,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dbed ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bf1 #bjbf,mr4 ,wyden 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,blackburn7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to provide for a health care workforce innovation program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,health ,workforce ,innovation ,act4 #b4 ,health care workforce innovation program ,section #gee7;b7 of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bid;e7b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#e7 7,a7 ,supporting and developing new innovative1 community-driven approaches for the education and training of allied health professionals1 including those described in subparagraph 7,f77i71 with an emphasis on expanding the supply of such professionals located in1 and meeting the needs of1 underserved communities and rural areas4 ,grants or contracts under this paragraph shall be awarded through a new program 7referred to as the ,health ,care ,workforce ,innovation ,program or in this paragraph as the ,program74 7,b7 ,to be eligible to receive a grant or contract under the ,program an entity shall-- 7i7 be a ,federally qualified health center 7as defined in section #aije7l77#b77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act71 a ,state-level association or other consortium that represents and is comprised of ,federally qualified health centers1 a certified rural health clinic that meets the requirements of section #ccd1 or an accredited1 nonprofit post-secondary vocational program that trains allied health professionals to work in primary care settings2 and 7ii7 submit to the ,secretary an application that1 at a minimum1 contains-- 7,i7 a description of how all trainees will be trained in accredited training programs either directly or through partnerships with public or nonprofit private entities1 such as schools of allied health2 7,,ii7 a description of the community-driven health care workforce innovation model to be carried out under the grant or contract1 including the specific allied health professions to be funded2 7,,iii7 the geographic service area that will be served1 including quantitative data1 if available1 showing that such particular area faces a shortage of allied health professionals and lacks access to health care2 7,,iv7 a description of the benefits provided to each health care professional trained under the proposed model during the education and training phase2 7,v7 a description of the experience that the applicant has in the recruitment1 retention1 and promotion of the well-being of workers and volunteers2 7,,vi7 a description of how the funding awarded under the ,program will supplement rather than supplant existing funding2 7,,vii7 a description of the scalability and replicability of the community-driven approach to be funded under the ,program2 7,,viii7 a description of the infrastructure1 outreach and communication plan and other program support costs required to operationalize the proposed model2 and 7,,ix7 any other information1 as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7,c7 7i7 ,an entity shall use amounts received under a grant or contract awarded under the ,program to carry out the innovative1 community-driven model described in the application under subparagraph 7,b74 ,such amounts may be used for launching new or expanding existing innovative health care professional partnerships1 including the following specific uses3 7,i7 ,establishing or expanding a partnership between such entity and #a or more high schools1 accredited public or nonprofit private vocational-technical schools1 accredited public or nonprofit private #b-year colleges1 area health education centers1 and entities with clinical settings for the provision of education and training opportunities not available at the grantee's facilities4 7,,ii7 ,providing education and training programs to improve allied health professionals' readiness in settings that serve underserved communities and rural areas2 encouraging students from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds and former patients to consider careers in health care1 and better reflecting and meeting community needs2 providing education and training programs for individuals to work in patient-centered1 team-based1 community-driven health care models that include integration with other clinical practitioners and training in cultural and linguistic competence2 providing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for health care technical1 support1 and entry-level occupations1 particularly for those enrolled in dual or concurrent enrollment programs2 building a preceptorship training-to-practice model for medical1 behavioral health1 oral health1 and public health disciplines in an integrated1 community-driven setting2 providing and expanding internships1 career ladders1 and development opportunities for health care professionals1 including new and existing staff2 or investing in training equipment1 supplies1 and limited renovations or retrofitting of training space needed for grantees to carry out their particular model4 7ii7 ,amounts received under a grant or contract awarded under the ,program shall not be used to support construction costs or to supplant funding from existing programs that support the applicant's health workforce4 7iii7 ,models funded under the ,program shall be for a duration of at least #c years4 7,d7 ,in awarding grants or contracts under the ,program1 the ,secretary shall give priority to applicants that will use grant or contract funds to support workforce innovation models that increase the number of individuals from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds working in such health care professions1 improve access to health care 7including medical1 behavioral health and oral health7 in underserved communities1 or demonstrate that the model can be replicated in other underserved communities in a cost-efficient and effective manner to achieve the purposes of the ,program4 7,e7 ,an entity that receives a grant or contract under the ,program shall provide periodic reports to the ,secretary detailing the findings and outcomes of the innovative1 community-driven model carried out under the grant4 ,such reports shall contain information in a manner and at such times as determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7,f7 ,in this paragraph3 7i7 ,the term allied health professional includes individuals who provide clinical support services1 including medical assistants1 dental assistants1 dental hygienists1 dental therapists1 pharmacy technicians1 physical therapists1 physical therapist assistants and health care interpreters2 individuals providing non-clinical support1 such as billing and coding professionals and health information technology professionals2 dieticians2 medical technologists2 emergency medical technicians2 community health workers2 health education specialists2 health care paraprofessionals2 and peer support specialists4 7ii7 ,the term rural area has the meaning given such term by the ,administrator of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration4 7iii7 ,the term underserved communities means areas1 population groups1 and facilities designated as health professional shortage areas under section #ccb1 medically underserved areas as defined under section #ccj;,i7a71 or medically underserved populations as defined under section #ccj7;b77#c74 7,g7 7i7 ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjbi1 to carry out this paragraph1 to remain available until expended4 7ii7 ,a grant or contract provided under the ,program shall not exceed #b1ejj1jjj for a grant period4 4