Sen. Crowe and Rep. Holsclaw pass Family Medicine Student Loan Repayment grant program

Published 8:58 am Monday, April 24, 2023

NASHVILLE – Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City) and Representative John Holsclaw (R-Elizabethton) passed legislation that will enhance healthcare services in rural Tennessee. The legislation creates a family medicine student loan repayment program that will incentivize resident doctors to provide medical health services in Tennessee health resource shortage areas following completion of their training.

Drafted by the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians and Dr. Jim Holt, the legislation authorizes the Department of Health to award family medicine student loan repayment grants to qualifying physicians of up to $40,000 per year for a maximum of five years. The Department of Health is authorized to use private donations, grants, federal and state funds to maintain the loan program.

“We must begin to focus on finding ways to provide physician coverage for our citizens who live in the rural health resource shortage areas of our state,” said Crowe. “This loan repayment program focuses on medical residents in an effort to move them while in training toward practicing in our much-needed health shortage areas.”

Holsclaw said: “It is a great day for the rural areas of Tennessee. Passing this bill will ensure Tennesseans have a sufficient number of doctors practicing in rural areas, which will provide them with much needed healthcare.”