Free Medication-Assisted Treatment Training Resources Help Clinicians Secure Loan Repayment Awards
Opioid-related drug overdoses claim more than 130 lives every day in the United States. Prevention and access to treatment for opioid addiction and overdose reversal drugs are critical to fighting this epidemic. This includes increasing the number of clinicians who are eligible to prescribe or dispense buprenorphine, a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid dependency.
Eligible clinicians who are passionate about treating opioid and substance use disorders can receive free medication-assisted treatment (MAT) training through the Providers Clinical Support System (PCCS). PCCS provides MAT training for several different provider disciplines, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. After completing the training, eligible clinicians can request a Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) waiver to treat opioid dependency with approved buprenorphine products.
A DATA 2000 waiver can help clinicians provide medication-assisted treatment to those that need it most and clinicians can secure tens of thousands of dollars to repay student loans. The Health Resources and Services Administration recently launched two new loan repayment programs, the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program (SUD Workforce LRP) and the Rural Community LRP.
The SUD Workforce LRP offers eligible clinicians up to $75,000 and the Rural Community LRP offers up to $100,000 in student loan repayment awards in exchange for three years of service at an NHSC approved site providing SUD services.
Clinicians with a DATA 2000 waiver may receive priority funding when they apply to either of these programs.
Take this step to help combat the opioid epidemic, enhance your clinical training at no cost, and position yourself for success during the next SUD Workforce and Rural Community loan repayment program application periods.
If you need any assistance with this program, please reach out to NRHA Government Affairs and Policy Manager, Max Isaacoff (missacoff@nrharural.org). Click here for more information.