42 U.S.C. § 254c–1 — Grants for health services for Pacific Islanders

(a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services must give grants to, or contract with, public or private nonprofit agencies that have experience meeting the health needs of Pacific Islanders in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. (b) This money must be used for things like: continuing the medical officer training program in Pohnpei, Micronesia, as a top priority; improving health and mental health services and data systems, with a focus on prevention and health promotion; training and upgrading health workers — for example, by starting dental, nursing, and clinical specialist training programs, training new health aides, upgrading current staff in needed areas, long-term workforce planning, faculty development, and scholarships to help Pacific Basin residents finish health training programs; improving the quality of lab, X-ray, pharmacy, and other clinical services through quality assurance and standards; improving repair and maintenance of facilities and equipment; improving prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and mental illness; improving regional and local health planning; and strengthening basic public health systems, especially primary care for those most in need. None of this money can pay for new construction. (c) The Secretary must set up a 12-member Pacific Health Advisory Council. It includes the health department directors from American Samoa, the Northern Marianas, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, plus 6 members from Hawaii organizations involved in providing health services or technical help to those places — one of whom represents the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. The Secretary must ask Hawaii's Governor for advice on the 5 Hawaii members besides the Rehabilitation Hospital representative, and must give the Council enough staff support. (d) The Council must meet at least once a year to recommend which needs the Public Health Service should fund first, and to review progress and suggest program changes to the Secretary. (e) This subsection is marked "Omitted" in the statute — it no longer contains active text. (f) Congress authorized $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1991 through 1993 to carry out this section.