Section XX of Chapter 17 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:-

Addiction Residency Training Program

Section 1: The department shall establish an Addiction Residency Training grant. This interdisciplinary graduate physician training program funded through the department shall provide one year graduate medical education for physicians who have completed a core residency in general psychiatry, internal medicine, family medicine or an equivalent primary specialty that will meet the board certification requirements of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for Addiction Psychiatry or the American Board of Addiction Medicine for Addiction Medicine. Said grant shall mandate integrated and interdisciplinary training and education, to prepare graduates for practice in an integrated care setting, such as a medical home, accountable care organization, federally qualified health centers, department of mental health or department of public health facility. Provided further, said grant shall mandate training in: (a) Drug Courts and other diversion programs within the criminal justice system; (b) Community-based rotations in underserved areas of the state, for each trainee, including experience working with the department’s funded Nurse Care Managers; (c) Require rotations in public sector setting such as the department of public health, the department of mental health, and department of veterans affairs.

This grant will allow for two physician trainees per year.

Section 2: Addiction Residency Training Program graduates who elect to practice in Western Mass, or other designated underserved areas of the Commonwealth will be eligible to participate in a loan-forgiveness program that will reimburse them for expenses incurred for medical school education.  Funds will be reimbursed at the rate of $ 15,000 for the first year; $20,000 for the second year and $40,000 for the third year spent working in underserved areas.