US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 295

General provisions

(a)

In general

The Secretary may award grants or contracts to eligible entities to increase the number of individuals in the public health workforce, to enhance the quality of such workforce, and to enhance the ability of the workforce to meet national, State, and local health care needs.

(b)

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant or contract under subsection (a) an entity shall—
(1)
be—
(A)
a health professions school, including an accredited school or program of public health, health administration, preventive medicine, or dental public health or a school providing health management programs;
(B)
an academic health center;
(C)
a State or local government; or
(D)
any other appropriate public or private nonprofit entity; and
(2)
prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)

Preference

In awarding grants or contracts under this section the Secretary may grant a preference to entities—
(1)
serving individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities); and
(2)
graduating large proportions of individuals who serve in underserved communities.
(d)

Activities

Amounts provided under a grant or contract awarded under this section may be used for—
(1)
the costs of planning, developing, or operating demonstration training programs;
(2)
faculty development;
(3)
trainee support;
(4)
technical assistance;
(5)
to meet the costs of projects—
(A)
to plan and develop new residency training programs and to maintain or improve existing residency training programs in preventive medicine and dental public health, that have available full-time faculty members with training and experience in the fields of preventive medicine and dental public health; and
(B)
to provide financial assistance to residency trainees enrolled in such programs;
(6)
the retraining of existing public health workers as well as for increasing the supply of new practitioners to address priority public health, preventive medicine, public health dentistry, and health administration needs;
(7)
preparing public health professionals for employment at the State and community levels;
(8)
public health workforce loan repayment programs; or
(9)
other activities that may produce outcomes that are consistent with the purposes of this section.
(e)

Traineeships

(1)

In general

With respect to amounts used under this section for the training of health professionals, such training programs shall be designed to—
(A)
make public health education more accessible to the public and private health workforce;
(B)
increase the relevance of public health academic preparation to public health practice in the future;
(C)
provide education or training for students from traditional on-campus programs in practice-based sites; or
(D)
develop educational methods and distance-based approaches or technology that address adult learning requirements and increase knowledge and skills related to community-based cultural diversity in public health education.
(2)

Severe shortage disciplines

Amounts provided under grants or contracts under this section may be used for the operation of programs designed to award traineeships to students in accredited schools of public health who enter educational programs in fields where there is a severe shortage of public health professionals, including epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, toxicology, public health nursing, nutrition, preventive medicine, maternal and child health, and behavioral and mental health professions.

July 1, 1944, ch. 373Pub. L. 105–392, title I, § 105112 Stat. 3553Pub. L. 111–148, title V, § 5206(a)124 Stat. 611(, title VII, § 765, as added , , ; amended , , .)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 781Pub. L. 102–408, title I, § 102106 Stat. 2055Pub. L. 105–12, § 12(b)111 Stat. 29Pub. L. 105–392, title I, § 106(a)(1)112 Stat. 3557A prior section 295, , as added , , ; amended , , , authorized grants and contracts for research on certain health professions issues, prior to repeal by , , .

act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 761Pub. L. 91–696, § 10184 Stat. 2080–1Pub. L. 96–88, title III, § 301(a)(1)93 Stat. 677Pub. L. 99–129, title II, § 220(c)99 Stat. 544Another prior section 295, , as added , , ; amended , , title V, § 507, , 692, provided Congressional declaration of purpose for former part D of this subchapter, prior to repeal by , , .

act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 761Pub. L. 88–164, title I, § 10177 Stat. 282section 101 of Pub. L. 91–696Another prior section 295, , as added , , , related to authorization of appropriations respecting grants for construction of mental retardation facilities, prior to the general amendment of former part D of this subchapter by .

section 294c of this titlePub. L. 105–392A prior section 765 of act , was classified to prior to the general amendment of part D of this subchapter by .

section 295d of this titlePub. L. 99–129Another prior section 765 of act , was classified to prior to repeal by .

section 295d of this titlePub. L. 91–696Another prior section 765 of act , was classified to prior to the general amendment of part D of this subchapter by .

Amendments

Pub. L. 111–1482010—Subsec. (d)(8), (9). added par. (8) and redesignated former par. (8) as (9).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Funding for Public Health Workforce

Pub. L. 117–2, title II, § 2501135 Stat. 42

“(a)

In General .—

Pub. L. 117–2In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this subtitle [subtitle F (§§ 2501, 2502) of title II of , enacting this note] referred to as the ‘Secretary’) for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $7,660,000,000, to remain available until expended, to carry out activities related to establishing, expanding, and sustaining a public health workforce, including by making awards to State, local, and territorial public health departments.
“(b)

Use of Funds for Public Health Departments .—

Amounts made available to an awardee pursuant to subsection (a) shall be used for the following:
“(1)
Costs, including wages and benefits, related to the recruiting, hiring, and training of individuals—
“(A)
to serve as case investigators, contact tracers, social support specialists, community health workers, public health nurses, disease intervention specialists, epidemiologists, program managers, laboratory personnel, informaticians, communication and policy experts, and any other positions as may be required to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID–19; and
“(B)
who are employed by—
“(i)
the State, territorial, or local public health department involved; or
“(ii)
a nonprofit private or public organization with demonstrated expertise in implementing public health programs and established relationships with such State, territorial, or local public health departments, particularly in medically underserved areas.
“(2)
Personal protective equipment, data management and other technology, or other necessary supplies.
“(3)
Administrative costs and activities necessary for awardees to implement activities funded under this section.
“(4)
Subawards from recipients of awards under subsection (a) to local health departments for the purposes of the activities funded under this section.”
, , , provided that: