(a) The selection committee shall use guidelines developed by the office that meet all of the following criteria to select scholarship recipients:
(1) Provide priority consideration to applicants who are best suited to meet the cultural and linguistic needs and demands of patients from medically underserved populations and who meet one or more of the following criteria:
(A) Speak a Medi-Cal threshold language.
(B) Come from an economically disadvantaged background.
(C) Have experience working in medically underserved areas or with medically underserved populations.
(2) Give preference to applicants who have committed to practicing in a primary specialty.
(3) Give preference to applicants who will serve in a practice setting in a super-medically underserved area.
(4) Include a factor ensuring geographic distribution of placements.
(b) The selection committee may award up to 20 percent of the available scholarships to program applicants who will practice specialties outside of a primary specialty.
(c) The foundation, in consultation with the selection committee, shall develop a process for outreach to potentially eligible applicants.
(d) The office shall develop the guidelines described in subdivision (a) only upon receipt of donations sufficient to cover the costs of developing the guidelines.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 339, Sec. 1. (AB 589) Effective January 1, 2013.)