Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

TOPEKA — At any given time, Kansas has about 50 doctors, dentists, or other health professionals who are participating in the federal service corps program aimed at getting medical workers into underserved areas.

The 50, usually recent medical or nursing school graduates, enroll in the National Health Services Corps agreeing to serve two years or so in an underserved area in exchange for help with their education costs usually through loan pay-offs.

The Corps is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But in Kansas, at least, there aren’t enough Corps members to meet demand.

“We certainly have more sites looking for clinicians than we have loan repayers,” said Robert Stiles, director of the Primary Care Office at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Local and Rural Health. “Very often it’s just an issue of finding someone to hire.”

Most places seeking a provider are in rural areas. But city neighborhoods also may meet the federal requirements for designation as a “Health Service Professional Shortage” area, or HPSA, if they lack primary care, mental health or dental services.

Health care providers who agree to work at safety net clinics also are eligible to participate in the service corps program.

A clinic or facility that hires a service corps worker must agree to certain federal guidelines, including:

• It must accept Medicare and Medicaid patients;

• It must accept all patients regardless of ability to pay, which typically means using a sliding fee scale;

• It must provide outpatient services;

• It must charge rates consistent with other facilities in the area.

Physicians and dentists can get up to $60,000 of their student loans paid after fulfilling a two-year commitment. Dental hygienists, physician assistants and mental health workers are eligible for up to $40,000 in loan repayment.

Stiles said that while the loan repayment program has been helpful getting providers into underserved areas, his office still struggles to find enough who are willing to go to rural areas.

But others are happy to go, said Barbara Huske, the office’s workforce coordinator. Some graduates jump on board immediately.

“Many who talk to me say, ‘it doesn’t matter where it is – it’s an opportunity to get my loans paid,’” she said.

-Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at sgreen@khi.org or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.