((a))

((1)) The Under Secretary for Health shall establish and operate in the Veterans Health Administration a National Center for Preventive Health (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Center”). The Center shall be located at a Department health care facility.

((2)) The head of the Center is the Director of Preventive Health (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Director”).

((3)) The Under Secretary for Health shall provide the Center with such staff and other support as may be necessary for the Center to carry out effectively its functions under this section.

((b)) The purposes of the Center are the following:

((1)) To provide a central office for monitoring and encouraging the activities of the Veterans Health Administration with respect to the provision, evaluation, and improvement of preventive health services.

((2)) To promote the expansion and improvement of clinical, research, and educational activities of the Veterans Health Administration with respect to such services.

((c)) In carrying out the purposes of the Center, the Director shall do the following:

((1)) Develop and maintain current information on clinical activities of the Veterans Health Administration relating to preventive health services, including activities relating to—

((A)) the on-going provision of regularly-furnished services; and

((B)) patient education and screening programs carried out throughout the Administration.

((2)) Develop and maintain detailed current information on research activities of the Veterans Health Administration relating to preventive health services.

((3)) In order to encourage the effective provision of preventive health services by Veterans Health Administration personnel—

((A)) ensure the dissemination to such personnel of any appropriate information on such services that is derived from research carried out by the Administration; and

((B)) acquire and ensure the dissemination to such personnel of any appropriate information on research and clinical practices relating to such services that are carried out by researchers, clinicians, and educators who are not affiliated with the Administration.

((4)) Facilitate the optimal use of the unique resources of the Department for cooperative research into health outcomes by initiating recommendations, and responding to requests of the Under Secretary for Health and the Director of the Medical and Prosthetic Research Service, for such research into preventive health services.

((5)) Provide advisory services to personnel of Department health-care facilities with respect to the planning or furnishing of preventive health services by such personnel.

((d)) There is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 to the Medical Care General and Special Fund of the Department of Veterans Affairs for each fiscal year for the purpose of permitting the National Center for Preventive Health to carry out research, clinical, educational, and administrative activities under this section. Such activities shall be considered to be part of the operation of health-care facilities of the Department without regard to the location at which such activities are carried out.

((e)) In this section, the term “preventive health services” has the meaning given such term in .