42 U.S.C. § 296p — Nurse education, practice, quality, and retention grants

(a) Education priority areas. The Secretary may award grants or contracts to eligible entities for (1) expanding enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, or (2) providing education in new technologies, including distance learning methods. (b) Practice priority areas. The Secretary may award grants or contracts to eligible entities for (1) establishing or expanding nursing practice arrangements in noninstitutional settings, to test ways of improving access to primary health care in medically underserved communities; (2) caring for underserved populations and high-risk groups, such as the elderly, people with HIV/AIDS, people with mental health or substance use disorders, people who are homeless, and survivors of domestic violence; (3) providing coordinated care and other skills needed to work in existing and new organized health care systems; or (4) developing cultural competencies among nurses. (c) Retention priority areas. The Secretary may award grants and contracts to eligible entities to strengthen the nursing workforce by starting and maintaining nurse retention programs under (1) or (2). (1) Grants for career ladder programs. The Secretary may fund programs that (A) promote career advancement — for nursing across a variety of training settings and specialties, and for individuals such as licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, certified nurse assistants, home health aides, diploma or associate-degree nurses, and other health workers (including community health practitioners certified under the Indian Health Service's program) — toward becoming registered nurses with baccalaureate degrees or graduate nursing degrees; (B) help people get the education and training needed to enter and advance in nursing, such as through career counseling and mentoring; and (C) develop internships, accredited fellowships, and accredited residency programs with one or more accredited schools of nursing, to encourage mentoring and specialty development. (2) Enhancing patient care delivery systems. (A) The Secretary may award grants to improve nurse retention and enhance patient care directly tied to nursing activities, by boosting collaboration and communication among nurses and other health professionals, and by promoting nurse involvement in a health facility's organizational and clinical decision-making. (B) The Secretary must give preference to applicants who have not previously received an award under this paragraph. (C) Continuing an award past its second year depends on the recipient showing the Secretary measurable, substantive improvement in nurse retention or patient care. (d) Other priority areas. The Secretary may award grants or contracts for other areas the Secretary decides are high priority for nurse education, practice, and retention. (e) Report. As part of the nursing workforce report described in a named section, the Secretary must report on the grants awarded and contracts entered into under this section, identifying the total number of them and explaining why each one meets a priority nursing workforce need. (f) Eligible entity. For this section, "eligible entity" includes an accredited school of nursing (as defined in a named section), a health care facility — including federally qualified health centers or nurse-managed health clinics — or a partnership between such a school and such a facility.