HR3885-119

What This Bill Does

The Community TEAMS Act amends Public Health Service Act section 330A to add grants for community-based training for medical students in rural areas and medically underserved communities. The HRSA Director may award one-to-five-year grants to eligible consortia made up of one or more osteopathic or allopathic medical schools and one or more rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, or healthcare facilities in medically underserved communities. The purpose is to expand medical student clinical rotations in those facilities and support long-term, sustainable physician practice in high-need communities, including outpatient settings. Applications must be prepared in consultation with the appropriate state office of rural health or another appropriate state entity and include a project description, explanation of why federal assistance is needed, quality-improvement plan, explanation of how local populations will gain access to quality care across the continuum, sustainability plan after federal support ends, evaluation plan, and other information required by the Director. The bill also updates section 330A references so community-based medical student training is included alongside rural healthcare service outreach, network development, small provider quality improvement, and other rural health grant activities.

Who Benefits and How

Rural medical students benefit from more clinical rotations in rural health clinics and high-need communities. Medically underserved communities benefit if rotations build a pipeline for long-term physician practice. Rural health clinics benefit from grant-supported medical student training capacity. Federally qualified health centers benefit from consortium eligibility and potential student rotations. Medical schools benefit from federal support for community-based training partnerships.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HRSA grant staff must evaluate consortium applications and administer one-to-five-year awards. Medical school consortia must prepare applications, coordinate with state rural health offices, and evaluate projects. State offices of rural health must consult on applications or identify appropriate state partners. Federal taxpayers fund the new grant activity under section 330A.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes HRSA grants for community-based medical student training in rural and medically underserved areas.
• Requires eligible consortia to include medical schools and rural clinics, FQHCs, or underserved-community facilities.
• Supports clinical rotations that facilitate sustainable physician practice in high-need communities.
• Requires applications to address quality improvement, access, sustainability, evaluation, and federal need.
• Requires consultation with state offices of rural health or appropriate state entities.