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5305 - Geriatric Education and Training; Career Awards; Comprehensive Geriatric Education

 
Implementation Status 
Statutory Text 

Summary

Requires the Secretary of HHS to make up to 24 awards – of up to $150,000 each – to geriatric education centers to carry out fellowship programs and other required activities.  Authorizes to be appropriated (but does not delineate a separate Congressional appropriation) $10.8 million for the FY 2011-2014 period for these geriatric education center grants.  Also authorizes the expansion of eligibility for geriatric academic career awards, and establishes traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in geriatric nursing, long-term care, gero-psychiatric nursing or other nursing areas that specialize in the care of the elderly population.

Implementation Status

 
Summary 
Statutory Text 

Though Congress did not expressly delineate separate appropriations to fund these grants, HRSA has allocated funds to carry out activities in accordance with this provision (e.g., see FY 2012 funding opportunity here).  Additional details regarding upcoming potential grants and activities are available on HRSA’s webpage for this initiative.

On July 13, 2015, HRSA announced $35.7 million to 44 organizations via the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (awardees). For information on more recent awards, see here.

Statutory Text

 
Implementation Status 
Summary 

SEC. 5305. GERIATRIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING; CAREER AWARDS; COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC EDUCATION. (a) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; CAREER AWARDS.—Section 753 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294c) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(d) GERIATRIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award grants or contracts under this subsection to entities that operate a geriatric education center pursuant to subsection (a)(1). ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for an award under paragraph (1), an entity described in such paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts awarded under a grant or contract under paragraph (1) shall be used to— ‘‘(A) carry out the fellowship program described in paragraph (4); and ‘‘(B) carry out 1 of the 2 activities described in paragraph (5). ‘‘(4) FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to paragraph (3), a geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall use such funds to offer short-term intensive courses (referred to in this subsection as a ‘fellowship’) that focus on geriatrics, chronic care management, and long-term care that provide supplemental training for faculty members in medical schools and other health professions schools with programs in psychology, pharmacy, nursing, social work, dentistry, public health, allied health, or other health disciplines, as approved by the Secretary. Such a fellowship shall be open to current faculty, and appropriately credentialed volunteer faculty and practitioners, who do not have formal training in geriatrics, to upgrade their knowledge and clinical skills for the care of older adults and adults with functional limitations and to enhance their interdisciplinary teaching skills. ‘‘(B) LOCATION.—A fellowship shall be offered either at the geriatric education center that is sponsoring the course, in collaboration with other geriatric education centers, or at medical schools, schools of dentistry, schools of nursing, schools of pharmacy, schools of social work, graduate programs in psychology, or allied health and other health professions schools approved by the Secretary with which the geriatric education centers are affiliated. ‘‘(C) CME CREDIT.—Participation in a fellowship under this paragraph shall be accepted with respect to complying with continuing health profession education requirements. As a condition of such acceptance, the recipient shall agree to subsequently provide a minimum of 18 hours of voluntary instructional support through a geriatric education center that is providing clinical training to students or trainees in long-term care settings. ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL REQUIRED ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—Pursuant to paragraph (3), a geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall use such funds to carry out 1 of the following 2 activities. ‘‘(A) FAMILY CAREGIVER AND DIRECT CARE PROVIDER TRAINING.—A geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall offer at least 2 courses each year, at no charge or nominal cost, to family caregivers and direct care providers that are designed to provide practical training for supporting frail elders and individuals with disabilities. The Secretary shall require such Centers to work with appropriate community partners to develop training program content and to publicize the availability of training courses in their service areas. All family caregiver and direct care provider training programs shall include instruction on the management of psychological and behavioral aspects of dementia, communication techniques for working with individuals who have dementia, and the appropriate, safe, and effective use of medications for older adults. ‘‘(B) INCORPORATION OF BEST PRACTICES.—A geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall develop and include material on depression and other mental disorders common among older adults, medication safety issues for older adults, and management of the psychological and behavioral aspects of dementia and communication techniques with individuals who have dementia in all training courses, where appropriate. ‘‘(6) TARGETS.