112 STAT. 3560
PUBLIC LAW 105-392—NOV. 13, 1998
SEC. 107. PREFERENCE IN CERTAIN PROGRAMS.
(a) IN GENERAL. —Section 791 of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 295j), as amended by section 105(a)(2)(B), is further
amended by adding at the end thereof the following subsection:
"(c) EXCEPTIONS FOR NEW PROGRAMS.—
"(1) IN GENERAL. —To permit new programs to compete
equitably for funding under this section, those new programs
that meet at least 4 of the criteria described in paragraph
(3) shall qualify for a funding preference under this section.
"(2) DEFINITION.— As used in this subsection, the term 'new
program' means any program that has graduated less than
three classes. Upon graduating at least three classes, a program
shall have the capability to provide the information necessary
to qualify the program for the general funding preferences
described in subsection (a).
"(3) CRITERIA. — The criteria referred to in paragraph (1)
are the following:
"(A) The mission statement of the program identifies
a specific purpose of the program as being the preparation
of health professionals to serve underserved populations.
"(B) The curriculum of the program includes content
which will help to prepare practitioners to serve underserved populations.
"(C) Substantial clinical training experience is required
under the program in medically underserved communities.
"(D) A minimum of 20 percent of the clinical faculty
of the program spend at least 50 percent of their time
providing or supervising care in medically underserved
communities.
"(E) The entire program or a substantial portion of
the program is physically located in a medically underserved community.
"(F) Student assistance, which is linked to service in
medically underserved communities following graduation,
is available to the students in the program.
"(G) The program provides a placement mechanism
for deploying graduates to medically underserved communities.".
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. —Section 791(a) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295j(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking "sections 747" and all
that follows through "767" and inserting "sections 747 and
750"; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking "under section 798(a)".
SEC. 108. DEFINITIONS.
(a) GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
PRACTICE.—Section 799B(1)(D) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 295p(l)(D)) (as so redesignated by section 106(a)(2)(E))
is amended—
(1) by inserting "behavioral health and" before "mental";
and
(2) by inserting "behavioral health and mental health practice," before "clinical".
(b) PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING AS A BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL
HEALTH PRACTICE.—Section 799B of the Public Health Service Act
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