Background: Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) was funded by the Kaiser Permanente Community Health Fund to administer a loan repayment program for clinical support staff as part of the Preparing the Safety Net for the Future of Health Care initiative. Clinical support staff do not qualify for loan repayment programs available to clinical staff at safety net clinics, so this loan repayment program will help close this gap. Clinical support staff will play an essential role in implementing health care reform, and safety net clinics benefit from retaining high performing staff. Loan repayment will help ease the burden of prior educational debt for clinical support staff in exchange for a one year service commitment to the safety net clinic.
About CCHN: CCHN represents Colorado’s 20 Community Health Centers (CHCs) that together are the backbone of the primary health care safety net in Colorado. Since its inception in 1982, CCHN has made significant strides in ensuring that Colorado’s low income residents have access to affordable, high quality, primary health care. CCHN is committed to 1) educating policy makers and stakeholders about the unique needs of Community Health Centers and their patients, 2) providing resources to ensure that CHCs are strong organizations, and 3) supporting CHCs in maintaining the highest quality care.
Purpose: The Kaiser Permanente Educational Loan Repayment for Safety Net Clinical Support Staff program (KPLRP) will help modernize and expand the safety net workforce by supporting recruitment and retention of high performing clinical support staff committed to serving in underserved areas.
Eligibility: Applicant must be clinical support staff who has worked at least six months at a safety net clinic in Colorado. Applicant must have successfully completed a certificate or degree at an accredited health professional training institution. Loan repayment requests must be for educational expenses related to the health professions training and the applicant’s current position. Applicants who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to apply.
Safety Net Clinic Requirements: Applicants who work at ClinicNET clinics, Rural Health Clinics, and Community Health Centers in Colorado are eligible to apply.
Clinic site must:
Employment Requirements: Application is open to clinical support staff. Clinical support staff work directly with patients to provide medical, dental, and behavioral health procedures.
Additionally, applicant must:
Clinical support staff may include professions such as dental assistant, dental hygienist, expanded duties dental assistant, lab technician, licensed practical nurse, medical assistant, nursing aide, pharmacy technician, phlebotomist, licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, ultrasound technician, and x-ray technician. (Please note that this is not an exhaustive list; however, CCHN cannot issue loan repayment for positions higher than a registered nurse or requiring more than a bachelor’s degree).
Education Requirements: Applicants must have successfully completed a certificate or degree at an accredited health professions training institution. Degree programs currently in progress are not eligible for repayment. Education programs higher than a bachelor’s degree are not eligible. Education expenses must be health-related and essential to the applicant’s current position.
Loan Requirements: Loan repayment requests must be for education expenses related to the health professions training and the applicant’s current position.
Additionally, the following requirements apply for loan repayment requests:
Applicants are eligible for up to $10,000 in loan repayment, dependent on their completed years of service at their place of employment. Loan repayment awards will be made using the following tiered approach based on length of employment:
For more information about eligibility, click here to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Selection Process: All applicants will be reviewed and scored by a selection committee comprised of association staff representing the safety net. Applications will be considered based on criteria specified in the application document. Applications considered strong will be those with a commitment to serving the underserved as demonstrated through a written personal statement and supervisor letter of support. Applications must be complete to be considered, and applicants must be in good standing with their employer.
Application Process Overview:
Applicants will be required to submit the following documents with their application. While the application and personal statement questions will not be released until October 17th, applicants may begin to collect other application materials before applying. Applications without any of the following items will be considered incomplete and will not be considered.
Applications can be emailed to loanrepayment@cchn.org, or mailed to the address below.
Mail completed applications with all application materials by midnight November 14, 2016 to:
Colorado Community Health Network
c/o Margaret Davidson
600 Grant Street, Ste. 800
Denver, CO 80203