Sec. 501. Grants to promote positive health behaviors in women and children
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Part Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 280g et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The Secretary, in collaboration with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and other Federal officials determined appropriate by the Secretary, is authorized to award grants to eligible entities to promote positive health behaviors for women and children in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women and children in medically underserved communities. Grants awarded pursuant to subsection
(a)may be used to support the activities of community health workers, including such activities— to educate and provide outreach regarding enrollment in health insurance including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program under title XXI of the Social Security Act , Medicare under title XVIII of such Act, and Medicaid under title XIX of such Act; to educate, guide, and provide outreach in a community setting regarding health problems prevalent among women and children and especially among racial and ethnic minority women and children; to educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities that target risk factors that impede achieving healthy behaviors and good health outcomes, including— poor nutrition; physical inactivity; being overweight or obese; tobacco use; alcohol and substance use; injury and violence; risky sexual behavior; mental health problems; musculoskeletal health and arthritis; dental and oral health problems; understanding informed consent; and stigma; to educate and guide regarding effective strategies to promote positive health behaviors within the family; to promote community wellness and awareness; and to educate and refer target populations to appropriate health care agencies and community-based programs and organizations in order to increase access to quality health care services, including preventive health services. Each eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under subsection
(a)shall submit an application to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such additional information as the Secretary may require. Each application submitted pursuant to paragraph
(1)shall— describe the activities for which assistance under this section is sought; contain an assurance that, with respect to each community health worker program receiving funds under the grant awarded, such program provides in-language training and supervision to community health workers to enable such workers to provide authorized program activities in (at least) the most commonly used languages within a particular geographic region; contain an assurance that the applicant will evaluate the effectiveness of community health worker programs receiving funds under the grant; contain an assurance that each community health worker program receiving funds under the grant will provide culturally competent services in the linguistic context most appropriate for the individuals served by the program; contain a plan to document and disseminate project descriptions and results to other States and organizations as identified by the Secretary; and describe plans to enhance the capacity of individuals to utilize health services and health-related social services under Federal, State, and local programs by— assisting individuals in establishing eligibility under the programs and in receiving the services or other benefits of the programs; and providing other services, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, which may include transportation and translation services. In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to those applicants— who propose to target geographic areas that— have a high percentage of residents who are uninsured or underinsured (if the targeted geographic area is located in a State that has elected to make medical assistance available under section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII) of the Social Security Act to individuals described in such section); or have a high percentage of underinsured residents in a particular geographic area (if the targeted geographic area is located in a State that has not so elected); and have a high percentage of families for whom English is not their primary language or including smaller limited-English-proficient communities within the region that are not otherwise reached by linguistically appropriate health services; with experience in providing health or health-related social services to individuals who are underserved with respect to such services; and with documented community activity and experience with community health workers. The Secretary shall encourage community health worker programs receiving funds under this section to collaborate with academic institutions, including minority-serving institutions. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require such collaboration. The Secretary shall establish guidelines for ensuring the quality of the training and supervision of community health workers under the programs funded under this section and for ensuring the cost effectiveness of such programs. The Secretary shall monitor community health worker programs identified in approved applications and shall determine whether such programs are in compliance with the guidelines established under subsection (f). The Secretary may provide technical assistance to community health worker programs identified in approved applications with respect to planning, developing, and operating programs under the grant. Not later than 4 years after the date on which the Secretary first awards grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report regarding the grant project. The report required under paragraph
(1)shall include the following: A description of the programs for which grant funds were used. The number of individuals served. An evaluation of— the effectiveness of these programs; the cost of these programs; and the impact of the project on the health outcomes of the community residents. Recommendations for sustaining the community health worker programs developed or assisted under this section. Recommendations regarding training to enhance career opportunities for community health workers. In this section: The term community health worker means an individual who promotes health or nutrition within the community in which the individual resides— by serving as a liaison between communities and health care agencies; by providing guidance and social assistance to community residents; by enhancing community residents’ ability to effectively communicate with health care providers; by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health or nutrition education; by advocating for individual and community health, including dental, oral, mental, and environmental health, or nutrition needs; by taking into consideration the needs of the communities served, including the prevalence rates of risk factors that impede achieving healthy behaviors and good health outcomes among women and children, especially among racial and ethnic minority women and children; and by providing referral and followup services. The term community setting means a home or a community organization that serves a population. The term eligible entity means— a unit of State, territorial, local, or tribal government (including a federally recognized tribe or Alaska Native village); or a community-based organization. The term medically underserved community means a community— that has a substantial number of individuals who are members of a medically underserved population, as defined by section 330(b)(3); a significant portion of which is a health professional shortage area as designated under section 332; and that includes populations that are linguistically isolated, such as geographic areas with a shortage of health professionals able to provide linguistically appropriate services. The term support means the provision of training, supervision, and materials needed to effectively deliver the services described in subsection (b), reimbursement for services, and other benefits. The term target population means women of reproductive age, regardless of their current childbearing status and children under 21 years of age. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019. .
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Sec. 501
Grants to promote positive health behaviors in women and children
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