Existing law requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to act as the coordinating agency to develop a strategic plan that would assist rural California to prepare for health care reform.
Existing law, the Health Education and Academic Loan Act, also authorizes the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission to provide assistance for the repayment of a student loan for medical education received by a medical student in an institution of higher education in California and requires the director to make loan assumption payments in connection with this program. Existing law requires the commission to give priority for loan assumption assistance to applicants who agree to provide primary care medical services for a minimum of 3 years in a medically underserved designated shortage area.
This bill would require the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, upon an express appropriation for the purpose of increasing the health care workforce in rural and underserved areas, to allocate the appropriated funds to support programs that effect that purpose, including programs to recruit and train students from areas with a large disparity in patient-to-doctor ratios to practice in community health centers in the area from which each student was recruited and to expand and strengthen programs to recruit and prepare students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds for health careers. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations.