Arizona Public Health Association Annual Meeting
September 17, 1987
STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM
WHEREAS:the Arizona State Legislature authorized the Arizona Medical Student Loan Program in 1977 to address the health manpower shortage problem,
WHEREAS: there is a continued need for adequate.health professionals in many rural and urban undersered areas of Arizona, ·
WHEREAS:there is evidence that medical students from a rural background are 2 to 3 times as likely to practice in a rural area than are their classmates from other backgrounds,
WHEREAS: minority health professional development has been shown to be a cost-effective mechanism of addressing the problem of geographic maldistribution of health professionals, especially for urban areas,
WHEREAS: there continues to be a dramatic decline in Federal support for health manpower programs coupled with an elimination of incentives for health professionals to locate in manpower shortage areas,
Now, therefore, the Arizona Public Health Association urges review of the Arizona Student Loan Program to strengthen the recipient selection and practice location process, to enhance coordination with other state organizations in primary care, and to expand the scope of the program to include nurses, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals.
Presented to the Membership at the 1987 Annual Meeting, 9/16/87
109~1987_(1)Student loan program (PH infrastructure, nursing, rural)