§18B-16-4. Establishment of rural health initiative; goals of rural health initiative.

There is hereby established a rural health initiative under the auspices of the board of trustees and under the direction and administration of the vice chancellor. This initiative shall combine the efforts of the rural health initiative as created by this article in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-one, and the Kellogg program as administered by the vice chancellor before the effective date of this section. The goals of the rural health initiative include, but are not limited to:

(a) The development of at least six primary health care education sites;

(b) The establishment of satellite programs from the primary health care education sites to provide additional opportunities for students and medical residents to serve under role models in rural areas;

(c) The provision of training to all medical students under the direction of primary care physicians practicing in rural areas;

(d) The provision of admission preferences for qualified students entering primary care in needed specialties in underserved areas;

(e) The creation of medical residency rotations in hospitals and clinics in rural areas and the provision of incentives to medical residents to accept the residencies at these hospitals and clinics;

(f) The placement of mid-level providers in rural communities and the provision of support to the mid-level providers;

(g) The extension of rural hospital physician respite loan programs to rural primary health care clinics;

(h) The development of innovative programs which enhance student interest in rural health care opportunities;

(i) The increased placement of primary care physicians in underserved areas;

(j) The increased retention of obstetrical providers and the availability of prenatal care;

(k) The increased use of underserved areas of the state in the educational process;

(l) An increase in the number of support services provided to rural practitioners;

(m) An increase in the retention rate of graduates from West Virginia medical schools, nursing schools and allied health care education programs;

(n) The development of effective health promotion and disease prevention programs to enhance wellness; and

(o) The establishment of primary health care education sites which complement existing community health care resources and which do not relocate the fundamental responsibility for health care from the community to the board of trustees.