Minority Inclusion in Clinical Trials Act of 2015

Summary: Minority Inclusion in Clinical Trials Act of 2015 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities shall include within its strategic plan ways to increase representation of underrepresented communities in clinical trials. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for expanding existing opportunities for scientists and researchers, and for promoting the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in the health professions, to eligible entities that demonstrate a commitment to health workforce development in underrepresented communities. To be eligible to receive a grant, an entity must be an educational institution or entity that historically produces or trains meaningful numbers of underrepresented minority health professionals. Grants shall be used to implement, expand, or evaluate workforce diversity programs that shall enhance diversity by considering minority status as part of an individualized consideration of qualifications. HHS must carry out the following activities to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes:  conduct research into the determinants and the distribution of disparities in maternal care, health risks, and health outcomes and improve the capacity of the performance measurement infrastructure to measure such disparities; expand access to services that have been demonstrated to improve the quality and outcomes of maternity care for vulnerable populations; and establish a demonstration project in up to eight states to compare the effectiveness of interventions to reduce disparities in maternity services and outcomes and implement and assess effective interventions.   HHS must establish and coordinate a health and health care disparities education program to support, develop, and implement educational initiatives and outreach strategies that inform health care professionals and the public about the existence of, and methods to reduce, racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Minority Inclusion in Clinical 
Trials Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INCENTIVIZING INCLUSION OF 
              UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES IN CLINICAL TRIALS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the National Institute on Minority 
Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) shall include within its 
strategic plan ways to increase representation of underrepresented 
communities in clinical trials.

SEC. 3. CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section 
referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the Director of the 
National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the 
Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
shall award grants for--
            (1) expanding existing opportunities for scientists and 
        researchers; and
            (2) promoting the inclusion of underrepresented minorities 
        in the health professions.

SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR INSTITUTIONS COMMITTED TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN 
              UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to 
eligible entities that demonstrate a commitment to health workforce 
development in underrepresented communities.
    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity shall--
            (1) be an educational institution or entity that 
        historically produces or trains meaningful numbers of 
        underrepresented minority health professionals, including--
                    (A) historically Black colleges and universities;
                    (B) Hispanic-serving health professions schools;
                    (C) Hispanic-serving institutions;
                    (D) tribal colleges and universities;
                    (E) Asian-American, Native American, and Pacific 
                Islander-serving institutions;
                    (F) institutions that have programs to recruit and 
                retain underrepresented minority health professionals, 
                in which a significant number of the enrolled 
                participants are underrepresented minorities;
                    (G) health professional associations, which may 
                include underrepresented minority health professional 
                associations; and
                    (H) institutions--
                            (i) located in communities with 
                        predominantly underrepresented minority 
                        populations;
                            (ii) with whom partnerships have been 
                        formed for the purpose of increasing workforce 
                        diversity; and
                            (iii) in which at least 20 percent of the 
                        enrolled participants are underrepresented 
                        minorities; and
            (2) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
        such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
        may require.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Amounts received under a grant under subsection 
(a) shall be used to expand existing workforce diversity programs, 
implement new workforce diversity programs, or evaluate existing or new 
workforce diversity programs, including with respect to mental health 
care professions. Such programs shall enhance diversity by considering 
minority status as part of an individualized consideration of 
qualifications. Possible activities may include--
            (1) educational outreach programs relating to opportunities 
        in the health professions;
            (2) scholarship, fellowship, grant, loan repayment, and 
        loan cancellation programs;
            (3) postbaccalaureate programs;
            (4) academic enrichment programs, particularly targeting 
        those who would not be competitive for health professions 
        schools;
            (5) kindergarten through 12th grade and other health 
        pipeline programs;
            (6) mentoring programs;
            (7) internship or rotation programs involving hospitals, 
        health systems, health plans, and other health entities;
            (8) community partnership development for purposes relating 
        to workforce diversity; or
            (9) leadership training.
    (d) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant under 
this section, and annually for the term of the grant, a grantee shall 
submit to the Secretary a report that summarizes and evaluates all 
activities conducted under the grant.
    (e) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Asian-American, Native 
American, and Pacific Islander-serving institutions'' has the same 
meaning as the term ``Asian American and Native American Pacific 
Islander-serving institution'' as defined in section 371(c) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(c)).
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020.

