Houston, TX – August 11, 2009 - Houston’s Central Care Community Health Center hosted an event today to honor Rep. Al Edwards (D-Houston) for the historic Physician Loan Repayment measure he authored in the Texas Legislature.
Edwards was presented the Legislative Champion Award by the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) for his work during the 81st Texas Legislature.
The program is designed to bring physicians to medically underserved areas of the state and also to provide a cut in the franchise tax for at least 40,000 small businesses in Texas. The measure emerged as one of the centerpiece bills of the 2009 legislative session.
“Physicians and health centers consider this new program to be the most significant legislation to pass in decades because of its potential to bring basic medical care to millions of Texans in the inner cities and rural areas of our state,” said TACHC Executive Director José E. Camacho. “Texans for years should know it was the dedication and tireless work of state Rep. Al Edwards that made Texas a healthier, more prosperous state.”
The legislation Edwards authored creates an enhanced physician loan repayment program. It will be available to primary care physicians who agree to practice in underserved areas of the state and will assist in paying off student loans amassed during medical school training. Medical school graduates carry a debt as high as $160,000 in student loans.
“The legislation was carefully crafted by Rep. Edwards to solve a very real problem in Houston. This is an incredibly important measure, and our health center is deeply indebted to Rep. Edwards for his leadership,” said Anganette Young, Executive Director of Central Care Community Health Center. “The impact of this program will truly be seen and felt in Houston.”
The Physician Loan Repayment Program is expected to bring up to 900 new doctors to urban and rural areas.
The proposal made it through an extremely challenging legislative session. In its final version, House Bill 2154 ultimately won overwhelming support in the Texas House and Senate. In June, Governor Rick Perry formally signed the physician loan repayment bill into law. The legislation becomes effective Sept. 1, 2009.
More than half of Texas counties are in need of primary care physicians. In 2008,
26 Texas counties had no primary care physician. More than 110 Texas counties – rural and urban – have been designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, meaning those counties do not meet a minimum national threshold of one physician for every 3,500 people.
The event honoring Edwards coincides with National Health Center Week (Aug. 9-15). The week is dedicated to recognizing the service and contributions of community, migrant, homeless and public housing health centers in providing access to affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care to medically vulnerable and underserved people across the country. Texas is home to more than 60 such centers providing healthcare services to more than 250,000 people every year. Community health center organizations in operate close to 300 health care delivery sites and serve more than 770,000 patients every year.
About the TACHC
The Texas Association of Community Health Centers is a private, non-profit membership association that represents safety-net health care providers in Texas. Association members include Community and Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless Grantees, Public Housing Primary Care Grantees, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Grantees, Health Center Networks and other providers who strive to meet the health care needs of the uninsured and underserved. TACHC serves as the primary care association for the state of Texas.
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