Yesterday
I am excited to have joined the Academy as a consultant in order to help members explore opportunities to pay off their medical school debt while serving in communities that need family physicians. As a former director of the NC Office of Rural Health (ORH) and Community Care of North Carolina, I have worked with the NCAFP for over 30 years in improving health care in North Carolina’s underserved communities. That work has included developing more than 25 community-owned and operated primary care centers in those communities, as well as piloting and designing North Carolina’s first medical home program, Carolina Access. That program later became the foundation for Community Care of North Carolina.
The NCAFP is excited to be working alongside the Office of Rural Health to promote the Primary Care Physicians Initiative (NC PCPI), a new loan repayment program for private practices that is sponsored by ORH. Under this program, a family physician with student loans can receive loan repayment awards of up to $100,000 for a four-year commitment to practicing in a private practice owned by an independent physician and located in one of NC’s 80 Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties. You must be employed and providing services when the application is submitted. Funding is limited, and awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the funding is exhausted, the PCPI will end unless the NC General Assembly appropriates new funding to continue it.
This is just the newest loan repayment option, and there are several existing programs worth mentioning.
The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSCLP) is an option worth sharing for its versatility in urban, rural, and tribal communities. It offers family physicians loan repayments while earning a competitive salary in communities with limited access to care. Interested applicants must commit to two years of full-time work at an approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), which are generally outpatient facilities providing primary care including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), FQHC look-alikes, Rural Health Clinics, private practices, and health departments. Selected program participants receive $75,000 for their loan repayments.
Similarly, the Community Care Recruitment (CCRP) and Practice Start-Up Programs (PSUP) help support a more robust primary care delivery system in rural and vulnerable communities. The CCNC Center for Community-Based Primary Care created the programs to positively impact the primary care workforce pipeline. CCRP is aimed at residents specializing in Family Medicine, pediatrics, or general internal medicine willing to commit to practice in an independent CCPN practice. It awards a scholarship of up to $150,000 with an additional $20,000 for practicing in a region with a NPSA score higher than 14. Funds are distributed as one $30,000 payment per year for five years.
The PSUP, on the other hand, is designed to support clinicians seeking to start their independent practices. Requests will be assessed and funded on an individual, case-by-case basis.
Other North Carolina loan repayment programs include:
For more information on these programs as well as assistance in exploring these options and connecting to the relevant parties, please contact me at twade@nc.rr.com or by phone at (919) 608-2309. I look forward to speaking with you!
Tork Wade has served as ORH Director, CCNC Executive Director, CCNC Exec. VP for Business and Provider Partnerships, and other positions throughout his career. He currently serves as Rural Health Consultant at the NCAFP.
This article will appear in the forthcoming issue of The North Carolina Family Physician, the NCAFP’s quarterly magazine.
The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc. (NCAFP) is a nonprofit professional association headquartered in Raleigh which represents over 4,300 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students across the state. It is the largest medical specialty association in North Carolina and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, based in Leadwood, KS.
