Rural Community Toolbox: Funding & Resources for Rural Communities to Address Substance Misuse

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National Health Service Corps Rural Community Loan Repayment Program (NHSC Rural Community LRP)

Link

https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-rural-community-loan-repayment-program

Additional Links

Fact Sheet

Deadline

Application Deadline: May 1, 2025

Sponsor

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)

Purpose

Provides funding for loan repayment for primary care and behavioral/mental health professionals in exchange for service commitments at National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved sites in Mental Health and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in rural communities.

Eligible SUD primary care and behavioral/mental health professions include:

  • Physicians (MD or DO)
  • Physician assistants (PA)
  • Nurse practitioners (NP)
  • Registered nurses (RN)
  • Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
  • Pharmacists
  • Health service psychologists (HSP)
  • Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW)
  • Psychiatric nurse specialists (PNS)
  • Marriage and family therapists (MFT)
  • Licensed professional counselors (LPC)
  • SUD counselors
  • Certified nurse midwives (CNM)

Amount of Funding

A maximum of $100,000 for a 3-year full-time service obligation at a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility in or with a Mental Health or Primary Care HPSA or in a Maternity Care Target Area (MCTA) within a Primary Care HPSA.

A maximum of $50,000 for a 3-year half-time service obligation at a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility in or with a Mental Health or Primary Care HPSA or in a Maternity Care Target Area (MCTA) within a Primary Care HPSA.

A supplemental award enhancement of up to $5,000 is available to providers who demonstrate Spanish language proficiency determined by a verbal proficiency language skills assessment.

Additional practice type and service obligation information is available in the program guidance.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must work in a primary care or behavioral/mental health approved discipline and specialty to be eligible for this program and meet the following requirements:

  • Be a U.S. citizen, born or naturalized, or a U.S. national
  • Have a current, full, permanent, unencumbered, unrestricted health professional license, certificate, or registration in the discipline in which the individual is applying to serve
  • Participate or be eligible to participate as a provider in the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as appropriate
  • Be eligible to hold an appointment as a Commissioned Officer of the Public Health Service or as a federal civil servant
  • Be employed by, or have accepted a position at, a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility where employment and provision of care to patients will begin no later than July 18, 2025
  • Submit a complete application

NHSC will prioritize applicants by the following funding priorities when making loan repayment awards:

  • Current or former NHSC scholarship recipients that have completed their service obligation and continue to have eligible student loans
  • Applicants who demonstrate characteristics that indicate a higher likelihood they will remain in a HPSA after completing their service obligation, as determined by the following factors:
    1. Have completed training through 1 of the following HRSA-funded programs:
      • Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Integration Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Fellowship Program
    2. Applicants with training in a specialty determined by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be needed by the NHSC, as determined by the following factors:
      1. Have completed training through 1 of the following HRSA-funded programs:
        • Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program
        • Graduate Psychology Education Program
    3. Applicants and their spouse, if applicable, from a disadvantaged background

Additional information on funding priority factors can be found in the program guidance.

Maternal healthcare applicants will be placed using either their HPSA score or Maternity Care Target Area score (MCTA), whichever is higher.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Financial Aid for Healthcare Workforce

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information can be found on the program website. Submit an application through the Bureau of Health Workforce My BHW portal.

Application and program guidance
Application checklist
Applicant webinar recording

Applicant Question and Answer Sessions:

Contact

For questions:
800-221-9393
TTY at 877-897-9910
Online contact form
Bureau of Health Workforce My BHW Portal

Topics This Program Addresses

Healthcare Workforce • Mental Health • Prevention • Substance Use Disorder • Treatment