
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 38USC7318]

 
                      TITLE 38--VETERANS' BENEFITS
 
              PART V--BOARDS, ADMINISTRATIONS, AND SERVICES
 
 CHAPTER 73--VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION--ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS
 
           SUBCHAPTER II--GENERAL AUTHORITY AND ADMINISTRATION
 
Sec. 7318. National Center for Preventive Health

    (a)(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall establish and operate in 
the Veterans Health Administration a National Center for Preventive 
Health (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ``Center''). The 
Center shall be located at a Department health care facility.
    (2) The head of the Center is the Director of Preventive Health 
(hereinafter in this section referred to as the ``Director'').
    (3) The Under Secretary for Health shall provide the Center with 
such staff and other support as may be necessary for the Center to carry 
out effectively its functions under this section.
    (b) The purposes of the Center are the following:
        (1) To provide a central office for monitoring and encouraging 
    the activities of the Veterans Health Administration with respect to 
    the provision, evaluation, and improvement of preventive health 
    services.
        (2) To promote the expansion and improvement of clinical, 
    research, and educational activities of the Veterans Health 
    Administration with respect to such services.

    (c) In carrying out the purposes of the Center, the Director shall 
do the following:
        (1) Develop and maintain current information on clinical 
    activities of the Veterans Health Administration relating to 
    preventive health services, including activities relating to--
            (A) the on-going provision of regularly-furnished services; 
        and
            (B) patient education and screening programs carried out 
        throughout the Administration.

        (2) Develop and maintain detailed current information on 
    research activities of the Veterans Health Administration relating 
    to preventive health services.
        (3) In order to encourage the effective provision of preventive 
    health services by Veterans Health Administration personnel--
            (A) ensure the dissemination to such personnel of any 
        appropriate information on such services that is derived from 
        research carried out by the Administration; and
            (B) acquire and ensure the dissemination to such personnel 
        of any appropriate information on research and clinical 
        practices relating to such services that are carried out by 
        researchers, clinicians, and educators who are not affiliated 
        with the Administration.

        (4) Facilitate the optimal use of the unique resources of the 
    Department for cooperative research into health outcomes by 
    initiating recommendations, and responding to requests of the Under 
    Secretary for Health and the Director of the Medical and Prosthetic 
    Research Service, for such research into preventive health services.
        (5) Provide advisory services to personnel of Department health-
    care facilities with respect to the planning or furnishing of 
    preventive health services by such personnel.

    (d) There is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 to the Medical 
Care General and Special Fund of the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
each fiscal year for the purpose of permitting the National Center for 
Preventive Health to carry out research, clinical, educational, and 
administrative activities under this section. Such activities shall be 
considered to be part of the operation of health-care facilities of the 
Department without regard to the location at which such activities are 
carried out.
    (e) In this section, the term ``preventive health services'' has the 
meaning given such term in section 1701(9) of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 102-585, title V, Sec. 511(a)(1), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 
4955; amended Pub. L. 103-446, title XII, Sec. 1201(c)(5), Nov. 2, 1994, 
108 Stat. 4683.)


                               Amendments

    1994--Subsecs. (a)(1), (3), (c)(4). Pub. L. 103-446 substituted 
``Under Secretary for Health'' for ``Chief Medical Director''.


         Selection of Facility at Which Center To Be Established

    Section 511(c) of Pub. L. 102-585, as amended by Pub. L. 103-446, 
title XII, Sec. 1202(e)(2), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4689, provided that: 
``In order to establish the National Center for Preventive Health 
pursuant to section 7318 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
subsection (a), the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs shall solicit proposals from Department health care 
facilities to establish the center. The Under Secretary for Health shall 
establish such center at the facility or facilities which the Under 
Secretary for Health determines, on the basis of a review and analysis 
of such proposals, would most effectively carry out the purposes set 
forth in subsection (b) of such section.''

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1704 of this title.
