§254c–1 Grants for Health Services for Pacific Islanders

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must give grants or make contracts to public or private nonprofit groups that have experience serving Pacific Islanders in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The money must be used first to keep the medical officer training program in Pohnpei. Grants also fund better health and mental health care with a focus on prevention, health promotion, and better health records. They pay for training and upgrading health workers (for example dental and nursing programs, training for auxiliary staff, faculty or post‑doctoral development, scholarships, and workforce planning), improving clinical services like labs and pharmacies using culturally appropriate quality checks, fixing and maintaining facilities and equipment, preventing and treating alcohol, drug, and mental health problems, improving local and regional health planning, and strengthening basic public health and primary care for those most in need. Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. A Pacific Health Advisory Council of 12 must be created. It will include the health department directors from the listed places and six Hawaii members, one from the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific; the Secretary must ask the Governor of Hawaii for advice when picking the five other Hawaii members. The Council must meet at least once a year to recommend funding priorities and review progress. Congress authorized $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1991, 1992, and 1993.