12 2 STA T .3 3 87PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 31 5— AU G .1 4, 2008 forthepu rpo s eofe x p andi n g a c credited registered nurse progra m s at the associate degree l e v el .‘ ‘ (B)OPTIONALUSE SO F FUN D S. —G rants a w arded under this section ma yb e used to support partnerships with hospitals or health facilities to— ‘‘(i) improve the alignment between nursing edu - cation and the emerging challenges of health care delivery by— ‘‘( I ) the purchase of distance learning tech- nologies and expanding methods of delivery of instruction to include alternatives to onsite learning
and ‘‘(II) the collection , analysis, and dissemination of data on educational outcomes and best practices identified through the activities described in this section; and ‘‘(ii) ensure that students can earn a salary while obtaining an advanced degree in nursing with the goal of becoming nurse faculty by— ‘‘(I) funding release time for q ualified nurses enrolled in the graduate nursing program; ‘‘(II) providing for faculty salaries; or ‘‘(III) providing scholarships to qualified nurses in pursuit of an advanced degree with the goal of becoming faculty members in an accredited nursing program. ‘‘( C ) CONSIDE R ATIONS IN M A K IN G A W ARDS.—In awarding grants under this section, the S ecretary shall consider the following
‘‘(i) GEOGRAP H I C DISTRI B UTION.— P roviding an equitable geographic distribution of such grants. ‘‘(ii) U RBAN AND RURAL AREAS.— D istributing such grants to urban and rural areas. ‘‘(iii) R ANGE AND T Y PE OF INSTITUTION.— E nsuring that the activities to be assisted are developed for a range of types and si z es of institutions of higher education, including institutions providing alternative methods of delivery of instruction in addition to on- site learning. ‘‘(D) DISTRIBUTION OF E X CESS FUNDS.—If, for a fiscal year, funds described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subpara- graph ( A ) remain available after the Secretary awards grants under this section to all applicants for the particular category of accredited nursing programs described in such clause, the Secretary shall use equal amounts of the remaining funds to award grants under this section to applicants that applied under the other categories of nursing programs. ‘‘(E) L IMITATION.—Of the amount appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary may award not more than ten percent of such amount for the optional purposes under subparagraph (B). ‘‘(d) DEFINITION.— F or purposes of this section: ‘‘( 1 ) H EALTH FACILITY.— T he term ‘health facility ’ means an Indian health service center, a N ative Hawaiian health center, a hospital, a federally qualified health center, a rural health clinic, a nursing home, a home health agency, a hospice
�
