25 U.S.C. § 1616e — Nursing program

(a) Grants. Through the Service, the Secretary must give grants to (1) public or private nursing schools; (2) tribally controlled community colleges and tribally controlled postsecondary vocational institutions (as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 2397h(2)); and (3) public or private programs for nurse midwives or nurse practitioners. The purpose is to increase nurses, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners who provide health care to Indians. (b) Uses. A grant may (1) recruit people for nursing, nurse-midwife, or nurse-practitioner training; (2) provide enrolled students scholarships for tuition and related expenses, including books, fees, room and board, and living stipends; (3) encourage these professionals to provide or keep providing care to Indians; (4) improve their skills and provide continuing education; or (5) support another program designed to achieve subsection (a)’s purpose. (c) Applications. Each application must contain information the Secretary requires to show how the applicant’s program is connected to a health-care facility that mainly serves Indians. (d) Preferences. The Secretary must prefer programs that prefer Indians, train nurse midwives or nurse practitioners, are interdisciplinary, or cooperate with a center for gifted and talented Indian students established under 20 U.S.C. § 2624(a). (e) North Dakota program. The Secretary must use one grant to establish and maintain at the University of North Dakota the “Quentin N. Burdick American Indians Into Nursing Program.” To the greatest extent feasible, it must coordinate with the Quentin N. Burdick Indian Health Programs under 25 U.S.C. § 1616g(b) and the Quentin N. Burdick American Indians Into Psychology Program under 25 U.S.C. § 1621p(b). (f) Service obligation. Anyone receiving training or assistance described in subsection (b)(1) or (2) that a grant funds must meet the active-duty obligation in 42 U.S.C. § 254m. Service may be in (A) the Indian Health Service; (B) a program under an Indian Self-Determination Act contract; (C) a program assisted under subchapter IV of this chapter; or (D) private nursing practice that the Secretary finds, under the Secretary’s guidelines, is in a physician or other health-professional shortage area and serves a substantial number of Indians. (g) Funding. Starting in fiscal year 1993, at least $1,000,000 of each year’s appropriations under this subchapter used for this section must fund training grants for nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners.