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News Release — October 8, 2002
MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
October 8, 2002
Bill Sponsored by Medical Board Will Bring Physicians to Underserved Areas of the State
SACRAMENTO-Following months of intensive work with interested parties, AB 982 (Firebaugh), co-sponsored by the Medical Board of California, was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Davis. The new law, which will become effective January 1, 2003, encourages physicians and dentists to practice in underserved locations in California by authorizing a plan for repayment of their student loans in exchange for their service in a designated underserved area for a minimum of three years.
In passing the Community Healthcare Service Expansion Act, the Legislature recognized the necessity of improving conditions which lead to healthcare disparities in the state, including those disparities arising from cultural and linguistic barriers. At the same time, the Legislature acknowledged the difficulty of many culturally or linguistically competent physicians to practice in underserved areas because of the heavy debt load that they carry from acquiring a medical education.
Physicians will be eligible for loan repayments of up to $105,000 per provider, paid from specially established funds within the Medical Board. The new law requires that most participants be selected from the specialty areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology. Eligible areas of the state will be those medically underserved areas as determined by the Health Manpower Policy Commission.
The role of the Medical Board will be to establish the loan repayment program, and work with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), medical communities, medical schools, healthcare advocates representing ethnic communities and other state agencies in establishing program guidelines and recruiting applicants and clinics.
The Board of Dental Examiners may be reached at (916) 263-2300.
The Medical Board has committed to begin implementation of this important new law as soon as possible. To keep current with the Board's progress by registering for the Medical Board's mailing list, please contact this e-mail address: MDLoan@medbd.ca.gov.
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The Medical Board of California is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating physicians in this state.
www.medbd.ca.gov
Information about specific physicians: (916) 263-2382
Complaint line: (800) 633-2322
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