Rural health care services outreach, rural health network development, and small health care provider quality improvement grant programs
Purpose
Definitions
Director
Federally qualified health center; rural health clinic
Health professional shortage area
Medically underserved community
Medically underserved population
Program
Administration
Programs
Grants
In general
Types of grants
The Director may award the grants to—
promote expanded delivery of health care services in rural areas under subsection (e);
provide for the planning and implementation of integrated health care networks in rural areas under subsection (f); and
provide for the planning and implementation of small health care provider quality improvement activities under subsection (g).
Rural health care services outreach grants
Grants
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection for a project, an entity shall—
be an entity with demonstrated experience serving, or the capacity to serve, rural underserved populations;
represent a consortium composed of members that—
include 3 or more health care providers; and
may be nonprofit or for-profit entities; and
not previously have received a grant under this subsection for the same or a similar project, unless the entity is proposing to expand the scope of the project or the area that will be served through the project.
Applications
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity, in consultation with the appropriate State office of rural health or another appropriate State entity, shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including—
a description of the project that the eligible entity will carry out using the funds provided under the grant;
a description of the manner in which the project funded under the grant will meet the health care needs of rural underserved populations in the local community or region to be served;
a description of how the rural underserved populations in the local community or region to be served will be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the project;
a plan for sustaining the project after Federal support for the project has ended;
a description of how the project will be evaluated; and
other such information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Rural health network development grants
Grants
In general
The Director may award rural health network development grants to eligible entities to plan, develop, and implement integrated health care networks that collaborate in order to—
achieve efficiencies;
expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes; and
strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.
Grant periods
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an entity shall—
be an entity with demonstrated experience serving, or the capacity to serve, rural underserved populations;
represent a network composed of participants that—
include 3 or more health care providers; and
may be nonprofit or for-profit entities; and
not previously have received a grant under this subsection (other than a grant for planning activities) for the same or a similar project.
Applications
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity, in consultation with the appropriate State office of rural health or another appropriate State entity, shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including—
a description of the project that the eligible entity will carry out using the funds provided under the grant;
an explanation of the reasons why Federal assistance is required to carry out the project;
a description of—
the history of collaborative activities carried out by the participants in the network;
the degree to which the participants are ready to integrate their functions; and
how the rural underserved populations in the local community or region to be served will benefit from and be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the network;
a description of how the rural underserved populations in the local community or region to be served will experience increased access to quality health care services across the continuum of care as a result of the integration activities carried out by the network;
a plan for sustaining the project after Federal support for the project has ended;
a description of how the project will be evaluated; and
other such information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Small health care provider quality improvement grants
Grants
Eligibility
To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, an entity shall—
be a rural public or rural nonprofit private health care provider or provider of health care services, such as a critical access hospital or a rural health clinic; or
be another rural provider or network of small rural providers identified by the Secretary as a key source of local or regional care; and
not previously have received a grant under this subsection for the same or a similar project.
Applications
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity, in consultation with the appropriate State office of rural health or another appropriate State entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including—
a description of the project that the eligible entity will carry out using the funds provided under the grant;
an explanation of the reasons why Federal assistance is required to carry out the project;
a description of the manner in which the project funded under the grant will assure continuous quality improvement in the provision of services by the entity;
a description of how the rural underserved populations in the local community or region to be served will experience increased access to quality health care services across the continuum of care as a result of the activities carried out by the entity;
a plan for sustaining the project after Federal support for the project has ended;
a description of how the project will be evaluated; and
other such information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Expenditures for small health care provider quality improvement grants
General requirements
Prohibited uses of funds
An entity that receives a grant under this section may not use funds provided through the grant—
to build or acquire real property; or
for construction.
Coordination with other agencies
Preference
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary, as appropriate, shall give preference to entities that—
are located in health professional shortage areas or medically underserved communities, or serve medically underserved populations; or
propose to develop projects with a focus on primary care, and wellness and prevention strategies.
Report
Authorization of appropriations
Source
(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 330A, as added Pub. L. 104–299, § 3(a),Notes
Prior Provisions
Amendments
Effective Date of 2003 Amendment
Effective Date
Rural Access to Emergency Devices
SHORT TITLE.
FINDINGS.
“Congress makes the following findings:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
The American Heart Association estimates that 250,000 Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest each year.
A cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival drops 10 percent for every minute that passes before his or her heart is returned to normal rhythm.
Because most cardiac arrest victims are initially in ventricular fibrillation, and the only treatment for ventricular fibrillation is defibrillation, prompt access to defibrillation to return the heart to normal rhythm is essential.
Lifesaving technology, the automated external defibrillator, has been developed to allow trained lay rescuers to respond to cardiac arrest by using this simple device to shock the heart into normal rhythm.
Those people who are likely to be first on the scene of a cardiac arrest situation in many communities, particularly smaller and rural communities, lack sufficient numbers of automated external defibrillators to respond to cardiac arrest in a timely manner.
The American Heart Association estimates that more than 50,000 deaths could be prevented each year if defibrillators were more widely available to designated responders.
Legislation should be enacted to encourage greater public access to automated external defibrillators in communities across the United States.
GRANTS.
In General.—
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Rural Health Outreach Office of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award grants to community partnerships that meet the requirements of subsection (b) to enable such partnerships to purchase equipment and provide training as provided for in subsection (c).
Community Partnerships.—
A community partnership meets the requirements of this subsection if such partnership—
is composed of local emergency response entities such as community training facilities, local emergency responders, fire and rescue departments, police, community hospitals, and local non-profit entities and for-profit entities concerned about cardiac arrest survival rates;
evaluates the local community emergency response times to assess whether they meet the standards established by national public health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross; and
submits to the Secretary of Health and Human Services an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
Use of Funds.—
Amounts provided under a grant under this section shall be used—
to purchase automated external defibrillators that have been approved, or cleared for marketing, by the Food and Drug Administration; and
to provide defibrillator and basic life support training in automated external defibrillator usage through the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or other nationally recognized training courses.
Report.—
Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act [
Authorization of Appropriations.—
There is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal years 2001 through 2003 to carry out this section.”
Report on Telemedicine
identifies any factors that inhibit the expansion and accessibility of telemedicine services, including factors relating to telemedicine networks;
identifies any factors that, in addition to geographical isolation, should be used to determine which patients need or require access to telemedicine care;
determines the extent to which—
patients receiving telemedicine service have benefited from the services, and are satisfied with the treatment received pursuant to the services; and
the medical outcomes for such patients would have differed if telemedicine services had not been available to the patients;
determines the extent to which physicians involved with telemedicine services have been satisfied with the medical aspects of the services;
determines the extent to which primary care physicians are enhancing their medical knowledge and experience through the interaction with specialists provided by telemedicine consultations; and
identifies legal and medical issues relating to State licensing of health professionals that are presented by telemedicine services, and provides any recommendations of the Secretary for responding to such issues.”