There is hereby created within the office a Health Professions Education Fund. The primary purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships and loans to students from underrepresented groups who are accepted to or enrolled in schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, or other health professions, and to fund the Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Scholarship Program pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 128425). The fund shall also be used to pay for the cost of administering the program and for any other purpose authorized by this article. The level of expenditure by the office for the administrative support of the program created pursuant to this article shall be subject to review and approval annually through the State Budget process. The office may receive private donations to be deposited into this fund. All money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the office for the purposes of this article and Article 3 (commencing with Section 128425). The office shall manage this fund prudently in accordance with other provisions of law.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 149, Sec. 10. Effective July 22, 1999.)