02/25/2010
ODLRP helps dentists pay back loans, give back to their communities

Liz Long
Staff Writer

Dentists across Ohio, no matter how long they have been in practice, can take advantage of the Ohio Department of Health's (ODH) Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program (ODLRP).

Created through an Ohio Dental Association legislative initiative in 2003, the ODLRP is intended to encourage dentists to practice in underserved areas in Ohio by providing loan repayment assistance for eligible dentists agreeing to provide care in dental health professional shortage areas.

A total of $370,000 in loan repayments has been awarded since the first contracts for the program were signed in 2005.

Until recently, the ODLRP was open only to dentists who had been in practice three years or less; however, that limitation was recently lifted. Any dentist who meets the eligibility requirements may apply.

Other recent revisions to the program include an increase in the maximum award amount – up to $25,000 per year for the first and second years a dentist participates in the ODLRP and up to $35,000 per year for the third and fourth years.

Contracts were awarded to the following dentists in 2008 and 2009:

• Dr. Andrew Aderman, an ODA member serving at the Henry County Health Department in Napoleon
• Dr. Craig Burrow, serving at the Dental Center of Northwest Ohio in Toledo
• Dr. Stacy A. Love, an ODA member serving at Third Street Family Health Services in Mansfield
• Dr. Young Lee, an ODA member serving at the Family Health Center in Piketon

Program contracts were renewed last year for the following dentists:

• Dr. Kyle Hensley, an ODA member serving at the Dayton Pediatric Clinic in Dayton
• Dr. Brian Morris, an ODA member serving at the Holzer Dental Health Partners in Jackson
• Dr. Sean Byers, an ODA member serving at the Holzer Dental Health Partners in Jackson

Dr. Andrew Aderman, a 2008 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, has participated in the Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program for the last year at the Northwest Ohio Dental Clinic at the Henry County Health Department in Napoleon, Ohio.

"I am the only full-time dentist at the health department," he said. "My primary duty is being a dentist, but I also occasionally help with administrative duties, including helping with Give Kids a Smile day."

Aderman said the ODLRP has been a tremendous help for him in many ways.

"The program has been very beneficial with regards to the loan repayment," he said. "It is nice to have help paying off such a large debt. Also, because I work for a grant/government funded clinic I don't have any overhead expenses and don't have to worry about running my own practice yet."

Additionally, Aderman said working in an underserved area has been a good learning experience.

"I've been able to increase my speed as well as get practice with a lot of procedures that I did not get much experience with in dental school, particularly endodontics," he said. "I would most certainly encourage people to apply for the program."

Aderman expressed his appreciation to the ODH and Ohio dentists for their commitment to the program.

"Thank you to the people who run the program, particularly Mona Taylor, and also thank you to all Ohio dentists for renewing their licenses since that is where the money comes from for the program," he said.

Dr. Stacy Love, a 2005 graduate of the OSU College of Dentistry, has participated in the Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program for the last two years as the Chief Dental Officer at Third Street Family Health Services in Mansfield, Ohio.

"The ODLRP program has been a great thing for me," she said. "As a participating dentist, it is nice to have my work in a public health setting rewarded. I have been able to pay off a significant portion of my loans in the two years I have participated in the program."

Love said as the dental director of a federally qualified health center, she finds the program to be a wonderful recruitment tool as well.

"Many new grads have significant loans, and being able to offer the chance for loan repayment is a great incentive to working in public health," she said.

Under the program's criteria, ODLRP contracts are awarded to eligible applicants who desire to practice in dental health resource shortage areas, as determined by the Ohio director of health, or federally designated dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). Areas with high population-to-dentist ratios have the greatest priority.

Other considerations include the applicant's background, career goals, length of time the applicant is willing to provide dental services in a dental health care resource shortage area and amount of educational expenses for which reimbursement is being sought.

Applicants must be engaged in the practice of general or pediatric dentistry. Persons currently receiving National Health Service Corps (NHSC) tuition or loan repayment are not eligible.

ODLRP payments are made once yearly to the appropriate lending institutions and ODLRP will pay all or part of the principal and interest of a government or commercial educational loan taken by an individual for expenses incurred while the individual was enrolled in an accredited dental college or residency program, including tuition, fees, books and laboratory expenses, as well as room and board in amounts determined to be reasonable by the director of health.

Clinicians must provide dental services at the dental health site(s) they have agreed upon, practicing a minimum of 40 hours per week.

Participants must agree to provide dental services for Medicaid-eligible persons and to provide dental care without regard to a patient's ability to pay.

Clinicians who fail to complete their service obligation according to the terms specified in their contract will incur a penalty.

Dentists can learn of vacancies in underserved areas by contacting the ODH Bureau of Oral Health Services for information on qualified sites and recruitment needs.

For more information, visit the ODH Web site here or contact Mona Taylor at (614) 466-4180 or mona.taylor@odh.ohio.gov or Sandy Brado at (330) 643-1300 or sandy.brado@odh.ohio.gov.

Information is also available online here.

Potential job opportunities may be found here.

The deadline for contracts beginning in July 2010 is March 1, 2010.