42 U.S.C. § 294e — Allied health and other disciplines

(a) In general: The Secretary may make grants or contracts under this section to help entities fund the activities described in subsection (b). (b) Activities: These activities include: (1) Helping entities meet the costs of expanding or starting programs that increase the number of people trained in allied health professions. Funded programs and activities may include: (A) expanding enrollment in allied health professions with the greatest shortages, or whose services are most needed for geriatric populations or for maternal and child health; (B) rapid transition training programs in allied health fields for people who already have a bachelor's degree in a health-related science; (C) community-based allied health training programs that link academic centers to rural clinical settings; (D) career advancement training for practicing allied health professionals; (E) expanding or establishing clinical training sites for allied health professionals in medically underserved or rural communities, to train more people; (F) developing curricula emphasizing prevention and health promotion, geriatrics, long-term care, home health and hospice care, and ethics; (G) expanding or establishing interdisciplinary training programs that improve allied health practitioners' effectiveness in geriatric assessment and rehabilitation of the elderly; (H) expanding or establishing demonstration centers to showcase innovative models linking allied health clinical practice, education, and research; and (I) giving traineeships — financial assistance for tuition, fees, and stipends — to students (i) who plan to pursue a career in an allied health field with a demonstrated personnel shortage, and (ii) who agree, once trained, to practice in a medically underserved community; and (J) meeting the costs of projects to plan, develop, and operate or maintain graduate programs in behavioral and mental health practice. (2) Planning and running preventive and primary care training projects for podiatric physicians in approved or provisionally approved residency programs, giving financial assistance in the form of traineeships to residents who take part and plan to specialize in primary care. (3) Carrying out demonstration projects where chiropractors and physicians work together to identify and provide effective treatment for spinal and lower-back conditions. (4) Increasing educational opportunities in physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology — which may include scholarships or stipends and other activities to improve retention, for people from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented in these professions.