out this section.''.