Section 598.10  Definitions

"Academic year" means the period of time each year during which an approved school is open and classes are in session.

"Act" means the Allied Health Care Professional Assistance Law [110 ILCS 905].

"Accepted for admission" means that a student has completed the requirements for entry at an approved school, as documented by the approved school.

"Administrative law judge" shall have the meaning ascribed in the Department's Practice and Procedure in Administrative Hearings.

"Advanced practice nurse" or "APN" means a person who has met the qualifications for a certified nurse midwife (CNM); certified nurse practitioner (CNP); certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA); or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and has been licensed by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (Section 50-10 of the Nurse Practice Act)

"Allied health care professional" means a person who is licensed in Illinois as a certified nurse practitioner, physician assistant, certified registered nurse anesthetist or certified nurse midwife.

"Applicant" means a person who submits an application to the Department to receive an allied health care professional assistance scholarship.

"Approved school" means a medical or other school located in Illinois and accredited in its field or otherwise approved by the Department. (Section 2003(a)(1) of the Act)

"Arrears" means an overdue amount that has not been paid.

"Business day" means Monday through Friday.  It does not include a federal or State government declared holiday, Saturday or Sunday.

"Calendar day" means all days in a month or prescribed time frame.  It includes weekends and federal or State government declared holidays.

"Department" means the Illinois Department of Public Health. (Section 2003(b) of the Act).

"Designated Shortage Area" means an area designated by the Director of Public Health as a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area as defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or as further defined by the Department to enable it to effectively fulfill the purpose stated in Section 2002 of the Act.  Such areas may include the following:

an urban or rural area which is a rational area for the delivery of health services;

a population group; or

a public or nonprofit private medical facility. (Section 2003(c) of the Act)

"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"Eligible allied health care professional" means a person who meets all of the following qualifications:

he or she is studying an allied health care field in a medical or other school located in Illinois and accredited in its field or otherwise approved by the Department, and agrees to obtain a license to practice in his or her field in this State;

he or she exhibits financial need as determined by the Department; and

he or she agrees to practice full-time in a Designated Shortage Area as an allied health care professional one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. (Section 2003(a) of the Act)

"Federally Qualified Health Center" or "FQHC" means a health center funded under section 330 of the federal Public Health Service Act.

"Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike" or "FQHC Look-Alike" means an organization that meets the requirements for receiving a grant under section 330 of the federal Public Health Service Act but does not receive federal funding under that authority.

"Fees" means those mandatory charges, in addition to tuition, that all enrolled students at an approved school must pay, including required course or lab fees.

"Fund" means the Community Health Center Care Fund.

"Full-time academic work" means enrollment for the number of hours required per term by a school for its full-time students.

"Full-time employment" means being available at the practice location for face-to-face direct patient visits a minimum of 32 hours per week.

"Full-time student" means a student who is enrolled for at least the number of hours required per term by a school for its full-time students.

"Grant" means funds awarded under the Act.

"Grantor Agency" means any agency of State government which dispenses grant funds. (Section 2(a) of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act)

"Grant agreement" means the agreement entered into between the Department and any person or entity for obligation, capital expenditure or use for a specific purpose.

"Grantee" means a person or entity which may use grant funds. (Section 2(c) of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act)

"Grant funds" means public funds dispensed by the Department to any person or entity for obligation, expenditure or use for a specific purpose. (Section 2(b) of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act)

"Good academic standing" means that a student is matriculating with the rest of his or her class and is demonstrating minimum competence in his or her field of study at an approved school.

"Health Professional Shortage Area" or "HPSA" is a designation provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.  The HPSA designation indicates the shortage of primary medical care, dental or mental health providers.  The designation may be geographic (a county or service area), demographic (low income population) or institutional (comprehensive health center, FQHC or other public facility).  HPSA designations can be found at http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/.

"Health Professional Shortage Area Score" or "HPSA Score" refers to the HPSA shortage severity score calculated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Professionals when an HPSA is federally designated.

"Illinois resident" means a person who has been a resident of Illinois for at least one year prior to applying for an Allied Health Care Professional Scholarship and is a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.

"Lawful permanent resident" means a person who is not a citizen of the United States but who resides in the United States under legally recognized requirements and lawfully records his/her permanent residence.

"Medically underserved population" or "MUP" means individuals who reside in a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services health professional shortage area or medically underserved area; or who are designated a medically underserved population by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; or who reside in an area designated by the Department as underserved.

"Metropolitan statistical area" or "MSA" means one or more adjacent counties that have at least one urban core area of at least 50,000 in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.

"Mid-level providers" include health professionals who have completed specialized training and who meet the requirements of nationally recognized health professional organizations granting certification to certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists and physician assistants.

"Part-time academic work" means enrollment for at least one-third of the number of hours required per term by a school for its full-time students.

"Part-time student" means a student who is enrolled for at least one-third of the number of hours required per term by a school for its full-time students.

"Physician assistant" means an individual licensed under the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987 [225 ILCS 95].

"Primary care" means health care that encompasses prevention services, basic diagnostic and treatment services and support services, including laboratory, radiology, transportation and pharmacy.  Primary care is comprehensive in nature and not organ or problem specific, is oriented toward the longitudinal care of the patient, and includes responsibility for coordination of other health and social services as they relate to the patients' needs.

"Quarter" means a term within an academic year that marks the beginning and end of classes.  Quarters are approximately eight to 10 weeks in duration and there are four quarters in an academic year.

"Rational area" means a geographic area for the delivery of primary health care services.  In determining a rational area, one of the following conditions must be met:  a county or a group of contiguous counties whose population centers are within 30 minutes travel time of each other; a portion of a county whose population has limited access to a contiguous area's resources, as measured by travel time greater than 30 minutes; or established communities within a metropolitan statistical area that have limited interaction with contiguous areas, and have a maximum population of 20,000.

"Rural practice" means providing primary care services in any geographic area of Illinois that is not located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area or a county located within a Metropolitan Statistical Area but having a population of less than 60,000, or a community located within a Metropolitan Statistical Area but having a population of 2,500 or less.

"School term" means an academic term, such as a semester, quarter or trimester, or number of clock hours, as defined by an approved school.

"Semester" means a term within an academic year that marks the beginning and end of classes.  Semesters are approximately 15 to 16 weeks in duration and there are two semesters in an academic year.

"Summer term" means a term within an academic year that marks the beginning and end of classes.  The term is approximately four to nine weeks in duration and is typically offered during June, July and August of an academic year.

"Trimester" means a term within an academic year that marks the beginning and end of classes.  Trimesters are approximately 12 to 15 weeks in duration, and there are three trimesters in an academic year.

"Tuition" means the established charges of an institution of higher learning for instruction at the institution.

"Urban practice" means providing primary care services in any geographic area of Illinois that does not meet the rural practice definition.

(Source:  Amended at 36 Ill. Reg. 2345, effective January 27, 2012)