§294a Area health education centers

Summary

Provides two types of federal awards to start or keep Area Health Education Center (AHEC) programs. One type helps eligible schools (medical or osteopathic schools, their parent institutions, or consortia; if a State has no AHEC program, a nursing school can be funded) begin or run training programs. The other type helps entities that already got AHEC funds keep and improve centers that no longer qualify for the first type. The word “Program” means the AHEC program. Grants must be used to recruit and support people from underrepresented, disadvantaged, or rural backgrounds into health careers; provide community-based training in underserved areas; place students in field sites with community clinics and public health partners; run team-based and continuing education for many health professions; measure outcomes; and run youth public health outreach. Programs may also develop new curricula, support community research and spread best practices, and use other ways to meet local workforce needs. Medical-school grantees must have at least 10% of clinical training in community sites away from the main teaching hospital; nursing-school grantees must meet a similar 10% rule and have a written agreement with a medical school to take that school’s students. Centers must be independent organizations (not medical school units), serve underserved areas away from main teaching sites, have community-led advisory boards, work with academic centers and the public workforce system, and avoid overlapping service areas. Entities getting maintenance awards cannot give money to centers that could get start-up awards. Financial rules: grantees must provide non-Federal contributions equal to at least 50% of operating costs, with at least 25% of that in cash; a waiver of up to 75% of the match may be granted for each of the first 3 funded years. At least 75% of program funds must go to the centers (may be waived for the first 2 years of a new program). Annual awards must be at least $250,000 per center unless appropriations are too small. Start-up awards are limited to 12 years for a program and 6 years for a center; maintenance awards are not time-limited. Congress authorized $41,250,000 each year for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. Of each year’s money, no more than 35% may fund start-up awards, at least 60% must fund maintenance awards, up to 1% may fund outcomes evaluation, and up to 4% may fund technical help. Funds can be carried over across years without approval but not for more than 3 years. Congress believes every State should have an AHEC program.