§ 1616o — University Of South Dakota Pilot Program

(a) The Secretary may make a grant to the School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota (hereafter in this section referred to as “USDSM”) to establish a pilot program on an Indian reservation at one or more service units in South Dakota to address the chronic manpower shortage in the Aberdeen Area of the Service. (b) The purposes of the program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) are— (1) to provide direct clinical and practical experience at a service unit to medical students and residents from USDSM and other medical schools; (2) to improve the quality of health care for Indians by assuring access to qualified health care professionals; and (3) to provide academic and scholarly opportunities for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other allied health professionals serving Indian people by identifying and utilizing all academic and scholarly resources of the region. (c) The pilot program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) shall— (1) incorporate a program advisory board composed of representatives from the tribes and communities in the area which will be served by the program; and (2) shall be designated as an extension of the USDSM campus and program participants shall be under the direct supervision and instruction of qualified medical staff serving at the service unit who shall be members of the USDSM faculty. (d) The USDSM shall coordinate the program established pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (a) with other medical schools in the region, nursing schools, tribal community colleges, and other health professional schools. (e) The USDSM, in cooperation with the Service, shall develop additional professional opportunities for program participants on Indian reservations in order to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified health professionals in the Aberdeen Area of the Service.