Health Loan Forgiveness Program
Health Loan Forgiveness Program
incentives at department’s discretion. Section 5205 Allied health workforce recruitment and retention programs—Authorizes an Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program to assure there is an adequate supply of allied health professionals to eliminate workforce shortages at public health agencies, acute care facilities, ambulatory care facilities, and other underserved health facilities. Section 5206 Grants for State and local programs—Authorizes HHS to make grants to accredited educational institutions that support scholarships for mid-career public health and allied health professionals who seek additional training in their respective fields. Section 5207 Funding for National Health Service Corps—Increasing funding for National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and extends authorization of appropriations for the Corps thru 2015. For FY2016 and beyond, a formula for funding is established to tie increased costs in healthcare to the number of individuals residing in health professions shortage areas. Section 5209 Elimination of cap on commissioned corps—Removes cap of 2800 commissioned officers in National Health Services Corps regular corps. Section 5210 Establishing a Ready Reserve Corps—Reconstitutes the Public Health Service Corps into the commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergencies. Section 5301 Training in family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, and physician assistantship—Establishes a grant program for hospitals, medical schools, academically and affiliated PA training programs to develop and operate accredited training programs for the provision of primary care. Section 5302 Training opportunities for direct care workers—Establishes a 3 year grant program under which an institution of higher education can subsidize training of individuals at that institution who are willing to serve as direct care workers in a long-term or chronic care setting for at least two years after completion of their training. Section 5305 Geriatric education and training; career awards; comprehensive geriatric education—Authorizes HHS to award grants to advanced practice nurses who are pursuing a doctorate or other advanced degree in geriatrics and who, as a condition of accepting a grant, will agree to teach or practice in the field of geriatrics, long-term care, or chronic care management for a minimum of 5 years. Section 5309 Nurse education, practice, and retention grants—Adds 2 new grant programs specifically focused on nurse retention. One will authorize HHS to award grants to accredited nursing schools or health facilities to promote career advancement among nurses. The 2nd will permit HHS to make awards to nursing schools or health facilities that can demonstrate enhanced collaboration and communication among nurses and other health care professionals. Priority directed towards applicants that have not previously received an award. Section 5310 Loan repayment and scholarship program—Expands Nurse Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs to provide loan repayment for students who serve for at least two years as a faculty member at an accredited nursing school. Section 5311 Nurse faculty loan program—Increases the Nurse Faculty Loan Program amounts from $30,000 to $35,000 in FY 2010 and FY 2011, declares that the amount of these loans will thereafter be adjusted to provide for cost-of-attendance increases for yearly loan rates and the aggregate loan. Creates new authority to permit HHS to enter into an agreement with individuals who hold unencumbered RNs and who have already completed, or are currently enrolled in, a master’s or doctorate training program for nursing. HHS will provide up to $10,000/year to master’s recipients and $20,000/year to those who earn a doctorate so long as these individuals spend at least 4 years out of a 6 year period as a full-time faculty member at an accredited nursing school. Section 5312 Authorization of appropriations for parts B through D of title VIII— Authorizes $338 million in appropriations to carry out nursing workforce development programs in FY 2010. FY 2011-2016 will be funded according to what HHS determines as “such sums as may be necessary” to carry out these programs. Section 5404 Workforce diversity grants—Expands the workforce diversity grant programs by permitting such grants to be used for diploma and associate degree nurses to enter bridge or degree completion programs or for student scholarships and stipend programs for accelerated nursing degree programs, This statute instructs HHS to consider recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice and to consult with nursing associations. Section 5507 Demonstration projects to address health professions workforce needs; extension of family-to-family health information centers—Establishes a demonstration grant program to provide educational and training opportunities for low-income individuals for positions in the healthcare field that pay well and are expected to be in high demand. Program will primarily serve State TANF recipients, but HHS required to award at least 3 demonstration grants to eligible entities that are Indian Tribes, tribal organizations or Tribal colleges and Universities. Section 5509 Graduate nurse education demonstration—Appropriates $50 million/year FY 2012 thru FY 2015 to establish a graduate nurse education demonstration program in Medicare. Hospitals selected will be reimbursed for educational and clinical instruction costs attributed to training advanced practice nurses to provide primary/preventive care, translational care, chronic care management, as well as any other nursing services appropriate for the Medicare eligible population. Those hospitals selected will partner with community based care settings and accredited nursing schools to undertake the demonstration program and will reimburse partners for their share of costs. Section 10501—Permits faculty a
