Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§1616o University of South Dakota Pilot Program

Title 25 › CHAPTER 18 — INDIAN HEALTH CARE › SUBCHAPTER I — INDIAN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL › § 1616o

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may give a grant to the University of South Dakota School of Medicine (USDSM) to start a pilot program on one or more Indian reservation service units in South Dakota to help fix the staffing shortage in the Aberdeen Area of the Service. The program will give medical students and residents from USDSM and other schools hands-on clinical experience, improve health care access for Indians by bringing in qualified professionals, and create academic and scholarly opportunities for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other allied health workers using regional resources. The program must have an advisory board made up of local tribal and community representatives. It will be an extension of the USDSM campus, and participants will be taught and supervised by service unit medical staff who are members of the USDSM faculty. USDSM must coordinate with nearby medical and nursing schools, tribal community colleges, and other health programs, and work with the Service to develop more on-reservation professional opportunities to help recruit and keep qualified staff in the Aberdeen Area.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §1616o

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment

The Secretary may make a grant to the School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota (hereafter in this section referred to as “USDSM”) to establish a pilot program on an Indian reservation at one or more service units in South Dakota to address the chronic manpower shortage in the Aberdeen Area of the Service.

(b)Purposes

The purposes of the program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) are—

(1)to provide direct clinical and practical experience at a service unit to medical students and residents from USDSM and other medical schools;

(2)to improve the quality of health care for Indians by assuring access to qualified health care professionals; and

(3)to provide academic and scholarly opportunities for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other allied health professionals serving Indian people by identifying and utilizing all academic and scholarly resources of the region.

(c)Composition; designation

The pilot program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) shall—

(1)incorporate a program advisory board composed of representatives from the tribes and communities in the area which will be served by the program; and

(2)shall be designated as an extension of the USDSM campus and program participants shall be under the direct supervision and instruction of qualified medical staff serving at the service unit who shall be members of the USDSM faculty.

(d)Coordination with other schools

The USDSM shall coordinate the program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) with other medical schools in the region, nursing schools, tribal community colleges, and other health professional schools.

(e)Development of additional professional opportunities

The USDSM, in cooperation with the Service, shall develop additional professional opportunities for program participants on Indian reservations in order to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified health professionals in the Aberdeen Area of the Service.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 1616o

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110