(a) The Commissioner of Public Health may establish, within available appropriations, a program to provide three-year grants to community-based providers of primary care services in order to expand access to health care for the uninsured. The grants may be awarded to community-based providers of primary care for (1) funding for direct services, (2) recruitment and retention of primary care clinicians and registered nurses through subsidizing of salaries or through a loan repayment program, and (3) capital expenditures. The community-based providers of primary care under the direct service program shall provide, or arrange access to, primary and preventive services, referrals to specialty services, including rehabilitative and mental health services, inpatient care, prescription drugs, basic diagnostic laboratory services, health education and outreach to alert people to the availability of services. Primary care clinicians and registered nurses participating in the state loan repayment program or receiving subsidies shall provide services to the uninsured based on a sliding fee schedule, provide free care if necessary, accept Medicare assignment and participate as Medicaid providers, or provide nursing services in school-based health centers and expanded school health sites, as such terms are defined in section 19a-6r. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to establish eligibility criteria, services to be provided by participants, the sliding fee schedule, reporting requirements and the loan repayment program. For the purposes of this section, “primary care clinicians” includes family practice physicians, general practice osteopaths, obstetricians and gynecologists, internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, dentists, certified nurse midwives, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and dental hygienists.

(b) Funds appropriated for the state loan repayment program shall not lapse until fifteen months following the end of the fiscal year for which such funds were appropriated.

(P.A. 90-134, S. 10, 28; P.A. 91-274; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-203, S. 1, 2; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4, S. 46; P.A. 06-195, S. 84; P.A. 07-252, S. 4; P.A. 15-59, S. 3.)

History: P.A. 91-274 clarified that grants may be used for direct services, recruitment and retention of primary care clinicians and capital expenditures, defined “primary care clinician” and imposed specific requirements on participants to provide free care if necessary, accept Medicare assignment and participate as a Medicaid provider; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-203 added Subsec. (b) re nonlapse of funds, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re registered nurses and dental hygienists and changing “nurse practitioners” to “advanced practice registered nurses”; P.A. 06-195 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re nursing services in school-based health centers, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-252 made technical changes in Subsec. (a); P.A. 15-59 amended Subsec. (a) by adding references to expanded school health sites and definitions in Sec. 19a-6r.