Funding Focus:
Funding Objective:
Occupation/Job Title:
Funding Organization:
Amount of Funding Available:
Who is Eligible to Apply:
Application Open Date:
Application Close Date:
Link for More Information:
Email Address:
Physical Health
Recruitment/Retention
Physician Corps
HCAI
$100,000 to $499,999
Applicants currently licensed and practicing in one of the eligible disciplines below can
receive loan repayment assistance through the Steven M. Thompson loan repayment
program:
Primary Care Disciplines:
• Family Medicine
• General Pediatrics
• General Internal Medicine
• Obstetrics/Gynecology
Disciplines Outside of Primary Care
• Emergency Medicine (Outpatient-based Only)
• Psychiatry
• Gerontology
• Surgery
Title of Grant:
Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program (STLRP)
Grant Description:
Application Cycle: Delayed
The Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program is delayed and will not be launched in May 2024 as originally planned.
Background and Mission
The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) works to increase and diversify California’s healthcare workforce by providing loan repayments and scholarships to health professional students and graduates who provide direct patient care in those communities. STLRP was established in 2003 to increase access to healthcare and promote the retention of primary care physicians in medically underserved areas (MUAs) of California. STLRP is funded through a $25 surcharge from renewal and licensure fees collected by the Department of Consumer Affairs for allopathic physicians in California. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of appropriately trained physicians providing direct patient care in a qualified facility or area in California.
Awardee Program Requirements Loan Repayment Program:
In exchange for a 36-month service obligation to serve medically underserved areas and/or in a qualified facility in California, eligible physicians may receive a loan repayment of up to $105,000. Awardees are expected to meet program requirements for the duration of the Steven M. Thompson loan repayment program. Awardee is defined as an applicant who has been selected to receive the Steven M. Thompson loan repayment program award and who has signed their Grant Agreement. Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to disqualification and termination from the program. Awardees may be considered in breach of their Grant Agreement if they are unable to comply with the terms of their contract. If an awardee does not meet the terms of their contractual obligations, they may not be eligible for the annual payment.
Below is the list of program requirements awardees are expected to comply with:
• Maintain a current and unrestricted license and be in good standing with the Medical Board of California and/or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.
• Have completed a three-year residency.
• Have existing qualifying educational loan debt incurred while pursuing a degree to practice in an eligible health profession.
• Keep said educational loans in good standing.
• Must not be in breach of any other HCAI/health professional service obligation.
• Must not participate or have an existing service obligation with another entity, including other HCAI funded programs.
• Submit progress reports, in the form required by HCAI, demonstrating compliance with program requirements and their agreement/contract.
• Maintain 32 hours or more per week of direct patient care during the entirety of the contract period (Exception: physicians engaged in the practice of obstetrics, must be providing at least 21 hours of direct patient care).
• Providing care on an outpatient basis (patients must not be admitted to the hospital overnight) only.
• To inform HCAI in writing within 30 business days of any change in contact information (mailing address, telephone number, email address, etc.), or any change in circumstances impacting an awardee’s eligibility to receive or participate in the Steven M. Thompson loan repayment program.
• Complete and submit an application through the HCAI eApp Funding Portal by June 14, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. (DELAYED)
Eligible Practice Sites:
An applicant must provide direct patient care in one of the following eligible geographic areas or approved site designations:
• Children’s Hospital
• Health Professional Shortage Area – Mental Health (HPSA-MH)
• Rural Health Clinic
• Clinics providing Reproductive Health and abortion-related services
• Health Professional Shortage Area – Primary Care (HPSA-PC)
• State-Operated Health Facility
• Correctional Facility
• Native American Health Center
• Substance Use Facility
• County-Operated Health Facility
• Primary Care Shortage Area (PCSA)
• Veteran’s Facility
• Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
• Public School Facility
If you are providing services via telehealth, your employer must have a physical office in California, and it must be one of the eligible practice sites listed above.
Resources:
Email: HWDD-LRP@hcai.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 326-3700