Grants to states for loan repayment - the commonwealth of virginia has participated in the bureau of health workforce grants to states for loan repayment program, awarded and managed by the VDH-OHE…

Grants to states for loan repayment - the commonwealth of virginia has participated in the bureau of health workforce grants to states for loan repayment program, awarded and managed by the VDH-OHE since 2014, when a concerted effort to increase the incentive programs offered by the commonwealth began. VDH recognizes slrp as a vital tool for the recruitment and retention of virginia's healthcare workforce. VA-slrp has seen significant growth since 2014 and last year, 301 applications were received and 22 awards were given out, distributing $1,000,000 in funds. The VDH-OHE receives matching funds from the VA general assembly and other state agencies and foundations to expand virginia's safety net providers. Together, along with this federal award, funds from the general assembly and the virginia tobacco & resettlement commission we anticipate having $4 million in loan repayment funds for state fiscal year 2023. The VA-slrp has identified both short-term and long-term goals for the next 4 years of the program and they include to improve the diversity of applicants through targeted marketing activities; to increase the total number of applicants from counties or municipalities with the greatest need; to improve retention of incentive program recipients in hspa areas and to obtain alternative funding from non-government sources for incentive programs. These short-term goals will lead to the long-term goals of decreasing hpsa scores and continued funding diversity decreasing the dependence on government funding. The VA-slrp team works with staff from the virginia primary care and virginia rural health offices and partners with other statewide groups including foundations, state agencies, and health professional schools. IT is through these partnerships that we plan to support the VA-slrp program, placing more health professionals in underserved areas of the commonwealth than ever before.