II

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 128

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide health care practitioners

in rural areas with training in preventive health care, including both

physical and mental care, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JANUARY 21, 1997

Mr. INOUYE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide health

care practitioners in rural areas with training in preventive health care, including both physical and mental care,

and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Preventive

5 Health Care Training Act of 1997’’.

6 SEC. 2. PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE TRAINING.

7 Section 778 of the Public Health Service Act (42

8 U.S.C. 294p) is amended—
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•S 128 IS

1 ø(1) in subsection (b)(3)(C), by striking ‘‘this

2 section’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)’’;¿

3 (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as

4 subsections (f) and (g), respectively;

5 (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the follow6 ing new subsection:

7 ‘‘(e) PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE TRAINING.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make

9 grants to, and enter into contracts with, eligible ap10 plicants to enable such applicants to provide preven11 tive health care training, in accordance with para12 graph (3), to health care practitioners practicing in

13 rural areas. Such training shall, to the extent prac14 ticable, include training in health care to prevent

15 both physical and mental disorders before the initial

16 occurrence of such disorders. In carrying out this

17 paragraph, the Secretary shall encourage, but may

18 not require, the use of interdisciplinary training

19 project applications.

20 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—To be eligible to receive

21 training using assistance provided under paragraph

22 (1), a health care practitioner shall be determined by

23 the eligible applicant involved to be practicing, or de24 siring to practice, in a rural area.
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1 ‘‘(3) USE OF ASSISTANCE.—Amounts received

2 under a grant made or contract entered into under

3 this subsection shall be used—

4 ‘‘(A) to provide student stipends to individ5 uals attending rural community colleges or

6 other institutions that service predominantly

7 rural communities, for the purpose of enabling

8 the individuals to receive preventive health care

9 training;

10 ‘‘(B) to increase staff support at rural

11 community colleges or other institutions that

12 service predominantly rural communities to fa13 cilitate the provision of preventive health care

14 training;

15 ‘‘(C) to provide training in appropriate re16 search and program evaluation skills in rural

17 communities;

18 ‘‘(D) to create and implement innovative

19 programs and curricula with a specific preven20 tion component; and

21 ‘‘(E) for other purposes as the Secretary

22 determines to be appropriate.

23 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

24 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
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1 this subsection, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years

2 1998 through 2000.’’; and

3 (4) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by

4 inserting ‘‘except subsection (e),’’ after ‘‘section,’’.

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