Norma Hernandez

Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026.