Governor Nathan Deal signed into law a new bill that will bring more healthcare providers to rural, under-served areas of our state.
House Bill 998 addresses Georgia’s Medical Student Scholarship Program, which provides scholarship assistance to medical students in return for a commitment to practice medicine in designated rural areas. This new law changes the way these under-served rural areas are designated, and allows for greater flexibility for physicians to establish practices in these areas.
In a press release issued by his office, Gov. Deal said, “Georgia’s Medical Student Scholarship program allows for us to retain our best and brightest medical doctors while also increasing access to quality medical care in Georgia’s most rural areas. No medical student educated in Georgia should find themselves without job opportunities in their home state after graduation. It’s through programs like this that we improve the quality of life in rural communities, create much-needed jobs and set the foundation for further growth in our primary and specialized health care systems.”