State Loan Repayment Program

The UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH) was established in 1990 to address health disparities in rural Kentucky, including a chronic shortage of health professionals and residents’ poor health status. The UK CERH accomplishes this through health professional education, health policy research, health care service and community engagement. The UK CERH 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 consusmers 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 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 119 primary care professionals in Kentucky’s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA). This equates to 55 Physicians (44 MDs and 11 DOs), 42 Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, two Physician Assistants, ten Dentists, four Dental Hygienists, two Pharmacists, one Registered Nurse, one Licensed Clinical Social Worker, one Licensed Professional Counselor, and one Clinical Psychologist.