Including medical laboratory personnel and services in National Health Service Corps programs

(a) Definition Section 331(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(a)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (3)(D), by striking or mental health and inserting mental health, or medical laboratory services; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (F) The term medical laboratory personnel — (i) means individuals— (I) seeking or receiving training in an accredited medical laboratory science program; or (II) employed in a position in which the individual examines materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a disease or impairment of human beings; and (ii) includes phlebotomists, medical laboratory assistants, histotechnologists, laboratory scientists, laboratory technicians, and genetic counselors.. (b) Medical laboratory health professional target areas Section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding at the end the following: (l) Medical laboratory health professional target areas (1) In general The Secretary shall carry out a program of— (A) identifying medical laboratory health professional target areas; and (B) assigning members of the Corps who are medical laboratory personnel to such areas. (2) Applicable provisions The provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of subsection (k) shall apply to the identification of medical laboratory health professional target areas and the assignment of medical laboratory personnel under this subsection except that— (A) references to maternity care health professional target areas shall be treated as references to medical laboratory health professional target areas; and (B) references to maternity care health professionals and maternity care shall be treated as references to medical laboratory personnel and medical laboratory services, respectively.. (c) Loan repayment program Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting medical laboratory personnel, after dentists,; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) by striking an individual must— and all that follows through or physician assistant; and inserting the following: an individual must— (1) (A) (i) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and mental health; (ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant; or (iii) have a degree in medical laboratory science;; (B) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting medical laboratory science, after mental health,; and (C) in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), by inserting medical laboratory science, after dentistry,.