DOVER, Del. - The Division of Public Health is continuing its push for the recruitment of medical professionals across the entire state, according to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
As a part of this effort, the department says the division worked with Middletown-based Epic marketing Consultants Corporation to develop a recruitment video that describes the benefits of being a health care professional in Delaware. They say the video features a number of health care professionals from across the state, including Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, MSN, PhD; Dr. Megan Werner, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Westside Family Healthcare; Karyl Rattay, MD, MS, former director of the Delaware Division of Public Health; and others.
“It is a home environment, and whether they choose a beach, a rural western area in our state, or if they choose to go to the inner city of Wilmington or in our state capital of Dover, there are a lot of opportunities in the seven health systems,” Lt. Gov. Hall-Long said as part of the recruitment video.
According to the department, as Delaware's population grows and becomes more diverse, health care providers are seeing an increase in demand for many different services and help in various communities across the state. They say Delaware has a number of federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) seeking highly qualified providers in the areas of family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, gynecology/obstetrics, dentistry, and psychiatry.
The department also says that medical professionals in the state may also be eligible to get financial benefits, like National Health Service Corps and state loan repayment opportunities that position them to get the best return on their investment and can help make back their medical education expenses. Programs they note include:
- The Delaware State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) provides educational debt relief to cover a portion of government and commercial loans incurred during one’s health profession education up to $50,000 annually.
- The Delaware Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPLRP) is a state-sponsored educational debt relief program for medical providers, awarding up to $50,000 annually to eligible health care professionals.
- The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) provides practical experience to physicians around the country and offers financial incentives like the NHSC Loan Repayment Program and the NHSC Scholar Program, both offering tax-free funding for educational expenses.
- (For international medical graduates) The Conrad State 30/J-1 Visa Waiver program, which allows foreign medical graduates who have been admitted to the U.S. for medical training to remain in Delaware. Up to 30 J-1 physicians per year are accepted into the waiver program in Delaware, where they serve in HPSAs and MUAs.
The department says that each of Delaware's three counties have major hospital systems within them, and ranks first in hospital quality in the nation according to a U.S. News & World Report Ranking in 2019. They say the state is home to several leading hospitals and health care systems that offer state-of-the-art facilities and a range of specialties, and these institutions provide health care providers with access to advanced technology and resources to deliver high-quality care.
The department said that they too are hoping to attract medical professionals to the state, as it is a great place to live and work. Delaware has a favorable regulatory environment for health care providers, they say with relatively low malpractice insurance rates, no sales tax, and low personal income tax rates. The also note the state’s central location on the East Coast provides easy access to major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C., which opens up additional opportunities for networking and professional development.
According to the department, it is available to link medical professionals with the programs best suited to their needs and interests. Call the Division of Public Health's Primary Care Office at 302-741-8599 or visit https://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/hsm/bhprmhome.html to learn more about the Delaware advantage and opportunities available.