Education loan repayment program for health professionals gains traction in Hawaiʻi

The application deadline is July 1 for a second round of healthcare professionals seeking help in a new Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program.

Gov. Josh Green, a medical doctor, said the state of Hawaiʻi and the Hawai’i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center have been receiving a “tremendous response to the aggressive and far-reaching loan repayment program that addresses the state’s growing shortage of physicians and other healthcare professionals.”

The Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program, or HELP program, provides educational loan debt repayment for health professionals licensed or otherwise certified to provide care to patients in Hawai‘i.

According to a news release, HELP was conceptualized by Gov. Green in partnership with the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi and the state Department of Health. The program is funded by the state Legislature to provide $30 million in educational loan debt repayment to licensed health professionals who accept public insurance for at least 30% of their patient care claims.

Marc and Lynne Benioff provided philanthropic support for Hawaiʻi Island HELP recipients with an additional $5 million over two years. Out of the first 400 recipients, 77 from Hawaiʻi Island will receive loan repayment from the state funds. Sixty-five applicants received funding from Marc and Lynne Benioff in the first round.

“HELP stands as a beacon of hope and is not just a program; it’s a lifeline for our communities,” Green said. “By alleviating the burden of educational debt, we will attract and retain the healthcare professionals who are essential to addressing our state’s healthcare challenges. Together, through HELP, we forge a path toward a healthier future for all Hawai‘i.”

Retention of Hawaiʻi’s medical and health professionals is vital and HELP seeks to reach the largest group to date. In exchange for two years of full-time service in Hawaiʻi, healthcare professionals in dozens of specialties will qualify for loan repayments starting at $12,500 and capped at $50,000. The eligible amount varies depending on an applicant’s profession, location of their practice and educational indebtedness.

HELP prioritizes specialists in primary care and behavioral health along with those practicing in rural areas (defined by the state as all Neighbor Islands and in rural areas of Oʻahu).

To be considered for the next cohort, apply by July 1. Applications and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the AHEC HELP page.

Roughly 1,900 health professionals applied for HELP since the program launched in September 2023. Of those, 1,801 were eligible. In December, a total of 492 applicants were awarded funds as part of the inaugural cohort.

An informational video about HELP is available by clicking here.