National Health Service Corps (NHSC)

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is a division of the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.  The purpose of the NHSC is to match communities in need with caring health professionals, and to thereby support efforts to build better systems of care.  Helping medically under-served communities recruit and retain qualified health professionals is at the heart of this program, in turn rewarding these health professionals for their service.

Through a cooperative agreement with the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), IPHCA coordinates Indiana's NHSC program activities and provides technical assistance on all aspects of the program. 

Health professionals participating in the NHSC are involved in either the Scholar Program or the Loan Repayment Program.  Primary Health Care Clinicians, Dental Care Clinicians, and Mental Health Care Clinicians are eligible to apply for NHSC Scholarships or Loan Repayment.  Those receiving NHSC Scholarships are required to commit to sites with a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Score – an index of unmet need for health care professionals – of 14 or above, for a service contract equal to the term of the Scholarship award. 

Health professionals already employed at a site with a HPSA designation are eligible to apply for the Loan Repayment Program.  Loan Repayors must be employed at the time of their application and are required to sign a contract for a minimum of 2 years.  At the end of this contact, they are eligible to reapply for additional Loan Repayment.

For more information about this program, please contact:

Natalie Brown
Indiana Primary Health Care Association
Phone: (317) 630-0845
Fax: (317) 630-0849
nbrown@indianapca.org