§294o. Geriatrics

(a) Geriatric education centers

The Secretary may make grants to and enter into contracts with accredited health professions schools or programs described in paragraph (1), (3), or (4) of section 295p of this title or in section 298b(2) of this title to assist in meeting the costs of such schools or programs of projects to-

(1) improve the training of health professionals in geriatrics;

(2) develop and disseminate curricula relating to the treatment of the health problems of elderly individuals;

(3) expand and strengthen instruction in methods of such treatment;

(4) support the training and retraining of faculty to provide such instruction;

(5) support continuing education of health professionals and allied health professionals who provide such treatment; and

(6) establish new affiliations with nursing homes, chronic and acute disease hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and senior centers in order to provide students with clinical training in geriatric medicine.

(b) Geriatric training regarding physicians and dentists

(1) In general

The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs, for the purpose of providing support (including residencies, traineeships, and fellowships) for geriatric training projects to train physicians and dentists who plan to teach geriatric medicine, geriatric psychiatry, or geriatric dentistry.

(2) Requirements

Each project for which a grant or contract is made under this subsection shall-

(A) be staffed by full-time teaching physicians who have experience or training in geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry;

(B) be staffed, or enter into an agreement with an institution staffed by full-time or part-time teaching dentists who have experience or training in geriatric dentistry;

(C) be based in a graduate medical education program in internal medicine or family medicine or in a department of geriatrics or psychiatry;

(D) provide training in geriatrics and exposure to the physical and mental disabilities of elderly individuals through a variety of service rotations, such as geriatric consultation services, acute care services, dental services, geriatric psychiatry units, day and home care programs, rehabilitation services, extended care facilities, geriatric ambulatory care and comprehensive evaluation units, and community care programs for elderly mentally retarded individuals; and

(E) provide training in geriatrics through one or both of the training options described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3).

(3) Training options

The training options referred to in subparagraph (F) ¹ of paragraph (2) shall be as follows:

(A) A 1-year retraining program in geriatrics for-

(i) physicians who are faculty members in departments of internal medicine, family medicine, gynecology, geriatrics, and psychiatry at schools of medicine and osteopathic medicine; and

(ii) dentists who are faculty members at schools of dentistry or at hospital departments of dentistry.

(B) A 2-year internal medicine or family medicine fellowship program providing emphasis in geriatrics, which shall be designed to provide training in clinical geriatrics and geriatrics research for-

(i) physicians who have completed graduate medical education programs in internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, neurology, gynecology, or rehabilitation medicine; and

(ii) dentists who have demonstrated a commitment to an academic career and who have completed postdoctoral dental training, including postdoctoral dental education programs or who have relevant advanced training or experience.

(4) Definitions

For purposes of this subsection:

(A) The term "graduate medical education program" means a program sponsored by a school of medicine, a school of osteopathic medicine, a hospital, or a public or private institution that-

(i) offers postgraduate medical training in the specialties and subspecialties of medicine; and

(ii) has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association through its Committee on Postdoctoral Training.

(B) The term "post-doctoral dental education program" means a program sponsored by a school of dentistry, a hospital, or a public or private institution that-

(i) offers post-doctoral training in the specialties of dentistry, advanced education in general dentistry, or a dental general practice residency; and

(ii) has been accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

(c) Geriatric training regarding optometrists

The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, schools and colleges of optometry for the purpose of providing support for projects-

(1) to plan, develop, and operate projects in postgraduate geriatric care training for optometrists who will teach geriatric optometry;

(2) to provide financial assistance (in the form of residencies, traineeships, and fellowships) to participants in such projects; and

(3) to establish new affiliations with nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, senior centers, and other public or nonprofit private entities.

(d) Authorization of appropriations

(1) Education centers; training

For grants and contracts under subsections (a) and (b) of this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $17,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1993 through 1995.

(2) Optometry

For grants and contracts under subsection (c) of this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $400,000 for each of the fiscal years 1993 through 1995.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, §777, as added Oct. 13, 1992, Pub. L. 102–408, title I, §102, 106 Stat. 2052 .)

Prior Provisions

A prior section 294o, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, §742, as added Sept. 24, 1963, Pub. L. 88–129, §2(b), 77 Stat. 172 ; amended Oct. 22, 1965, Pub. L. 89–290, §4(c), 79 Stat. 1057 ; Nov. 2, 1966, Pub. L. 89–709, §3(e), 80 Stat. 1103 ; Nov. 3, 1966, Pub. L. 89–751, §5(b), 80 Stat. 1232 ; Aug. 16, 1968, Pub. L. 90–490, title I, §121(b), 82 Stat. 778 ; July 9, 1971, Pub. L. 92–52, §1(a), 85 Stat. 144 ; Nov. 18, 1971, Pub. L. 92–157, title I, §105(a), (f)(2), 85 Stat. 449 , 451; Aug. 23, 1974, Pub. L. 93–385, §2(a), 88 Stat. 741 ; Apr. 22, 1976, Pub. L. 94–278, title XI, §1105(a), 90 Stat. 416 ; Oct. 12, 1976, Pub. L. 94–484, title I, §101(e), title IV, §§404, 406(d), 90 Stat. 2244 , 2267, 2268; Aug. 13, 1981, Pub. L. 97–35, title XXVII, §2734, 95 Stat. 920 ; Oct. 22, 1985, Pub. L. 99–129, title II, §209(g), 99 Stat. 534 ; Nov. 6, 1990, Pub. L. 101–527, §5(c), 104 Stat. 2323 , provided for authorization of appropriations for purpose of making Federal contributions into student loan funds, prior to the general revision of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102–408. See sections 292t and 292y of this title.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 294n of this title.

¹ So in original. Probably should be subparagraph "(E)".