(a) The board shall determine the criteria to award and administer grants to support program grant recipients. The board may award grants to any or all of the following:

(1) Public and private research institutions and hospitals that conduct eligible cancer clinical trials.

(2) Nonprofit organizations that are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and that do either of the following:

(A) Specialize in direct patient support for improved clinical trial enrollment and retention.

(B) Engage in research on health disparities and their relationship to clinical trial enrollment.

(b) Grants awarded pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be used for activities to increase patient access to eligible cancer clinical trials, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Patient navigator services or programs.

(2) Education and community outreach.

(3) Patient-friendly technical tools to assist patients in identifying available clinical trials.

(4) Counseling services for clinical trial participants.

(5) Well-being services for clinical trial participants, including, but not limited to, physical therapy, pain management, stress management, and nutrition management.

(6) Payment of ancillary costs for patients and caregivers, including, but not limited to, all of the following during and related to participation in the clinical trial:

(A) Airfare.

(B) Lodging.

(C) Rental automobile and fuel for the automobile.

(D) Local public transportation by bus, train, or other public transportation.

(E) Meals.

(F) Dependent child care.

(7) Research on the effectiveness of these and other measures to increase patient access to clinical trials.

(c) When determining program grant recipients pursuant to subdivision (a), the board is encouraged to grant special consideration to public or nonprofit applicants that provide patient services related to cancer clinical trials that address health disparities or that possess two or more years’ experience in the improvement of enrollment, retention, or participation in cancer clinical trial participation with an emphasis on underserved populations.

(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 661, Sec. 2. (AB 1823) Effective January 1, 2017.)