Health care service demonstration projects in rural areas
(a)
Authority
section 3030e of this titleThe Assistant Secretary, after consultation with the State agency of the State involved, shall make grants to eligible public agencies and nonprofit private organizations to pay part or all of the cost of developing or operating model health care service projects (including related home health care services, adult day health care, mental health services, outreach, and transportation) through multipurpose senior centers that are located in rural areas and that provide nutrition services under , to meet the health care needs of medically underserved older individuals residing in such areas.
(b)
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a public agency or nonprofit private organization shall submit to the Assistant Secretary an application containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may require, including—
(1)
information describing the nature and extent of the applicant’s—
(A)
experience in providing medical services of the type to be provided in the project for which a grant is requested; and
(B)
coordination and cooperation with—
(i)
institutions of higher education having graduate programs with capability in public health, mental health, the medical sciences, psychology, pharmacology, nursing, social work, health education, nutrition, or gerontology, for the purpose of designing and developing such project; and
assurances that the applicant will carry out the project for which a grant is requested, through a multipurpose senior center located—
(A)(i)
in a rural area that has a population of less than 5,000; or
(ii)
in a county that has fewer than seven individuals per square mile; and
(B)
in a State in which—
(i)
not less than 33⅓ of the population resides in rural areas; and
(ii)
not less than 5 percent of the population resides in counties with fewer than seven individuals per square mile,
as defined by and determined in accordance with the most recent data available from the Bureau of the Census; and
(3)
assurances that the applicant will submit to the Assistant Secretary such evaluations and reports as the Assistant Secretary may require.
(c)
Reports
The Assistant Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes summaries of the evaluations and reports required under subsection (b).