Section 7 AAC 24.011 - Designation as a health care services shortage areaThe commissioner will designate a service area or site as being, or as being located in, a health care services shortage area under AS 18.29, if at least one of the following criteria are met:
(1) there is evidence that at least 30 percent of the population of the service area or site consists of underserved individuals;(2) the service area is a rural community;(3) the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),(A) acting under 42 U.S.C. 254e and 256f, has designated the service area a health professional shortage area (HPSA); or(B) acting under 42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3), has designated the service area a medically underserved area (MUA) or one with a medically underserved population (MUP);(4) there is evidence that the site provides education or training to health care professionals to increase access to health care services; for purposes of this paragraph, a site includes (A) a university that provides education or training to health care professionals;(B) a technical college that provides education or training to health care professionals;(C) a health education network; and(D) a program for community health aide, behavioral health aide, dental health aide, public health, or substance use disorder counselor training; in this subparagraph, (i) "behavioral health aide" means an individual with the certification described in 7 AAC 155.040(a)(2);(ii) "community health aide" means an individual with the certification described in 7 AAC 155.040(a)(1);(iii) "substance use disorder counselor" has the meaning given in 7 AAC 135.990.Eff. 12/25/2020, Register 236, January 2021