Grants to States for Loan Repayment - Project Title: State Loan Repayment Program / Nevada Health Service Corp Applicant: Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, on behalf of the University of Nevada, Reno School Of Medicine; 701 Walnut St, Elko, NV 89801 PI and Assistant Dean: Gerald Ackerman Email: gackerman@med.unr.edu Project Director: Keith Clark, Program Director Email: kclark@med.unr.edu Phone: 775-327-5070 ext.6 Fax: 775-3275086 The Nevada Health Service Corps, established in 1989 by the Nevada Legislature was created to designate areas of underservice within the state and match practitioners to that need. To date 173 practitioners have been placed in locations throughout the state. The Nevada health Service Corps is requesting funds of $1,000,000.00. Loan repayment activities will be addressed in both underserved urban and rural and frontier Nevada. The application is seeking to address shortages in Primary Care, Mental Health, Oral Health, other health professions and to address the crisis of the mental health and Opioids through the funding. The demonstrated need of Nevadans for greater access to healthcare and the history of successful implementation and sustainability of the program outlined in this application supports this request. Summary of goals of the NHSC in the upcoming year will include: Goal 1: The Goal of the Nevada Health Service Corps is to improve the health and well-being of rural and urban underserved populations through the recruitment, placement and employment of qualified health care professionals. Goal 2: Impact the severity of the opioid and mental health crisis in Nevada through placement of qualified Nevada Health Service Corps loan repayment candidates and support programs that improve current NHSC provider’s abilities to address opioid abuse, pain management and mental health. Goal 3: The Nevada Health Service Corps will develop, utilize and support partnerships in the recruitment and retention of qualified healt
hcare providers and qualified health care sites in Nevada for placement in the Nevada Health Service Corps. Goal 4: Make diverse, multi discipline, multi-practice site timely awards for loan repayment program each of the four fiscal years. In the upcoming grant request the Nevada Health Service Corps will continue to develop and maintain partnerships with organizations that share the goal of breaking down barriers to care rural and urban underserved Nevada. An important partner will continue to be the Nevada State Office of Primary Care. Joint marketing activities will take place throughout the year including presentations to residencies, medical schools, and allied health programs. In addition, the Nevada Health Service Corps will continue developing its relationship with Nevada’s Urban and Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers. Likewise, continued efforts will be made to assist in the recruitment of healthcare providers to Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics in remote areas of Nevada. Through these activities, the Nevada Health Service Corps will continue to build upon its current success and continue to break down barriers to care for those living in underserved areas of the state.