From: Ring, Amanda
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 11:51 AM
Subject: Vacancies in the National Health Service Corp - Psychologists Needed
Importance: High
Serve the Underserved, Pay off Unpaid Loans:
How the NHSC Loan Repayment Program Works for Everyone
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers loan repayment to licensed psychologists and other eligible health professionals in exchange for providing health care in designated underserved communities, in frontier, rural and inner city/urban settings. These community based practices include the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): community health centers, migrant health centers, rural health clinics, public housing clinics, health clinics for the homeless as well as Indian Health Service sites and prisons.
What is required to participate in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program?
There is a two year commitment and the maximum repayment for that period of time is $50,000. It is possible to continue beyond the initial two years. Applications are available in October and due the last Friday in March. All awards are made by September 30th. Applications for high need sites are processed as soon as they are received. In 2005 there were 53 requests for psychologists and only 19 positions filled. For the last few years, all eligible health professionals that found a match with a FQHC were funded.
How can you participate in the program?
In order to participate in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, psychologists and other health professionals must find a facility or site that is 1) designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and 2) willing to hire them. To help potential applicants in this process the NHSC has created a list of job opportunities throughout the country that is updated weekly. This list can be found at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/jobs/search_form.cfm.
What is a HPSA?
HPSAs are areas or populations which the federal government has recognized as having a shortage of health professionals. Of note to psychologists, designations of HPSAs include a separate category for mental health professionals. All FQHCs have a HPSA designation. The NHSC (and over thirty other federal agencies) use a list compiled by the Office of Shortage Designation to determine health professional shortage areas. This list can be found at http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/.
Why work at a Federally Qualified Health Center?
The FQHCs is a $2 billion program administered by the Health Resources & Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care. They serve 13 million people, approximately half in rural sites and half in urban sites. Of those served over 90% are below 200% poverty and over 60% are racial and ethnic minorities. The FQHCs programs are beginning to focus on specific health issues including mental health (in particular, depression), diabetes and hypertension, all conditions in which psychologists play a significant role.
How many psychologists are currently working in these underserved communities?
As of the fall of 2004, there are over 3,900 mental health professionals in the National Health Service Corp Loan Repayment Program serving in Mental Health HPSAs, of these, there were 270 psychologists. In the FQHCs, there were 770 mental and behavioral health professionals of which 35% were psychologists, more than any other of that category. Information on health centers may be found at http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/ or http://bphc.hrsa.gov/.
What if a site in an underserved area that is not in a designated HPSA is willing to hire me?
The facility may apply for a HPSA designation, which is a simple process, and then hire the psychologist. Getting a designation is not difficult. Filling out the application only requires some time and effort to gather the appropriate information. Further, the Office of Shortage Designation is available to provide technical assistance (1-800-400-2742 or sdb@hrsa.gov). Along with the Office of Shortage Designation your state’s Primary Care Office (PCO) can also assist with the data collection. The purpose of a state PCO is to increase access to primary and preventative health care and to improve the health status of underserved and vulnerable populations. Contact information of your state’s PCO can be found at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/OSNP/PCODirectory.htm. The type of data required include: provider to population ratio, access to primary health care (distance and time), and poverty levels.
How can you find more information about the NHSC Loan Repayment Program?
The NHSC seeks clinicians that are dedicated to service, culturally competent, community responsive, willing to serve on interdisciplinary teams and interested in helping those in need. With the 2002 expansion of the Safety Net legislation, psychologists have a greater opportunity to participate in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program. Because psychologists are strongly urged to take advantage of this opportunity now more than ever before, we encourage you to consider joining the NHSC. Further information is available on-line at the NHSC website at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/ or by calling 1-800-221-9393.