CHICAGO – The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has launched the application for a student loan repayment assistance program to support qualified mental health and substance abuse professionals.
The Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is designed as an incentive for recruitment and retention of those who practice in underserved or rural areas. While the Program was approved by the General Assembly, signed into law by Governor Pritzker, and made effective in 2019, it had not previously been funded due to budget constraints.
The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health (IDHS), with new funding from the State’s cannabis program, reached out to ISAC to discuss partnership, and the General Assembly and Governor approved ISAC to use up to $5 million in funding for FY23.
“Here in Illinois, we are on a mission to make mental health care as widespread and accessible as possible— and I know that if we want to achieve that, then we must attract and retain quality community-based behavioral health care workers,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the leadership of ISAC and IDHS, we are ensuring that our behavioral health care workers have access to loan repayment assistance, so they can focus on what matters: making sure every Illinoisan—regardless of socioeconomic status or location—gets the mental health care they deserve.”
“The shortage of Illinois community-based behavioral workers creates significant disparities in access to mental health and substance abuse services, said Grace B. Hou, Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services. “The goal of this program is to help recruit and retain professionals to provide these critically needed services, and we are pleased to partner with ISAC for their expertise in delivering grant, scholarship, and repayment programs.”