Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program

The intent of the Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (PCPLRP) is to improve access to primary health care among underserved populations by providing educational loan repayment assistance to primary care medical, dental, and mental health practitioners. In exchange, practitioners must complete a minimum two year, full-time (or four year, half-time) service obligation at an eligible practice site/s located in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA). Since 2007, there have been a total 126 recipients using $ 5,192,379 of state and federal funds.

Conrad 30 (J-1 Visa Waiver) Program

The intent of the Conrad 30 Program is to address the shortage of physicians in rural and urban areas by providing letters of support for physicians who provide primary health care, mental health care, and specialty care in exchange for a service commitment in a designated shortage area or underserved area of the state. Federal requirements restrict the number of placements to 30 per year (up from 20 since 2004). Although the program has been implemented since 1994, complete data is only available from 2007. Since 2007, of 416 recipients of a waiver, 293 have completed their 3 year service obligation, 116 (40%) of which have continued to practice in Iowa.

Iowa Collage Aid Loan Repayment Programs

The Iowa Collage Aid administers several programs to improve access to primary care services in Iowa, to include the Health Care Professional Recruitment Program, the Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, an the Health Care Loan Repayment Program.

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