Grants to Minnesota Healthcare Professionals to Work in Underserved Areas

Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)

Agency

State

GrantWatch ID#

193166

Funding Source

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC)

Geographic Focus

USA: Minnesota

Important Dates

Deadline: 05/30/23

Grant Description

Grants to Minnesota health care professionals to improve access to primary care and mental health services in underserved areas. Funding is intended to assist health professionals to repay student loans. The purpose of this program is to promote the recruitment and retention of primary care providers. In order to receive loan repayment, a clinician must agree to practice either full-time or part-time as a primary care clinician for a minimum of two years at a program-approved site located within a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

The purpose of Minnesota’s State Loan Repayment Program (MN SLRP) is to improve population access to outpatient clinic-based primary health care by assisting underserved communities with recruitment and retention of primary care providers.

For the next three years (Federal Fiscal Years 2022, 2023 and 2024) the goal of the proposed project is to: Increase access to primary care and mental health services in geographically isolated, as well as diverse and economically challenged communities. The impact of the program will be measured by the following indicators: 

Major Objective 1: Increase the number of Nursing professionals working in high needs rural communities with severe nursing shortages to strengthen healthcare access. 
Major Objective 2: Increase the number of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Licensed Mental Health Professionals serving within underserved diverse communities, increasing access to mental health services.

Qualifying educational loans are government and commercial loans for actual costs paid for tuition, reasonable education expenses, and reasonable living expenses relating to the graduate or undergraduate education of a primary care provider.

Preference will be given to Nursing applicants working in (1) a Designated Rural Area, which is defined as a statutory and home rule charter city or township that is outside the seven-county metropolitan area, as defined in section 473.121, subdivision 2 excluding the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud; and (2) a county where the RN Nurse Rate (provider count per 10,000 population) is below 100.

Preference will be given to Mental Health Professional applicants that are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

Recipient

Additional Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Licensed Health Professionals: Nurse Practitioners - psychiatric only, Clinical or Counseling Psychologists (Ph.D. or equivalent), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (master's or doctral degree in social work), Psychiatric Nurse Specialists, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (master's or doctoral degree with a major study in counseling, licensed to practice independently and unsupervised), Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists, Registered Nurses.

Eligible Clinicians
Eligibility includes the following health professionals who have a current permanent and unrestricted license to practice independently and unsupervised (if appropriate within scope of practice) in the state of Minnesota:
- CPs Clinical or Counseling Psychologists (Ph.D. or equivalent)
- LICSWs Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (master’s or doctoral degree in social work)
- NPs: Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric ONLY
- PNSs Psychiatric Nurse Specialists
- LPCCs Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (master’s or doctoral degree with a major study in counseling, licensed to practice independently and unsupervised)
- LMFTs Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (master’s or doctoral degree with a major study in marriage and family therapy, LAMFT not eligible)
- RNs Registered Nurse

Additionally, all applicants must:
1. Be a U.S. citizen (either U.S. born or naturalized) or U.S. national;
2. Have a current permanent and unrestricted Minnesota state license to practice independently and unsupervised (if appropriate to scope of practice);
3. Be practicing, or ready to begin practicing, at a program-approved site once the loan repayment contract has been signed;
4. Provide primary care medical, dental or mental health services during the required service obligation hours;
5. Participate or be eligible to participate as a provider in Medicare, Medicaid and MinnesotaCare, as appropriate;
6. Not have any outstanding obligation for health professional service or other service to the Federal government (e.g., an active military obligation, NHSC Loan Repayment Program obligation, NHSC Scholarship Program obligation or Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program obligation) or to a State or other entity (e.g., a recruitment bonus that obligates you to remain employed at a certain site), unless the obligation would be completed prior to receipt of the MN SLRP award. See below for an exception for members of a Reserve component of the Armed Forces or National Guard;
7. Not be in breach of a health professional service obligation to the Federal, State or local government;
8. Not be in default on any Federal payment obligations (e.g., Health Education Assistance Loans, Nursing Student Loans, Federal income tax liabilities, Federal Housing Authority loans, etc.) even if the creditor now considers the defaulter to be in good standing;
9. Not had any Federal or non-Federal debt written off as uncollectible or received a waiver of any Federal service or payment obligation;
10. Not have any judgment liens arising from Federal debt; and,
11. Not be excluded, debarred, suspended or disqualified by a Federal agency.

Currently practicing clinicians are eligible but no credit will be given for service prior to signing a contract with the state. No credit will be given for any practice while the provider is in a professional school or graduate training program.

Military Reserve Exception: Individuals in a Reserve component of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard, are eligible to participate in the MN SLRP. Reservists should understand the following:
1. Military training or service performed by reservists will not satisfy the MN SLRP service commitment. If a participant’s military training and/or service, in combination with the participant’s other absences from the service site, will exceed approximately seven (7) weeks per service year, the participant should request a suspension of his/her MN SLRP service obligation. The MN SLRP service obligation end date will be extended to compensate for the break in MN SLRP service.
2. If the reservist is deployed, following deployment he/she is expected to return to the MN SLRP service site where he/she was serving prior to deployment. If unable to do so, the reservist must complete his/her service obligation at another MN SLRP approved site.

For Site Eligibility, see https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/funding/repayment/docs/2022_23slrppin.pdf#page=5.

Additional Geographic Information:

Health Professional Shortage Areas: https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/underserved/designation.html

Ineligible

Master's or doctoral degree with a major study in marriage and family therapy, LAMFT is not eligible.

Pre-Application Information

The SLRP cycle is now open. Applications are due Tuesday, May 30.

Awards will be made in February or March.

Multiple candidate applications may be submitted from the same site. However, only one award per site per year will be considered.

Additional SLRP Forms: https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/funding/repayment/forms.html

Estimated Size of Grant

The MN SLRP provides funds for repayment of qualifying educational loans of up to $20,000 annually for full-time primary care providers and up to $10,000 annually for half-time primary care providers.

Term of Contract

Minimum Service Obligation: 2 years

Contact Information

Apply online: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=mdh

If you have any questions, please contact health.loanforgiveness@state.mn.us.

For technical assistance on eligibility or the applications, contact:
Benda Flattum, Primary Care Coordinator
brenda.flattum@state.mn.us
Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
651–201–3870
800–366–5424

Grants to Minnesota Healthcare Professionals to Work in Underserved Areas

Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)

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