FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE		Media Contact:  Chris Power Bain
February 19, 2008		Phone: (303) 953-3618
		Mobile: (303) 810-9007

New $6 Million Loan Repayment Program to Address Physician Shortage in Rural and Urban Clinics

Incentives to Improve Access to Care by Providing More Physicians in
Underserved Areas of Colorado

DENVER—Colorado faces a serious shortage of primary care doctors in rural and urban clinics that provide care for un- and underinsured Coloradans.  Currently, there are more than 85 unfilled positions in freestanding clinics and the state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) project 96 openings through 2010.  It’s difficult for these non-profit clinics to recruit primary care physicians because of the lower salaries they offer. A new $6 million grant from The Colorado Health Foundation hopes to help motivate new physicians to work in these clinics by helping repay their education loan debt, now averaging $120,000 - $150,000 for a medical school graduate.

Working with the Colorado Community Health Network, the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) collaborated with the Foundation to create a new program that addresses the financial barriers and helps integrate the program with others in the state. The new program would provide loan repayment assistance to as many as 12 physicians a year who are willing to practice in either rural or urban underserved communities. The Foundation will pay $50,000 a year for three years towards the doctor’s loans for a maximum of $150,000 per doctor. It will apply to all safety net clinics in the state, including FQHCs, Rural Health Clinics and freestanding clinics, and they will not be required to make a financial match. The new program will make Colorado’s efforts to recruit primary care physicians for underserved communities among the most competitive in the nation.  
“We believe the new program builds on our past experience in this area and will result in a loan repayment program that will make a significant contribution to alleviating the primary care provider shortage in Colorado’s underserved communities,” said Anne Warhover, president and CEO of The Colorado Health Foundation. 

The growing need for physicians is happening at a time when the number of people who rely on safety net clinics for health care is growing.  Since 2001, Colorado’s FQHCs have added 120,000 patients – a more than 40 percent increase.  The shortage of primary care physicians in safety net clinics impedes their ability to provide low-income and underserved populations with adequate and timely care, leading both to poorer health and higher costs.
The Colorado Health Foundation is dedicated to making Colorado the nation’s healthiest state by increasing health coverage, ensuring more individuals receive quality, integrated care and encouraging healthy living. In addition to funding grants and health policy initiatives, the Foundation uses its assets for medical education programs to train doctors and other health care professionals because improving the health care workforce helps improve health and healthcare in Colorado.

The Foundation partners with three HealthONE hospitals to operate four residency training programs. These education programs graduate nearly 20 residents per year with more than 60 percent of all graduates staying in Colorado. Through clinics based at Rose, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Swedish Medical Centers, faculty physicians and residents provide quality health care services to the community, including additional services through rural outreach, school-based clinics, and shelters. For more information about The Colorado Health Foundation loan repayment program, please visit http://www.coruralhealth.org/crhc/programs/tchf_lrp.htm.

About The Colorado Health Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation works to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation by improving access to affordable, quality health care and encouraging Coloradans to make healthier lifestyle choices. The Foundation invests in the community through grants and initiatives to health-related nonprofits that focus on increasing the number of Coloradans with health insurance, ensuring they have access to integrated health care delivery systems and encouraging healthy lifestyles.  In addition, the Foundation operates medical education programs and community programs that assist the elderly, mothers and infants. The Foundation's assets of nearly $900 million include an investment portfolio as well as an ownership interest in Denver’s HealthONE hospital system.  For more information, please visit www.ColoradoHealth.org.

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