'A Giant Step Forward' | CT News Junkie (2024)

HARTFORD, CT – Described as a project that was a long time coming, the Lamont administration on Monday announced the launch of the Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program to address the state’s healthcare worker shortage.

According to the administration, the program will offer up to $50,000 in student loan repayments to eligible healthcare providers who commit to practicing full-time for at least two years in underserved communities in the state. Part-time options are also available for $12,500 a year over two years, totaling $25,000.

Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said the Department of Public Health (DPH) was allocated $11.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the DPH also applied for funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to receive another $2 million for the program.

“Has anybody had a hard time getting an appointment with a behavioral health specialist? A primary care doctor?” Juthani asked. “We know that everybody in our state has struggled with that, and that is just amplified in areas with the greatest need.”

She said Connecticut has a particular shortage of a number of different types of providers, and the program’s goal is to promote their recruitment and retention.

Specifically, the program is looking for the following healthcare providers:

• MDs and DOs in Family Practice, General Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/GYN
• APRNs, including Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, and Psychiatric Nurse Specialists
• Physician Assistants
• Registered Nurses
• Dentists and Dental Hygienists
• Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Core Behavioral Health Providers, including Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Substance Use Disorder Counselors
• Pharmacists

Gov. Ned Lamont recalled being invited to Danbury Hospital to talk to some of the nurses there during COVID-19 pandemic. He said it was a chance to say “thank you” and he made the trip.

He said they’d all stood there and held up signs that said “nurses and doctors are heroes” during the worst of COVID, and they were working around the clock doing everything they could to keep people safe.

But then as the pandemic waned, Lamont said he heard stories that the nurses were still working around the clock.

“And a lot of worries about mandatory overtime and a lot of nurses wondering whether you’re going to stay in the profession or not,” Lamont said. “One of the things we wanted to do, you know, Manisha and Greg and I working on this, is do everything we can to not just thank the nurses for everything that they do, but get more nurses into the profession and what that means in terms of lifestyle and getting a little more control over your lifestyle and being able to stay in terms of retention as a nurse for a longer period of time.”

Lamont said they also learned that the mental healthcare shortage was even more severe following COVID than it was before, or at least they became more aware of it.

“These are all places where we have real shortages,” Lamont said. “And if we can tell people go into these high-need areas – we really need you. And the state is standing there next to you and, you know, forgiving up to $50,000 of your loan if you commit to stay here for a period of time. You know, this is one way of saying this is a place you want to be. And working with the legislature, we got reciprocity with other states, making it easier for us to bring more, you know, nurses and docs and workers, you know, into our state.”

Lamont said more of Connecticut’s graduates are staying in Connecticut than they were previously, “but we still have work to do. And there’s something demographically going on. People are living longer and families are getting much smaller. So we have to be very thoughtful and creative about making sure this is a place where young people want to be. Nursing and doctors are a place, a profession, where young people want to be.”

Lamont said the loan repayment program is a way of saying to nurses and doctors and mental health professionals, “We need you. Thanks for your commitment to the state.”

Juthani and Lamont also pointed out that Connecticut’s program offers an advantage over federal loan repayment programs, such as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which only applies to federal student loans. They said the Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program allows both federal and private student loan debt to be repaid, making it a more comprehensive solution for healthcare providers with diverse educational debt.

“This program will help open doors to financial relief that are typically only thought to be exclusively available to advanced practice providers,” Lamont said. “Whether you’re working in underserved areas, critical shortage facilities, or even in educational settings, opportunities are here for these medical professionals to have their student loans forgiven.”

Dr. Stacy Taylor, president of the Connecticut State Medical Society, Kimberly Sandor, executive director of the Connecticut Nurses Association, John Brady, vice president of AFT Connecticut, and Rep. Greg Haddad all spoke in favor of the program.

Taylor called it a giant step forward.

“As a family physician, I have seen firsthand the challenges Connecticut’s healthcare system faces,” Taylor said. “One of the most pressing issues is our growing shortage of physicians. Because of this, our ability to provide high quality care to all of Connecticut’s residents is severely compromised. The shortage is a complex problem influenced by many factors, but one of the most significant is the financial burden of medical education.”

She called medical school debt “an overwhelming weight on the shoulders of new physicians” that can deter many talented physicians from pursuing a career in medicine, especially primary care.

Taylor said it also discourages graduating physicians from choosing to practice in underserved areas of Connecticut where they are needed the most, adding that Connecticut currently ranks 48th out of 52 states and territories in retaining the talented physicians trained here.

“Let me repeat that,” Taylor said. “Connecticut ranks 48th out of 52 states and territories in retention. Despite some of the best resident training programs in the United States, we are unable to keep the talent that we train in our state.”

Juthani said the state is partnering with the Connecticut Area Health Education Center, which is located at the UConn Health Center in Farmington, to launch the program

Applications will be accepted beginning May 22, 2024. For application information, visit ctslrp.org.