—A geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall meet targets approved by the Secretary for providing geriatric training to a certain number of faculty or practitioners during the term of the award, as well as other parameters established by the Secretary. ‘‘(7) AMOUNT OF AWARD.—An award under this subsection shall be in an amount of $150,000. Not more than 24 geriatric education centers may receive an award under this subsection. ‘‘(8) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—A geriatric education center that receives an award under this subsection shall provide assurances to the Secretary that funds provided to the geriatric education center under this subsection will be used only to supplement, not to supplant, the amount of Federal, State, and local funds otherwise expended by the geriatric education center. ‘‘(9) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addition to any other funding available to carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, $10,800,000 for the period of fiscal year 2011 through 2014. ‘‘(e) GERIATRIC CAREER INCENTIVE AWARDS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award grants or contracts under this section to individuals described in paragraph (2) to foster greater interest among a variety of health professionals in entering the field of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management. ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—To be eligible to received an award under paragraph (1), an individual shall— ‘‘(A) be an advanced practice nurse, a clinical social worker, a pharmacist, or student of psychology who is pursuing a doctorate or other advanced degree in geriatrics or related fields in an accredited health professions school; and ‘‘(B) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. ‘‘(3) CONDITION OF AWARD.—As a condition of receiving an award under this subsection, an individual shall agree that, following completion of the award period, the individual will teach or practice in the field of geriatrics, long-term care, or chronic care management for a minimum of 5 years under guidelines set by the Secretary. ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2011 through 2013.’’. (b) EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GERIATRIC ACADEMIC CAREER AWARDS; PAYMENT TO INSTITUTION.—Section 753(c) of the Public Health Service Act 294(c)) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; (2) by striking paragraph (2) through paragraph (3) and inserting the following: ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—To be eligible to receive an Award under paragraph (1), an individual shall— ‘‘(A) be board certified or board eligible in internal medicine, family practice, psychiatry, or licensed dentistry, or have completed any required training in a discipline and employed in an accredited health professions school that is approved by the Secretary; ‘‘(B) have completed an approved fellowship program in geriatrics or have completed specialty training in geriatrics as required by the discipline and any addition geriatrics training as required by the Secretary; and ‘‘(C) have a junior (non-tenured) faculty appointment at an accredited (as determined by the Secretary) school of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, dentistry, pharmacy, or other allied health disciplines in an accredited health professions school that is approved by the Secretary. ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.—No Award under paragraph (1) may be made to an eligible individual unless the individual— ‘‘(A) has submitted to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, and the Secretary has approved such application; ‘‘(B) provides, in such form and manner as the Secretary may require, assurances that the individual will meet the service requirement described in paragraph (6); and ‘‘(C) provides, in such form and manner as the Secretary may require, assurances that the individual has a full-time faculty appointment in a health professions institution and documented commitment from such institution to spend 75 percent of the total time of such individual on teaching and developing skills in interdisciplinary education in geriatrics. ‘‘(4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—An eligible individual that receives an Award under paragraph (1) shall provide assurances to the Secretary that funds provided to the eligible individual under this subsection will be used only to supplement, not to supplant, the amount of Federal, State, and local funds otherwise expended by the eligible individual.’’; and (3) in paragraph (5), as so designated— (A) in subparagraph (A)— (i) by inserting ‘‘for individuals who are physicians’’ after ‘‘this section’’; and (ii) by inserting after the period at the end the following: ‘‘The Secretary shall determine the amount of an Award under this section for individuals who are not physicians.’’; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(C) PAYMENT TO INSTITUTION.—The Secretary shall make payments to institutions which include schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, dentistry, and pharmacy, or other allied health discipline in an accredited health professions school that is approved by the Secretary.’’. (c) COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC EDUCATION.—Section 855 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 298) is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(5) establish traineeships for individuals who are preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in geriatric nursing, long-term care, gero-psychiatric nursing or other nursing areas that specialize in the care of the elderly population.’’; and (2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2003 through 2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2010 through 2014’’.

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