SEC. 5. ELIMINATING DISPARITIES IN MATERNITY HEALTH OUTCOMES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') (in consultation with 
the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, the Director of the 
National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services, and the Administrator of the Agency for Healthcare 
Research & Quality, and in consultation with relevant national 
stakeholder organizations such as national medical specialty 
organizations, national maternal child health organizations, national 
groups that represent minority populations, and national health 
disparity organizations) shall carry out the following activities to 
eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes:
            (1) Conduct research into the determinants and the 
        distribution of disparities in maternal care, health risks, and 
        health outcomes, and improve the capacity of the performance 
        measurement infrastructure to measure such disparities.
            (2) Expand access to services that have been demonstrated 
        to improve the quality and outcomes of maternity care for 
        vulnerable populations.
            (3) Establish a demonstration project to compare the 
        effectiveness of interventions to reduce disparities in 
        maternity services and outcomes, and implement and assess 
        effective interventions.
    (b) Scope and Selection of States for Demonstration Project.--The 
demonstration project under subsection (a)(3) shall be conducted in no 
more than 8 States, which shall be selected by the Secretary based on--
            (1) applications submitted by States, which specify which 
        regions and populations the State involved will serve under the 
        demonstration project;
            (2) criteria designed by the Secretary to ensure that, as a 
        whole, the demonstration project is, to the greatest extent 
        possible, representative of the demographic and geographic 
        composition of communities most affected by disparities;
            (3) criteria designed by the Secretary to ensure that a 
        variety of types of models are tested through the demonstration 
        project and that such models include interventions that have an 
        existing evidence base for effectiveness; and
            (4) criteria designed by the Secretary to assure that the 
        demonstration projects and models will be carried out in 
        consultation with local and regional provider organizations, 
        such as community health centers, hospital systems, and medical 
        societies representing providers of maternity services.
    (c) Duration of Demonstration Project.--The demonstration project 
under subsection (a)(3) shall begin on January 1, 2015, and end on 
December 31, 2019.
    (d) Grants for Evaluation and Monitoring.--The Secretary may make 
grants to States and health care providers participating in the 
demonstration project under subsection (a)(3) for the purpose of 
collecting data necessary for the evaluation and monitoring of such 
project.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) State reports.--Each State that participates in the 
        demonstration project under subsection (a)(3) shall report to 
        the Secretary, in a time, form, and manner specified by the 
        Secretary, the data necessary to--
                    (A) monitor the--
                            (i) outcomes of the project;
                            (ii) costs of the project; and
                            (iii) quality of maternity care provided 
                        under the project; and
                    (B) evaluate the rationale for the selection of the 
                items and services included in any bundled payment made 
                by the State under the project.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than December 31, 2020, the 
        Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the results of 
        the demonstration project under subsection (a)(3).

SEC. 6. HEALTH DISPARITIES EDUCATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the National 
Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and in 
collaboration with the Office of Minority Health, the Office for Civil 
Rights, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, and other appropriate public and private entities, 
shall establish and coordinate a health and health care disparities 
education program to support, develop, and implement educational 
initiatives and outreach strategies that inform health care 
professionals and the public about the existence of and methods to 
reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care.
    (b) Activities.--The Secretary, through the education program 
established under subsection (a), shall, through the use of public 
awareness and outreach campaigns targeting the general public and the 
medical community at large--
            (1) disseminate scientific evidence for the existence and 
        extent of racial and ethnic disparities in health care, 
        including disparities that are not otherwise attributable to 
        known factors such as access to care, patient preferences, or 
        appropriateness of intervention, as described in the 2002 
        Institute of Medicine Report entitled ``Unequal Treatment: 
        Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care'', as 
        well as the impact of disparities related to age, disability 
        status, socioeconomic status, sex, gender identity, and sexual 
        orientation on racial and ethnic minorities;
            (2) disseminate new research findings to health care 
        providers and patients to assist them in understanding, 
        reducing, and eliminating health and health care disparities;
            (3) disseminate information about the impact of linguistic 
        and cultural barriers on health care quality and the obligation 
        of health providers who receive Federal financial assistance to 
        ensure that people with limited-English proficiency have access 
        to language access services;
            (4) disseminate information about the importance and 
        legality of racial, ethnic, disability status, socioeconomic 
        status, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and 
        primary language data collection, analysis, and reporting;
            (5) design and implement specific educational initiatives 
        to health care providers relating to health and health care 
        disparities; and
            (6) assess the impact of the programs established under 
        this section in raising awareness of health and health care 
        disparities and providing information on available resources.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020.