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Annually, each of the three community-based Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) conducts a survey of all primary care practices in its region to get a snapshot of the supply and distribution of primary care practitioners (PCPs). This inventory guides AHEC’s program development to address needs of the current workforce, as well as identifies emerging workforce shortages. This report is a compilation of the three regional surveys. Survey findings reflect a point in time, and supplement, but are not intended to replace, the comprehensive survey conducted by the Vermont Department of Health of each physician at the time of relicensing every two years.

Averaging all practitioners across the state, the overall supply of PCPs is just under adequate levels, using benchmarks established by the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee Report (GMENAC). However, a more refined examination of the workforce in each primary care specialty, as well as within regions of the state, shows areas of both adequacy and shortage. The most significant shortage is for primary care practitioners who care for adults. Specifically, there is a statewide shortage of internal medicine physicians. For more information please refer to the "2008 VT AHEC Primary Care Workforce Snapshot" PDF.

For Immediate Release, December 18, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth Cote (802-656-2179) – UVM Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

BURLINGTON, VT---A $20,000 contribution from Delta Dental Plan of Vermont, in partnership with the Vermont Educational Loan Repayment Program for Dentists, has been instrumental in retaining one dentist in Vermont and recruiting two new, urgently needed pediatric dentists to the state in 2008, according to Elizabeth Cote, Director of the University of Vermont Area Health Education Centers (AHEC). “New dentists carry large educational debt; 200,000 to 300,000 is not uncommon, which often leads them to higher-paying positions in urban, not rural states,” says Cote. In response, the State of Vermont established an Educational Loan Repayment Program for Dentists in 2000. This program is through the Department of Health, administered by the AHEC, and helps dentists with their loan repayment in exchange for a one year service agreement in Vermont for each year they receive loan repayment assistance. Recipients must also agree to treat a percentage of Medicaid patients during their service agreement year(s). “The Delta Dental Plan of Vermont contribution to the State’s Educational Loan repayment funding enables us to attract more dentists to Vermont and demonstrates Delta Dental’s commitment to good health for Vermonters,” she says. “Our community match helped make it more financially attractive to new and existing dentists to practice in Vermont, which correlates well with Delta Dental Plan of Vermont’s oral health mission,” said Tom Raffio, President & CEO of Northeast Delta Dental. Information about the Vermont Educational Loan Repayment Program for dentists, primary care practitioners, nurses, and nurse educators is available at www.vtahec.org.

Release Date: 09-15-2008
Author:Carol Whitaker
Email: Carole.Whitaker@uvm.edu
Phone:802/656-1108 Fax:656-8577