CONCORD, NH, December 12, 2022 – In an effort to attract more dentists to Northern New England, Northeast Delta Dental has provided $6M in funding over three years to be used for dental student loan repayments. The new program will be administered by the Recruitment Center at Bi-State Primary Care Association (Bi-State) and is governed by a Steering Committee with representatives from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Workforce vacancies across all healthcare specialties have been rising in recent years, and there is an acute shortage in Northern New England for dentists across all specialties. The demand for additional dentists is due to a combination of factors including retiring dentists, increased population with dental benefits, and rural or underserved areas across the region who have had difficulty with recruitment.

“Northeast Delta Dental has witnessed the growing need for more dentists across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, especially in rural and underserved areas,” said Joe Errante, DDS, VP, Network and Clinical Strategies, Northeast Delta Dental. “With all three states now offering dental health benefits to adults with Medicaid coverage, the need is even greater.”  

“Bi-State is very pleased and honored to have been selected to administer this new program. For decades, the Bi-State Recruitment Center, through collaborative partnerships, has focused on recruiting and retaining practitioners to the region whether they be physicians, advanced practitioners, mental health and substance use disorder providers, or dentists. This new dental loan repayment program is an incredibly important, additional tool for recruitment and placement of dentists across the region,” said Tess Stack Kuenning, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bi-State.

By providing another avenue to help dentists with student loan debt through loan repayment, the program expects to be able to attract more dentists to Northern New England. Each qualifying dentist can receive up to $150,000 reimbursed over a three-year period. General dentists, dentists in other specialties, dental students, and residents in training without a concurrent service obligation for loan repayment or debt forgiveness may apply.

“We advocated for over two decades for legislation to provide dental benefits to NH adults through Medicaid,” explained Tom Raffio, President & CEO, Northeast Delta Dental. “Now that it is finally a reality, our next challenge is finding adequate services for all of the new patients.”

For more information, please visit: Northern New England Dental Loan Repayment Program or call 603.228.2830 to speak with a Recruitment Specialist.

ABOUT NORTHEAST DELTA DENTAL

Northeast Delta Dental administers dental benefits in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, offering dental insurance programs for businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, and individuals and families with no access to employer-sponsored dental benefits. Since 1995, the philanthropic arm of Northeast Delta Dental, the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation has supported organizations and initiatives in the tri-state area that provide oral health education and dental care to uninsured and underserved people. The mission of the Foundation is to advance the importance of good oral health and its role in overall wellness, underscoring the belief that everyone deserves a healthy smile. For more information visit www.nedelta.com.

ABOUT BI-STATE PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION

Bi-State Primary Care Association is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that represents New Hampshire and Vermont’s 28 Community Health Centers serving over 315,400 patients at 143 locations across every county in New Hampshire and Vermont. Bi-State works to promote access to quality, affordable primary health care with an emphasis on reaching underserved populations. Bi-State Primary Care Association was founded as a 501(c)3 charitable organization in 1986 with offices in Bow, NH and Montpelier, VT. Learn more at Bi-State Primary Care Association.org.