Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Grants to States for Loan Repayment - Illinois Department of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Springfield, IL 62761 Donald Jones, Public Service Administrator 217-782-1624 Fax: 217-782-2547 don.jones@illinois.gov https://dph.illinois.gov/ Grant funds of $850,000 annually for duration of the grant period, for a total of $3.4 Million over 4 years. The Illinois/National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program provides financial assistance to primary care physicians, dentists, psychiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives to pay their educational loans. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Center for Rural Health (CRH) has been the grantee since the inception of the program in 1996. The providers participating in the program are U.S. citizens or nationals who agree to practice in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) providing primary care in an outpatient setting at a non-profit facility. Illinois is proposing adding pharmacists as an eligible category to address HHS and HRSA’s priority of “transforming the workforce by targeting the need.” The Illinois SLRP has received inquiries from pharmacists, sites, and partners about the eligibility of pharmacists to participate in loan repayment programs. This expansion will provide loan repayment assistance in a discipline where none is currently available. Participants must have a facility agree to employ them for the duration of the grant and sign a grant with IDPH for a minimum commitment of two years of service in a designated HPSA and must agree to provide primary health care services to any individual seeking care, regardless of ability to pay. CRH works closely with statewide partners to increase the group of applicants for SLRP funding. These include the primary care association, the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), the Governor’s Rural Advisory Council (GRAC), universities and the SORH, PCO in the office where the SLRP off ice is co-located at IDPH. Selection for the program is based on several criteria guided by State of Illinois administrative rules (77 Illinois Administrative Code 582.100(g)(1-5).). In the initial SLRP contract with approved providers, up to $25,000 may be awarded per year for a total of $50,000. In the subsequent third and fourth years, they may receive up to $20,000 per year. Fifth and sixth years may be funded for up to $10,000 each year if all requirements of previous grants are met. Half of the funding will be federal, and the other funds will come from money received from the Master Tobacco Settlement Fund (MTSF). Illinois is requesting $850,000 annually from SLRP with a $1 million provided by the MTSF annually through the project period.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).