To the extent funds are made available for the purposes of the Rural Primary Health Care Act, the department is authorized to:

A. provide for a program to recruit and retain health care personnel in health care underserved areas;

B. develop plans for and coordinate the efforts of other public and private entities assisting in the provision of primary health care services through eligible programs;

C. provide for technical assistance to eligible programs in the areas of administrative and financial management, clinical services, outreach and planning;

D. provide for distribution of financial assistance to eligible programs that have applied for and demonstrated a need for assistance in order to sustain a minimum level of delivery of primary health care services; and

E. provide a program for enabling the development of new primary care health care services or facilities, and that program:

(1) shall give preference to communities that have few or no community-based primary care services;

(2) may require in-kind support from local communities where primary care health care services or facilities are established;

(3) may require primary care health care services or facilities to assure provision of health care to the medically indigent; and

(4) shall permit the implementation of innovative and creative uses of local or statewide health care resources, or both, other than those listed in Paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection.

History: 1978 Comp., § 24-1A-3.1, enacted by Laws 1983, ch. 236, § 3; 1991, ch. 212, § 18; 1996, ch. 29, § 3.

The 1996 amendment, effective May 15, 1996, made stylistic changes in Subsection D; and in Subsection E, substituted "provide" for "institute" and "services" for "centers" in the introductory language, and substituted "services" for "centers" in Paragraphs (2) and (3).

The 1991 amendment, effective July 1, 1991, added Subsection E.