Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces 3,000 Awardees of the MA Repay Student Loan Repayment Program

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is awarding $140.9M in student loan repayment to 2,935 primary care and behavioral health providers as part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s effort to strengthen workforces impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. The MA Repay Program, implemented by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, launched in November 2022 provides educational debt relief to clinicians and patient support staff across Massachusetts.  

Nearly half of the awardees identify as People of Color. The majority of awardees work full-time in historically underserved community-based settings throughout the Commonwealth. 70 percent identify as women, and 47 percent are under the age of 35. More than 900 awardees speak a language other than English. 

“The MA Repay Program will be life-changing for thousands of our hardworking healthcare professionals while also helping more people enter and stay in this critical industry that has been suffering from workforce shortages,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I’m grateful to our Legislative partners for prioritizing this funding that will positively impact the health and wellbeing of Massachusetts residents, strengthen our economy and competitiveness, and promote equity in the healthcare profession.” 

“Our healthcare providers go above and beyond day in and day out to make sure that Massachusetts residents can receive care when and where they need it,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The last few years have been particularly tough on our healthcare workers. We’re thankful to the Legislature for the opportunity to give back to those who give so much to us. These awards will break down barriers in our healthcare workforce and open opportunities for growth in the profession.” 

Due to efforts from the Legislature, additional funds allotted to the MA Repay program in the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget made it possible for all eligible applicants to receive a student loan repayment award. An additional $120.2M will be made available in the coming months to provide loan repayment for healthcare professionals working in behavioral and mental healthcare, skilled nursing, and home- and community-based settings. 

The student loan repayment awards range from $12,500 to $300,000, depending on the healthcare professional’s qualifications, work settings, and hours worked. Qualifying provider roles include social workers, primary care physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, substance use recovery coaches and case managers who work at Community Health Centers, Community Behavioral Health Centers, Community Mental Health Centers, psychiatric units in acute care hospitals, in-patient psychiatric hospitals or substance use treatment programs. In exchange for these awards, providers will commit to 4- or 5-year service commitments in eligible provider settings.  

Massachusetts has taken significant steps to improve the provision of timely and appropriate behavioral health support for residents through the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform, which led to the launch of the Behavioral Health Help Line and Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) across the state in January 2023. The MA Repay program furthers this by promoting staff retention in high-need and historically underserved areas, as well as supporting multilingual providers. Improved retention reduces strain on the workforce, leading to appropriate staffing levels which ensure patients have access to timely, high-quality care through CBHCs, community health centers, acute care hospitals, and community mental health organizations. 

“Like many other states across the country, Massachusetts is experiencing primary care and behavioral health workforce shortages, which were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. “The MA Repay program is an important step forward in our mission to recruit and retain providers to address those workforce shortages.” 

“Talented, diverse individuals far too often cite monetary considerations, such as student loan debt, as a key influencer in their decisions on what healthcare industry to practice in and in which location. The MA Repay program seeks to break down this barrier that sets limits on healthcare professionals’ careers,” said Michael Curry, President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “By offering statewide support in this way, in exchange for a period of service commitment by these providers, we are creating an opportunity to disrupt systemic inequalities that exist in the current healthcare system and helping to stabilize our safety net workforce at a time of unprecedented shortages.” 

Awards are provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and made possible by funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund, and the state’s FY24 budget.   

The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the League) is a 501 (c)(3) membership organization supporting and representing the Commonwealth’s 52 community health centers, which offer primary and preventive care to more than one million residents.  

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