ALABAMA HAS A NEW STATE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
Most of Alabama is designated as a health professional shortage area (HPSA) for primary care, dental care, and mental health care by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In an effort to promote recruitment and retention of critical healthcare practitioners, particularly in rural Alabama , the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health in the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has received a grant to create the Alabama State Loan Repayment Program (ASLRP) and to provide subgrants to over twenty qualified healthcare professionals in exchange for two years of service in a HPSA.
Qualified candidates will compete for awards totaling up to $35,000 per year for two years of service, with fifty percent of the award ($17,500) being paid by the ADPH grant and fifty percent of the award being matched with payment from the employing public or nonprofit agency. Two-year contracts are required between the applicant and the employing agency, and the employment site must be designated as a HPSA by HRSA at the time of the award.The following professions qualify for participation in this excellent program:
- M.D. or D.O. primary care physician (family practice, general internist, pediatrician, obstetrician/gynecologist, psychiatrist)
- General practice dentist
- Primary care physician assistant
- Primary care nurse practitioner
- Licensed clinical social worker
- Clinical or counseling psychologist
- Psychiatric clinical nurse specialist
- Licensed professional counselor
- Marriage and family therapist
- Mental health counselor
For additional information visit the program's Web site at http://adph.org/ruralhealth/ Click on "State Loan Repayment." 
