42 U.S.C. § 254c-6 : US Code - Section 254C-6: Certain services for pregnant women

Search 42 U.S.C. § 254c-6 : US Code - Section 254C-6: Certain services for pregnant women

(a) Infant adoption awareness
(1) In general
The Secretary shall make grants to national, regional, or local
adoption organizations for the purpose of developing and
implementing programs to train the designated staff of eligible
health centers in providing adoption information and referrals to
pregnant women on an equal basis with all other courses of action
included in nondirective counseling to pregnant women.
(2) Best-practices guidelines
(A) In general
A condition for the receipt of a grant under paragraph (1) is
that the adoption organization involved agree that, in
providing training under such paragraph, the organization will
follow the guidelines developed under subparagraph (B).
(B) Process for development of guidelines
(i) In general
The Secretary shall establish and supervise a process
described in clause (ii) in which the participants are -
(I) an appropriate number and variety of adoption
organizations that, as a group, have expertise in all
models of adoption practice and that represent all members
of the adoption triad (birth mother, infant, and adoptive
parent); and
(II) affected public health entities.
(ii) Description of process
The process referred to in clause (i) is a process in which
the participants described in such clause collaborate to
develop best-practices guidelines on the provision of
adoption information and referrals to pregnant women on an
equal basis with all other courses of action included in
nondirective counseling to pregnant women.
(iii) Date certain for development
The Secretary shall ensure that the guidelines described in
clause (ii) are developed not later than 180 days after
October 17, 2000.
(C) Relation to authority for grants
The Secretary may not make any grant under paragraph (1)
before the date on which the guidelines under subparagraph (B)
are developed.
(3) Use of grant
(A) In general
With respect to a grant under paragraph (1) -
(i) an adoption organization may expend the grant to carry
out the programs directly or through grants to or contracts
with other adoption organizations;
(ii) the purposes for which the adoption organization
expends the grant may include the development of a training
curriculum, consistent with the guidelines developed under
paragraph (2)(B); and
(iii) a condition for the receipt of the grant is that the
adoption organization agree that, in providing training for
the designated staff of eligible health centers, such
organization will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the
individuals who provide the training are individuals who are
knowledgeable in all elements of the adoption process and are
experienced in providing adoption information and referrals
in the geographic areas in which the eligible health centers
are located, and that the designated staff receive the
training in such areas.
(B) Rule of construction regarding training of trainers
With respect to individuals who under a grant under paragraph
(1) provide training for the designated staff of eligible
health centers (referred to in this subparagraph as
"trainers"), subparagraph (A)(iii) may not be construed as
establishing any limitation regarding the geographic area in
which the trainers receive instruction in being such trainers.
A trainer may receive such instruction in a different
geographic area than the area in which the trainer trains (or
will train) the designated staff of eligible health centers.
(4) Adoption organizations; eligible health centers; other
definitions
For purposes of this section:
(A) The term "adoption organization" means a national,
regional, or local organization -
(i) among whose primary purposes are adoption;
(ii) that is knowledgeable in all elements of the adoption
process and on providing adoption information and referrals
to pregnant women; and
(iii) that is a nonprofit private entity.
(B) The term "designated staff", with respect to an eligible
health center, means staff of the center who provide pregnancy
or adoption information and referrals (or will provide such
information and referrals after receiving training under a
grant under paragraph (1)).
(C) The term "eligible health centers" means public and
nonprofit private entities that provide health services to
pregnant women.
(5) Training for certain eligible health centers
A condition for the receipt of a grant under paragraph (1) is
that the adoption organization involved agree to make reasonable
efforts to ensure that the eligible health centers with respect
to which training under the grant is provided include -
(A) eligible health centers that receive grants under section
300 of this title (relating to voluntary family planning
projects);
(B) eligible health centers that receive grants under section
254b of this title (relating to community health centers,
migrant health centers, and centers regarding homeless
individuals and residents of public housing); and
(C) eligible health centers that receive grants under this
chapter for the provision of services in schools.
(6) Participation of certain eligible health clinics
In the case of eligible health centers that receive grants
under section 254b or 300 of this title:
(A) Within a reasonable period after the Secretary begins
making grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide
eligible health centers with complete information about the
training available from organizations receiving grants under
such paragraph. The Secretary shall make reasonable efforts to
encourage eligible health centers to arrange for designated
staff to participate in such training. Such efforts shall
affirm Federal requirements, if any, that the eligible health
center provide nondirective counseling to pregnant women.
(B) All costs of such centers in obtaining the training shall
be reimbursed by the organization that provides the training,
using grants under paragraph (1).
(C) Not later than 1 year after October 17, 2000, the
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of the
Congress a report evaluating the extent to which adoption
information and referral, upon request, are provided by
eligible health centers. Within a reasonable time after
training under this section is initiated, the Secretary shall
submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report
evaluating the extent to which adoption information and
referral, upon request, are provided by eligible health centers
in order to determine the effectiveness of such training and
the extent to which such training complies with subsection
(a)(1) of this section. In preparing the reports required by
this subparagraph, the Secretary shall in no respect interpret
the provisions of this section to allow any interference in the
provider-patient relationship, any breach of patient
confidentiality, or any monitoring or auditing of the
counseling process or patient records which breaches patient
confidentiality or reveals patient identity. The reports
required by this subparagraph shall be conducted by the
Secretary acting through the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration and in collaboration with
the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
(b) Application for grant
The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) of this
section only if an application for the grant is submitted to the
Secretary and the application is in such form, is made in such
manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and information
as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this
section.
(c) Authorization of appropriations
For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.