§ 294d — Quentin N. Burdick Program For Rural Interdisciplinary Training

(a) The Secretary may make grants or contracts under this section to help entities fund authorized activities under an application approved under subsection (c). (1) Amounts provided under subsection (a) shall be used by the recipients to fund interdisciplinary training projects designed to— (A) use innovative or evidence-based methods to train health care practitioners to provide services in rural areas; (B) demonstrate and evaluate innovative interdisciplinary methods and models designed to provide access to cost-effective comprehensive health care; (C) deliver health care services to individuals residing in rural areas; (D) enhance the amount of relevant research conducted concerning health care issues in rural areas; and (E) increase the recruitment and retention of health care practitioners from rural areas and make rural practice a more attractive career choice for health care practitioners. (2) A recipient of funds under subsection (a) may use various methods in carrying out the projects described in paragraph (1), including— (A) the distribution of stipends to students of eligible applicants; (B) the establishment of a post-doctoral fellowship program; (C) the training of faculty in the economic and logistical problems confronting rural health care delivery systems; or (D) the purchase or rental of transportation and telecommunication equipment where the need for such equipment due to unique characteristics of the rural area is demonstrated by the recipient. (A) An applicant shall not use more than 10 percent of the funds made available to such applicant under subsection (a) for administrative expenses. (B) Not more than 10 percent of the individuals receiving training with funds made available to an applicant under subsection (a) shall be trained as doctors of medicine or doctors of osteopathy. (C) An institution that receives a grant under this section shall use amounts received under such grant to supplement, not supplant, amounts made available by such institution for activities of the type described in subsection (b)(1) in the fiscal year preceding the year for which the grant is received. (c) Applications submitted for assistance under this section shall— (1) be jointly submitted by at least two eligible applicants with the express purpose of assisting individuals in academic institutions in establishing long-term collaborative relationships with health care providers in rural areas; and (2) designate a rural health care agency or agencies for clinical treatment or training, including hospitals, community health centers, migrant health centers, rural health clinics, community behavioral and mental health centers, long-term care facilities, Native Hawaiian health centers, or facilities operated by the Indian Health Service or an Indian tribe or tribal organization or Indian organization under a contract with the Indian Health Service under the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.]. (d) For the purposes of this section, the term “rural” means geographic areas that are located outside of standard metropolitan statistical areas.