House File 540 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY WESSEL=KROESCHELL and
UPMEYER
(COMPANION TO LSB 2492SS
BY SODDERS)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a pilot physician assistant mental health
2 fellowship program and making appropriations.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2492HH 83
5 jp/nh/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. PILOT PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT MENTAL HEALTH
1 2 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM == APPROPRIATIONS.
1 3 1. A pilot physician assistant mental health fellowship
1 4 program is established to be administered by the department of
1 5 public health with assistance from the college student aid
1 6 commission in accordance with this section. The purpose of
1 7 the program is to determine the effect of making available
1 8 specialized training and support for physician assistants in
1 9 providing mental health services on the efforts to address
1 10 Iowa's shortage of mental health professionals.
1 11 2. The program shall provide for all of the following:
1 12 a. Collaboration with a 220=bed hospital serving a
1 13 13=county area in central Iowa that provides a clinic at the
1 14 Iowa veterans home, a private nonprofit agency headquartered
1 15 in a city with a population of more than 190,000 that operates
1 16 a freestanding psychiatric medical institution for children, a
1 17 private university with a medical school educating osteopathic
1 18 physicians located in a city with a population of more than
1 19 190,000, the Iowa veterans home, and any other clinical
1 20 partner designated for the program. Population figures used
1 21 in this paragraph refer to the most recent certified federal
1 22 census. The clinical partners shall provide supervision,
1 23 clinical experience, training, and other support for the
1 24 program and physician assistant students participating in the
1 25 program.
1 26 b. Elderly, youth, and general population clinical
1 27 experiences.
1 28 c. A fellowship of twelve months for three physician
1 29 assistant students for each year of the program. The program
1 30 shall operate for three years, subject to the funding provided
1 31 for the program.
1 32 d. Supervision of students participating in the program
1 33 shall be provided by the university and the other clinical
1 34 partners participating in the program.
1 35 e. A student participating in the program shall be
2 1 eligible for a stipend of not more than $50,000 for the twelve
2 2 months of the fellowship plus related fringe benefits. In
2 3 addition, the students who complete the program and practice
2 4 in Iowa in mental health professional shortage areas, as
2 5 defined in section 135.80, shall be eligible for up to $20,000
2 6 in loan forgiveness. The stipend and loan forgiveness
2 7 provisions shall be determined by the department and the
2 8 commission, in consultation with the clinical partners.
2 9 f. The state and private entity clinical partners shall
2 10 regularly evaluate and document the experiences with the
2 11 approaches utilized and outcomes achieved by the program to
2 12 identify an optimal model for operating such a program on an
2 13 ongoing basis. The evaluation process shall include but is
2 14 not limited to identifying ways the program's clinical and
2 15 training components could be modified to facilitate other
2 16 student and practicing physician assistants specializing as
2 17 mental health professionals.
2 18 3. There is appropriated from the general fund of the
2 19 state to the department of public health for the following
2 20 fiscal years the following amounts, or so much thereof as is
2 21 necessary, to be used for the pilot physician assistant mental
2 22 health fellowship program in accordance with this section:
2 23 a. FY 2009=2010 ................................ $ 300,000
2 24 b. FY 2010=2011 ................................ $ 300,000
2 25 c. FY 2011=2012 ................................ $ 300,000
2 26 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in this
2 27 section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close
2 28 of a fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available
2 29 for expenditure for the purposes designated until the close of
2 30 the succeeding fiscal year.
2 31 EXPLANATION
2 32 This bill establishes a pilot physician assistant mental
2 33 health fellowship program to be administered by the department
2 34 of public health with assistance from the college student aid
2 35 commission. The purpose of the program is to determine the
3 1 effect of making available specialized training and support
3 2 for physician assistants in providing mental health services
3 3 on efforts to address Iowa's shortage of mental health
3 4 professionals.
3 5 The program is directed to physician assistant students by
3 6 providing a 12=month fellowship to three students per year.
3 7 Supervision of the student participants is to be performed by
3 8 a collaboration of a university training osteopathic
3 9 physicians, a hospital in central Iowa, a nonprofit agency
3 10 which operates a psychiatric medical institution for children,
3 11 the Iowa veterans home, and other clinical partners. Elderly,
3 12 youth, and general population clinical experiences are to be
3 13 provided to the students participating in the program. The
3 14 participants are eligible for a stipend of up to $50,000 plus
3 15 fringe benefits and loan forgiveness of up to $20,000 if
3 16 employed in a shortage area when beginning practice. The
3 17 state agencies and the clinical partners are required to
3 18 regularly evaluate the program.
3 19 Annual appropriations of $300,000 are provided for the
3 20 program for fiscal years 2009=2010, 2010=2011, and 2011=2012.
3 21 LSB 2492HH 83
3 22 jp/nh/5