This 6th Round Brings the Total Investment in Loan Repayment Grants
to Support Providers in Underserved Communities to Nearly $26 Million
LOS ANGELES – Half of the primary care physicians under 55 years old in this country are burnt out, and half of the physicians over 55 say they will stop seeing patients within the next year. These new findings by The Commonwealth Fund threaten to worsen what was already a severe physician shortage. Researchers say additional investment in primary care physician support, including medical school loan forgiveness, could help relieve some of the stress physicians are feeling.
L.A. Care Health Plan is proud to announce a new investment of $2 million to provide student loan debt relief to 14 physicians who are working in the Los Angeles County safety net, those clinics and practices that provide care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
“Nearly 90 percent of medical school graduates have some student loan debt, and the average amount owed is more than $241,000. That has contributed to the shortage of primary care physicians in underserved communities,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. "L.A. Care is committed to ensuring its members, many of whom are low-income people of color, have access to high quality physicians.”
This is the sixth round of Provider Loan Repayment Program grants in L.A. Care’s $155 million Elevating the Safety Net initiative, which launched in 2018 to recruit, train and retain highly-qualified primary care physicians within the L.A. County safety net.
Among the grantees in this round is Jeanne Delgado, MD, a pediatrician working at Children’s Hospital LA.
“The sense of service, enjoyment, and humility that comes with choosing to practice primary care for low-income families is priceless,” said Delgado. “We know that their care deserves to be valued, and I am so thankful that L.A. Care, in turn, sees that value in us. Thank you for investing in these families.”
Another grantee is Grace Nguyen, MD, a pediatrician working at Tri-State Community Healthcare Clinic in Pomona.
“I am ecstatic and relieved knowing that I can focus on providing comprehensive medical care to vulnerable children without worrying about the student loan burden I had accumulated,” said Nguyen.
Since the launch of Elevating the Safety Net, L.A. Care, with the help of Uncommon Good, a nonprofit that helps identify the appropriate grantees, has awarded nearly $26 million in loan repayment grants in support of 158 physicians. This program is part of L.A. Care’s commitment to advancing health equity, giving everyone a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.