For Immediate Release
For more information contact:
Thomas Larson
ThomasL@tset.ok.gov
(405) 642-6860
Public/private partnership has delivered 500,000 patient visits in rural and underserved communities
Oklahoma City (May 18, 2022) - The Oklahoma Physician Loan Repayment Program, an incentive program that increases access to health care in rural Oklahoma, has delivered more than 500,000 patient visits in rural and underserved areas of the state since 2013.
This milestone represents a successful partnership to recruit and retain physicians in rural and underserved areas in Oklahoma. The program, administered by the Physician Manpower Training Commission (PMTC) and funded in part by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), recruits physicians to rural Oklahoma by providing medical loan payment reimbursement to physicians who agree to practice in an underserved area. Physicians who participate in the program can get up to $200,000 in medical school repayment assistance.
“This is a tremendous milestone for the program,” said PMTC Director Janie Thompson. “Rural communities are often lacking in access to medical services, so to know that this program has provided half a million patient visits to date is very rewarding.”
TSET provides 40% of the total funding for each physician, and those funds are matched by public and private entities, including the Oklahoma State Medical Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Physician Loan Repayment program helped Dr. Stormy Walkup practice near his childhood hometown of Valliant in southeastern Oklahoma. Now a physician in Idabel, a town of just over 7,000, he’s a trusted member of the community and has connected passion to his professional life.
“I grew up in a small town and coming back to one was just like coming home,” he said. “It allows me to give back to the community that made me the person I am today.”
Participating physicians must serve in a rural community for at least four years to receive the full benefit, though many choose to stay longer. In total, 89 physicians have participated in the program from Guymon to Idabel and more than half continue to practice medicine in their placement community or another rural area after finishing the program.
“Supporting rural health systems can have an exponential benefit for communities,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET’s executive director. “That affects the health of residents, quality of life, and even has an economic impact on small towns across our state. TSET is proud to fund programs that increase access to quality healthcare across Oklahoma.”
For more information about the Physician Loan Repayment Program and other TSET programs, visit oklahoma.gov/tset.
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The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more, go to oklahoma.gov/tset.