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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§293c Educational Assistance in the Health Professions Regarding Individuals From Disadvantaged Backgrounds

Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER V — HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION › Part B — Health Professions Training for Diversity › § 293c

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Lets the Secretary give grants and make contracts with many health schools and nonprofit programs to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as identified by the Secretary, prepare for and enter health careers. Eligible recipients include medical, dental, pharmacy, veterinary, optometry, public health, allied health, chiropractic, podiatry, physician assistant programs, graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, and other public or nonprofit health or education groups. Money can be used to find and recruit those students, help them get into school, offer counseling and mentoring, provide or refer them to pre-entry classes and research training, tell them about financial aid, pay scholarships for any period of health-professions training, give short-term stipends for enhancement programs (no more than 12 months, amount set by the Secretary), place students in primary care community sites for experience, and build bigger applicant pools through partnerships. The Secretary should prefer grants to programs that use a broad partnership approach. Preferred programs will have formal agreements among schools, districts, and community groups, coordinate services in a local area, improve students’ academic and social readiness, and aim to train a culturally competent workforce for underserved people. When possible, help should be fairly shared among different racial and ethnic groups. The Secretary may require applicants to provide non‑Federal matching funds or donations (cash or in-kind) to show their commitment.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §293c

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
(1)Authority for grants
For the purpose of assisting individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the Secretary, to undertake education to enter a health profession, the Secretary may make grants to and enter into contracts with schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic, and podiatric medicine, public and nonprofit private schools that offer graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, programs for the training of physician assistants, and other public or private nonprofit health or educational entities to assist in meeting the costs described in paragraph (2).
(2)Authorized expenditures
A grant or contract under paragraph (1) may be used by the entity to meet the cost of— (A)
(B)facilitating the entry of such individuals into such a school;
(C)providing counseling, mentoring, or other services designed to assist such individuals to complete successfully their education at such a school;
(D)providing, for a period prior to the entry of such individuals into the regular course of education of such a school, preliminary education and health research training designed to assist them to complete successfully such regular course of education at such a school, or referring such individuals to institutions providing such preliminary education;
(E)publicizing existing sources of financial aid available to students in the education program of such a school or who are undertaking training necessary to qualify them to enroll in such a program;
(F)paying such scholarships as the Secretary may determine for such individuals for any period of health professions education at a health professions school;
(G)paying such stipends as the Secretary may approve for such individuals for any period of education in student-enhancement programs (other than regular courses), except that such a stipend may not be provided to an individual for more than 12 months, and such a stipend shall be in an amount determined appropriate by the Secretary (notwithstanding any other provision of law regarding the amount of stipends);
(H)carrying out programs under which such individuals gain experience regarding a career in a field of primary health care through working at facilities of public or private nonprofit community-based providers of primary health services; and
(I)conducting activities to develop a larger and more competitive applicant pool through partnerships with institutions of higher education, school districts, and other community-based entities.
(3)Definition
In this section, the term “regular course of education of such a school” as used in subparagraph (D) includes a graduate program in behavioral or mental health.
(b)Requirements for awards
In making awards to eligible entities under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall give preference to approved applications for programs that involve a comprehensive approach by several public or nonprofit private health or educational entities to establish, enhance and expand educational programs that will result in the development of a competitive applicant pool of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who desire to pursue health professions careers. In considering awards for such a comprehensive partnership approach, the following shall apply with respect to the entity involved:
(1)The entity shall have a demonstrated commitment to such approach through formal agreements that have common objectives with institutions of higher education, school districts, and other community-based entities.
(2)Such formal agreements shall reflect the coordination of educational activities and support services, increased linkages, and the consolidation of resources within a specific geographic area.
(3)The design of the educational activities involved shall provide for the establishment of a competitive health professions applicant pool of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds by enhancing the total preparation (academic and social) of such individuals to pursue a health professions career.
(4)The programs or activities under the award shall focus on developing a culturally competent health care workforce that will serve the unserved and underserved populations within the geographic area.
(c)Equitable allocation of financial assistance
The Secretary, to the extent practicable, shall ensure that services and activities under subsection (a) are adequately allocated among the various racial and ethnic populations who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
(d)Matching requirements
The Secretary may require that an entity that applies for a grant or contract under subsection (a), provide non-Federal matching funds, as appropriate, to ensure the institutional commitment of the entity to the projects funded under the grant or contract. As determined by the Secretary, such non-Federal matching funds may be provided directly or through donations from public or private entities and may be in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 293c, act
July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 739, as added Pub. L. 102–408, title I, § 102, Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2027, related to centers of excellence in health professions education for minority individuals, prior to the general amendment of this part by Pub. L. 105–392. See section 293 of this title. Another prior section 293c, act
July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 723, as added Sept. 24, 1963, Pub. L. 88–129, § 2(b), 77 Stat. 168; amended Aug. 16, 1968, Pub. L. 90–490, title I, § 103(a)(1), (2), 82 Stat. 773; Nov. 18, 1971, Pub. L. 92–157,title I, § 102(c)(5), (f)(2)(C), (j)(1), (5), 85 Stat. 432, 435–437; Oct. 12, 1976, Pub. L. 94–484, title III, § 305, 90 Stat. 2255; Aug. 13, 1981, Pub. L. 97–35, title XXVII, § 2723(f), 95 Stat. 916; Oct. 22, 1985, Pub. L. 99–129, title II, § 207(a), 99 Stat. 527, related to recovery by United States of grant moneys where facility was no longer owned by a public or nonprofit agency or where it ceased to be used for teaching or training purposes, prior to the general revision of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102–408. A prior section 739 of act
July 1, 1944, was classified to section 294l of this title prior to the general revision of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102–408.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 293c

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110