In Connecticut, federally subsidized community health centers say it’s become difficult for them to recruit and retain staff. That’s because for about six years the state stopped matching contributions with a federal student loan repayment program that benefited their staff.
Joanne Borduas is CEO of the Community Health and Wellness Center of Greater Torrington, one of 17 federally subsidized community health centers in Connecticut.
She told lawmakers the loan repayment plan is an incentive that gets medical professionals to work for low-paying community centers like hers.
“It becomes a huge challenge when we are faced with what we can offer providers to come to us versus the hospital or some private practice, if we can’t even offer a level of loan repayment that at least becomes somewhat attractive.”
The Community Health Centers Association of Connecticut wants lawmakers to introduce legislation next year that would have the state resume matching contributions to the federal loan repayment program.
They say recipients who worked at the health centers used to get up to $20,000 a year in student loan repayments.
