Rural health providers need help — the real question is how to provide that help.

State Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, has an idea that recently passed the state House Healthcare Committee to create a grant program that facilities could pass on to new employees to help pay down student loan debt. Individual institutions would be eligible to receive up to $250,000 per calendar year, which they would use to directly pay toward their recruits’ student debt. To receive the reimbursement, staff must stay in the role for a minimum of three years.

The bill would apply to nurses, physicians, midwives, dentists and dental hygienists.

Vacancy rates for nursing support staff and registered nurses at rural hospitals are 28% and 26%, respectively, which means far too many hospitals and health care facilities are operating with holes in their schedules that remaining staff have to fill. Eventually, staff members leave because the workload is too much.

There are a lot of reasons for the shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas. We often lack some amenities that younger people want. Our population loss over the years means there are fewer people to fill vacancies. But simple economics likely plays a part for a county like ours. Our facilities simply can’t afford to pay what larger facilities can pay, and we’re not only competing with the Erie area, but the Jamestown area as well. We need something to help tip the scales back toward Warren County as college graduates are making the decision of where they want to live and work.

Rapp’s bill shouldn’t be considered the solution. But it could very well be a piece of the puzzle that helps local health care providers fill some of their open vacancies — and in the end that benefits us in the form of shorter wait times and greater access to health care when we need it. If Rapp’s bill does become law, however, it is incumbent on the state to make sure the money is spread to rural areas and not gobbled up by bigger cities.