RURAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.

SEC. 704. RURAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. (a) In General.— Section 502(i)(l) of the Rural Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662) (as redesignated by section 403(a)(2)(B) of this Act) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: “(C) Rural health leadership development.— The Secretary, in consultation with the Office of Rural Health Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services, may make grants to academic medical centers or land grant colleges and universities, or any combination thereof, for the establishment of rural health leadership development education programs that shall assist rural communities in developing health care services and facilities that will provide the maximum benefit for the resources invested and assist community leaders and public officials in understanding their roles and responsibilities relative to rural health services and facilities, including— “(i) community decisions regarding funding for and retention of rural hospitals; “(ii) rural physician and allied health professionals recruitment and retention; “(iii) the aging rural population and senior services required to care for the population; “(iv) the establishment and maintenance of rural emergency medical services systems; and 105 STAT. 1882 “(v) the application of computer-assisted capital budgeting decision aids for rural health services and facilities. (b) Conforming Amendment.— The first sentence of section 502(i)(4) of the Rural Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662) (as redesignated by section 403(a)(2)(B) of this Act) is amended by inserting after “to States” the following “or entities described in paragraph (1)(C)”.