COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE AWARENESS AND MENTORING PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

(a) Subject to available funding, the department, in collaboration with Area Health Education Center Programs, shall establish a community healthcare awareness and mentoring program for students to: (1) identify high school students in rural and underserved urban areas who are interested in serving those areas as health care professionals; (2) identify health care professionals in rural and underserved urban areas to act as positive role models, mentors, or reference resources for the interested high school students; (3) introduce interested high school students to the spectrum of professional health care careers through activities such as health care camps and shadowing of health care professionals; (4) encourage a continued interest in service as health care professionals in rural and underserved urban areas by providing mentors and community resources for students participating in training or educational programs to become health care professionals; and (5) provide continuing community-based support for students during the period the students are attending training or educational programs to become health care professionals, including summer job opportunities and opportunities to mentor high school students in the community. (b) In connection with the program, the department shall establish and maintain an updated medical resource library that contains information relating to medical careers. The department shall make the library available to school counselors, students, and parents of students.