§18B-16-7. Establishment and operation of primary health care education sites.

(a) In addition to the authority granted elsewhere in this chapter, the board of trustees is authorized and directed to establish at least six primary health care education sites at existing rural health care facilities at which students, interns and residents in health sciences and allied health care education programs may be provided educational and clinical experiences. The board of trustees shall establish at least six sites prior to January 1, 1994. The vice chancellor shall, where practicable, and based upon recommendations of the joint commission on vocational-technical-occupational education established in section one, article three-a of this chapter, allow for the provision of educational experience to student practical nurses at the primary health care education sites.

(b) The advisory panel and the vice chancellor shall carefully analyze prospective sites so that the selection of the primary health care education sites and their satellites meet the ultimate goals of expanding rural health care without adversely impacting on existing health care providers or facilities.

(c) The advisory panel and the vice chancellor shall employ an open and competitive process in selecting locations for primary health care education sites and shall observe as criteria the following factors: (1) The degree of community interest, support and involvement in seeking award of the site; (2) qualification as a medically underserved or health professional shortage area; (3) the financial need of the community; (4) statewide geographic dispersion; (5) the amount of local financial support available to initiate and continue the site, including the possibility of the site's being financially self-sufficient within a reasonable period of time; (6) the adequacy of facilities available to accommodate the health sciences and allied health care education program; (7) consistency with planning efforts of the office of rural health and the health care planning commission; (8) the amount and manner in which health care needs unique to West Virginia are addressed and will be addressed; (9) the degree to which state institutions of higher education cooperate in the health care education site; (10) the number of patients and patient encounters; (11) the number of existing health care providers in the area and the degree to which the rural health care facility will work with and impact on those health care providers; and (12) the level of networking among local health care providers serving the area.

(d) The vice chancellor shall select the primary health care education sites from the list of recommendations made by the advisory panel in accordance with section six of this article. The vice chancellor shall communicate his or her selection to the board of trustees for final approval by the board. The vice chancellor shall notify the advisory panel and the board of trustees regarding the extent to which the panel's recommendations were adopted by the vice chancellor and his or her reasons for rejecting any recommendations of the panel.

(e) The board of trustees may enter into a contractual relationship with each primary health care education site, which shall be in accordance with such laws as may apply to publicly funded partnerships with private, nonprofit entities and the provisions of section three, article five of this chapter.