The Iowa Clinic to Give $50,000 to Rural Physician Loan Program

The Iowa Clinic will present a $50,000 contribution to the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Foundation for the Iowa Rural Physician Loan Repayment Program at a news conference at the West Des Moines medical facility at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will provide remarks on the importance of physician access in rural Iowa and thank The Iowa Clinic and the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians for taking part in this public-private partnership, according to a news release.

Also speaking will be Iowa Clinic CEO C. Edward Brown, Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Foundation President Dr. Doug Martin, Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Board President Dr. Robin Barnet and Iowa Clinic Board Chair Dr. Mark Reece.

The Rural Physician Loan Repayment Program was passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2012 and funded with public money in 2013 with the understanding there would be private participation.  

The governor included and the Legislature appropriated $1.6 million for this program. The Iowa Clinic, an independent physician owned and physician governed multispecialty group, wanted to lead the way by being the first organization to step up with a significant private donation, according to the release.

This program selects 20 students (10 from University of Iowa and 10 from Des Moines University) who choose to go into a selected field (family medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, general surgery, internal medicine), attend an Iowa based residency program and practice in rural Iowa for at least five years.  

Supported by research, if all of those requirements are met, there is an 88 percent retention rate of these physicians staying in rural Iowa, according to the release.