A bill sponsored by Rep. Kathy Rapp aimed at providing “financial incentives” to help recruit health care providers to rural areas has cleared the House Health Committee.

Kathy Rapp, minority chair of the Health Committee, and the chair of the committee, Rep. Dan Frankel, are the prime sponsors for HB 2382.

“Our rural communities are facing a health care crisis,” Rapp said. “Rural health centers and hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open because of difficulties in recruiting providers. The Rural Health Care Grant Program is a win-win.

“It helps hospitals bring in skilled workers and helps the providers by covering some of their high student loan costs. Ultimately, the real winners will be our rural communities, which will hopefully have fully staffed teams ready to care for residents.”

The bill would create the Rural Health Care Grant Program, which would allow hospitals “to help certain providers in paying off their student loans,” according to a statement from Rapp.

According to a legislative memo, eligibility to receive grant dollars is tied to nurses and physicians working fulltime in a rural hospital for at least three years.

The program is open to hospitals in rural counties or places deemed “medically underserved areas.”

“The hospitals may then use this funding to incentivize licensed nurses and physicians to apply for open positions, as the money from the grant will assist in paying off their student loans,” the representatives concluded. “This program will be extremely valuable to rural hospitals and young healthcare practitioners.”