Women's Health Regional Centers Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women's Health Regional Centers 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Until recently, women have been excluded from most 
        clinical trials for treatments for cancer, heart disease, and 
        stroke, despite the fact that women react differently from men 
        to many treatments for these and other diseases.
            (2) Historically, little research money has been devoted to 
        diseases that primarily afflict women, such as osteoporosis, 
        breast cancer, and multiple sclerosis.
            (3) The American medical education system has not trained 
        physicians and other health care professionals for women's 
        health needs. A major barrier to change is the absence of an 
        appropriate curriculum on women's health. Another barrier to 
        change has been the significant underrepresentation of women in 
        senior ranks of academic medicine. As long as this void in 
        women leaders is allowed to continue, women's health issues 
        will not gain the appropriate attention within the medical 
        community.
            (4) The establishment of the Office of Research on Women's 
        Health at the National Institutes of Health is vital to 
        addressing the necessary research for diseases and health 
        conditions that affect women. However, there is currently no 
        means by which to translate this new research into improved 
        physician education and patient care.
            (5) The Federal Government should develop regional 
        education and treatment centers on women's health to 
        disseminate the information made available by the National 
        Institutes of Health and other Federal research efforts in 
        women's health.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM FOR MULTIPURPOSE REGIONAL CENTERS ON 
              WOMEN'S HEALTH.

    Part F of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 287d 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following section:

``SEC. 486C. MULTIPURPOSE REGIONAL CENTERS ON WOMEN'S HEALTH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director of NIH, in consultation with the 
Director of the Office, shall make grants to, or enter into contracts 
with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and 
operation of centers to carry out the activities described in 
subsection (c) regarding women's health conditions.
    ``(b) Number of Centers; Regional Considerations.--The Director of 
NIH shall, subject to the extent of amounts made available in 
appropriations Acts, provide for the development of 5 centers under 
subsection (a) and shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that such a 
center is developed in each of the principal geographic regions of the 
United States.
    ``(c) Activities of Centers.--
            ``(1) In general.--With respect to women's health 
        conditions, each center developed under subsection (a) shall--
                    ``(A) conduct basic research, and clinical and 
                other applied research;
                    ``(B) develop curricula for training health 
                professionals and scientists;
                    ``(C) conduct training programs for health 
                professionals and scientists;
                    ``(D) develop model continuing education programs 
                for health professionals and scientists;
                    ``(E) disseminate information to health 
                professionals, scientists, and the public;
                    ``(F) develop model programs for the delivery of 
                health services to women, including, as appropriate, 
                programs specific to particular age groups; and
                    ``(G) in the case of women who are in the medical 
                profession (including women attending schools of 
                medicine), develop model programs for training the 
                women in the skills necessary for achieving positions 
                of leadership in such schools and in academic health 
                centers.
            ``(2) Stipends regarding training; fees regarding clinical 
        research subjects.--A center may use funds provided under 
        subsection (a) to provide stipends for health professionals and 
        scientists enrolled in programs described in subparagraph (C) 
        of paragraph (1), and to provide fees to individuals serving as 
        subjects in clinical trials conducted under such paragraph.
    ``(d) Coordination of Information.--The Director of NIH shall, as 
appropriate, provide for the coordination of information among the 
centers assisted under subsection (a) and among the national research 
institutes.
    ``(e) Structure of Centers.--Each center assisted under subsection 
(a) shall use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from 
a consortium of cooperating institutions, meeting such requirements as 
may be prescribed by the Director of NIH.
    ``(f) Duration of Support.--Support of a center under subsection 
(a) may be for a period not exceeding 5 years. Such period may be 
extended for one or more additional periods not exceeding 5 years if 
the operations of such center have been reviewed by an appropriate 
technical and scientific peer review group established by the Director 
of NIH and if such group has recommended to the Director that such 
period should be extended.
    ``(g) Limitation on Support Per Center.--The Director of NIH may 
not, from amounts appropriated under subsection (h), obligate more than 
$15,000,000 in the aggregate for the development and operation of a 
center under subsection (a).
    ``(h) Aggregate Authorizations of Appropriations.--For the purpose 
of carrying out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 
$60,000,000 in the aggregate for fiscal year 1995 and subsequent fiscal 
years.''.

Summary: Women's Health Regional Centers Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of centers to carry out specified activities regarding women's health conditions. Requires the Director to provide for the development of five centers and to ensure that such a center is developed in each of the principal geographic regions of the United States. Directs each center to: (1) conduct basic, clinical, and applied research and training programs for health professionals and scientists. (2) devleop curricula and model continuing education programs for training health professionals and scientists and model programs for the delivery of health services to women, (3) disseminate information to health professionals, scientists, and the public. And (4) develop, in the case of women who are in the medical profession, model programs for training such women in the skills necessary for achieving positions of leadership in such schools and in academic health centers. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) coordination of information, (2) structure of centers, (3) duration of support, and (4) limits on support. Authorizes appropriations.