SLRP providers are selected based on the criteria described below.  The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) reserves the right to modify its SLRP provider selection criteria at any time in response to Michigan's changing health care provider needs.  The SLRP Office will, however, make every attempt to post current and accurate selection criteria on this website before each SLRP application period.

Providers who wish to re-contract with SLRP, priority providers, and non-priority providers working at the priority practice sites listed below, currently receive preference in the SLRP provider selection process.

Priority Re-contracting with SLRP:  

Once a provider has completed the first year of their initial two-year SLRP Contract, they may apply to re-contract with SLRP for a third year.  Providers in good standing who are eligible to re-contract will only be denied an additional year of SLRP participation if State and/or Federal funds are not available.  After meeting all contractual and administrative responsibilities, providers wishing to re-contract with SLRP will have preference over all other applicants in the selection process.  

Providers re-contracting with SLRP must provide payment documentation from their lenders that clearly shows they have reduced their qualifying educational debt by at least the amount of payments received through the SLRP.  SLRP providers who fail to provide this documentation will not be allowed to re-contract with the program. 

SLRP Priority Health Care Providers:

1. Dentists 

2. Psychiatrists and Other Mental Health Care Providers:  

Psychiatrists and other eligible mental health care providers described above under ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNTS who are willing to work at State Psychiatric Hospitals, Forensic Medicine Centers, CMH Agencies, and State Correctional Facilities, will receive preference in the selection process.  SLRP mental health care providers must work in the types of practice sites described above.  Psychiatrists and doctoral level psychologists will receive preference over other eligible mental health care providers in the selection process. 

All SLRP contracts for mental health providers will be funded with 50% Federal funds and 50% State Match funds contributed by one of the mental health care employers described above.  These employers will use the CMH State Funds that are normally made available to these state facilities for general operating expenses to match Federal loan repayment funds.  Employers at Department of Correction (DOC) Facilities that do not receive CMH funds, may use a portion of their DOC State appropriations to pay 50% of SLRP Contracts for their eligible mental health care professionals.

Eligible mental health care providers, listed above, may only apply for CMH/DOC Local Match Contracts, which share the same pool of funds as those applying for Local Match Contracts, but have preference over all other priority and non-priority applicants. 

SLRP Priority Practice Sites:

Any eligible primary care medical provider, as described above, willing to work at any of the following types of practice sites will receive preference in the selection process:

1.       Local Health Departments

2.       State-funded Institutions

·         State Psychiatric Hospitals

·         Forensic Medicine Centers

·         CMH Agencies

·         State Correctional Facilities

·         State-funded Primary Care Clinics

3.       Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and FQHC Look-Alikes

4.       Critical Access Hospital (CAH)-Administered Primary Care Clinics

5.       Certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) Designated as Facility HPSAs