Recruiting Dentists to Rural North Dakota
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – There are many communities across North Dakota where there is a shortage of dentists, or in the case of Grand Forks, a shortage of dentists for low-income patients.
Since 1972, the National Health Service Corps has been matching up rural communities in need of health professionals with new graduates of professional training. In return for two years of service, money is put toward paying off their student loans, and The Valley Community Health Centers in Grand Forks has just been approved to bring in four more.
Doctor Robert Remmick is a 2007 dentistry graduate who was brought in nearly a year ago. He says more dentists are desperately needed.
"We're booked up out over a month; I mean, we try to get in as many people as we can, but it's real hard, just because of the strong need here in this community. "
Doctor Remmick says the program has helped him retire a large chunk of his huge student loan.
"People don't really realize exactly how much debt doctors and dentists are coming out of school with. Being able to get this money to help just for the student loan debt is a big help. "
Under the program, those who commit to two years in a community will receive 50,000 dollars toward paying their student loans, and if they sign up for an additional two years they get 35,000 dollars more applied to what they owe.