The 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. (1) there is evidence that at least 30 percent of the population of the service area or site consists of underserved individuals;
2. (2) the service area is a rural community;

3. (3) the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),

   1. (A) acting under 42 U.S.C. 254e and 256f, has designated the service area a health professional shortage area (HPSA); or
   2. (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. (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

   1. (A) a university that provides education or training to health care professionals;
   2. (B) a technical college that provides education or training to health care professionals;
   3. (C) a health education network; and

   4. (D) a program for community health aide, behavioral health aide, dental health aide, public health, or substance use disorder counselor training; in this subparagraph,

      1. (i) "behavioral health aide" means an individual with the certification described in 7 AAC 155.040(a)(2);
      2. (ii) "community health aide" means an individual with the certification described in 7 AAC 155.040(a)(1);
      3. (iii) "substance use disorder counselor" has the meaning given in 7 AAC 135.990.

(Eff. 12/25/2020, Register 236)

Authority: AS 18.29.105, AS 18.29.0190