Health: occupations; Michigan essential health provider recruitment strategy; expand to include midwives. Amends secs. 2701, 2705, 2709 & 2723 of 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.2701 et seq.).
What changed between versions
Added new definitions for 'Certified nurse midwife', 'Certified nurse practitioner', 'Clinical nurse specialist-certified', and 'Designated mental health professional' to clarify which healthcare professionals qualify for program benefits.
Created a new essential health provider repayment program that allows the department to repay up to $40,000 per year (maximum $300,000 over 10 years) for designated professionals who incur educational debt to serve in health resource shortage areas.
Expanded eligibility for the repayment program to include clinical nurse specialists, midwives, and physician's assistants in addition to physicians, certified nurse midwives, certified nurse practitioners, and mental health professionals.
Added requirement that professionals must enter into a written contract committing to full-time practice in a designated health resource shortage area for a period equal to the number of years of debt repayment or 2 years, whichever is greater.
Added provision requiring biennial reports to legislative committees and the governor on the status of the essential health provider recruitment strategy, including analysis of program effectiveness and debt repayment sufficiency.
Established that professionals who fail to fulfill their service obligation forfeit their right to repayment for that year, and the department may treat future agreements as void.
Expanded the department's authority to cooperate with certified nurse midwifery services and midwifery associations to support placement of midwives in health resource shortage areas.
