State Loan Repayment Program

The UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UKCERH) was established in 1990 to address health disparities in rural Kentucky, including a chronic shortage of health professionals and residents¡¦ poor health status. The UKCERH accomplishes this through health professional education, health policy research, health care service and community engagement. The UKCERH serves as the federally designated Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH). The mission of the KORH is to support the health and well-being of Kentuckians by promoting access to rural health services. The program provides a framework for linking small rural communities with local state and federal resources while working toward long-term solutions to rural health issues. The KORH assists clinicians, administrators and consumers find ways to improve communications, finances and access to quality health care while insuring that funding agencies and policy makers are made aware of the needs of rural communities. The Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH) has managed and provided oversight for the development, implementation and coordination of the Kentucky State Loan Repayment Program (KSLRP) since 2003. Through KSLRP, the KORH works to unite communities in need with caring primary care professionals and support efforts in strengthening systems of care. Over the past ten years, the KORH has placed 69 primary care professionals in Kentucky¡¦s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA). This equates to 33 MDs, 10 DOs, 19 Nurse Practitioners, 4 Dentists, 2 Registered Dental Hygienists and 1 Clinical Psychologist. In addition, numerous contract extensions have been initiated beyond original commitments. The purpose of the Kentucky State Loan Repayment Program (KSLRP) continues to be targeted to improve access to underserved areas by uniting communities in need with primary health professionals and support their efforts to build better systems of care. This purpose coincides with the Healthy People 2020 overarching goals: „Ï Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death. „Ï Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups. „Ï Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all. „Ï Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages. The goals of the Kentucky State Loan Repayment Program (KSLRP) will continue to be to: „Ï Provide assistance to address the professional health care shortages in Kentucky¡¦s medically underserved areas. „Ï Support rural communities in their efforts to recruit and retain well qualified healthcare professionals.