PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Health and the Health Professionals Loan Repayment Board announced in a June 29 ceremony that more than $686,000 in loan repayment awards were made. These awards are designed to strengthen Rhode Island’s health care workforce and narrow health disparities by increasing the number of providers in medically underserved communities, according to a DOH statement.
The awards went to 18 health care professionals, including physicians, dentists, nurses and behavioral health providers. In exchange for receiving their loan repayment awards, the recipients commit to practicing in medically underserved communities in Rhode Island for at least two years.
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“The Health Professionals Loan Repayment Program is essential to our work to eliminate health disparities by ensuring access to quality health services and care in every zip code in Rhode Island,” DOH Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, who also chairs the Health Professional Loan Repayment Board, said in the statement. “Health and medical education are expensive. This program helps remove barriers for our next generation of health care providers, and it also helps us draw the best and brightest to the health care workforce in our state.”
Program funding comes from the federal government and various health and community organizations. The Rhode Island Health Center Association solicited matching funds from many of these organizations. The Rhode Island Foundation contributed $200,000; Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Health Center Association, Delta Dental of Rhode Island, Landmark Hospital and CharterCARE each contributed $50,000; Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island contributed $30,000 and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, $25,000, to the Health Professionals Loan Repayment Fund. An additional $175,000 in federal funding came from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration through a grant to DOH.
The following individuals received the loan repayment awards:
- Blackstone Valley Community Health Center:
Alice Eyo, registered nurse; Pedro Ochoa, dentist and Shannan Victorino, registered nurse - Providence Community Health Centers:
Mofoluso Agbelese, advanced practice registered nurse; and Beth Cronin, Jessica Salak and Emily White, all physicians - Rhode Island Department of Corrections:
Jessica Bonanno-Hamel, independent clinical social worker - Thundermist Health Center:
Yamila Cos, dentist; Jessica Heney, physician; Vanessa Krasinski, advanced practice registered nurse; Stephanie Avila, certified nurse midwife; Emily Collier, advanced practice registered nurse and Allison Parkhurst, marriage and family therapist. - The Providence Center:
Marol Kerge, advanced practice registered nurse and Emily Phrasikaysone, registered nurse - Comprehensive Community Action Program:
Kimberly Stokinger and Jason Villa, both physician assistants
“The recruitment and retention of health professionals is essential to having an adequate workforce to provide comprehensive medical services to Rhode Islanders,” Jane A. Hayward, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Health Center Association, said in the statement. “The loan repayment program is a vital tool which ensures this necessary supply of professionals to deliver care, especially within communities where access can be challenging.”
More information: Health Professionals Loan Repayment Program, including the definition of a medically underserved community.
