Overview
The Primary Care Office (PCO) works to assess the need for primary care services and providers, promote the recruitment and retention of health care providers to help meet identified needs, and help reduce shortages of health care providers in Indiana. The objective of the PCO is to improve access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable.
The work of the PCO is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Bureau of Health Workforce. The Indiana Primary Care Office provides healthcare workforce and shortage designation analysis, technical assistance, and acts as a liaison between federal, state, and local partners.
Activities of the Primary Care Office include but are not limited to:
- Conducting a statewide community needs assessment
- Coordinating the HPSA and MUA/P designation processes
- Collecting and recording provider data
- Providing technical assistance and collaboration to expand access to primary care, including coordination of NHSC programs and provider recruitment and retention
- Collaborating with Health Center workforce planning and development
- Collaborating with other HRSA partners and organizations to support access to primary care services
- Community Health Centers
Community Health Centers (CHCs) serve as invaluable resources in expanding access to essential primary healthcare services by addressing barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language. These centers yield significant advantages to both the nation and its healthcare system by working towards improving access to care, promoting preventive services, and ultimately improving overall health outcomes for individuals and communities. The Office of Primary Care administers the State Community Health Center Operating Grant.
- Indiana Primary Care Learning Collaborative
The Indiana Primary Care Learning Collaborative brings together a large number of teams from hospitals or clinics to learn from each other and the content experts on how to improve in specific areas.
The Indiana State Loan Repayment Program (IN-SLRP) is a workforce retention program that provides student loan repayment to health professionals to encourage the full-time delivery of primary care, mental, and dental healthcare services at practices located in federally designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) in Indiana. HPSAs are geographic areas, population groups, or healthcare facilities that have been designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as having a shortage of health professionals.
IN-SLRP recipients can receive up to $40,000 to repay their outstanding student loans in exchange for two years of service. Participants may reapply once for an additional two-year service term
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs are competitive federal programs that provide service-obligated scholarships and loan repayment to assist in the development, recruitment, and retention of primary care providers to serve people in health professional shortage areas (HPSA).
The Office of Primary Care provides technical assistance and application support to potential and current NHSC sites.
Contact
Gabby Long
Office of Primary Care Manager
glong@health.in.gov
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants J-1 visa waivers after a review by the US State Department. IDOH may recommend 30 waivers a year for J-1 physicians who otherwise must return to their home country for a period of two years after completing graduate medical studies. The recipients are obligated to three years of service in a designated underserved area (HPSA or MUA/P).
Essential forms and waiver requirements:
- 2026 County Rankings and Heat Map
- Affidavit and Agreement
- IDOH Application Cover Sheet
- Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver 2026 Guidelines
- Indiana J-1 Visa Waiver Checklist
- J-1 Visa Prioritization Write Up 2026
- Verification of Employment Form
Contact
Natalie Morrison, MPH Workforce Program Director
150 West Market Street, Suite 520
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Ph: 317.630.0845 (main) 317.630.0831 (direct)
nmorrison@indianapca.org | www.indianapca.org
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s eligibility criteria for a Physician National Interest Waiver (PNIW) states that a physician must:
- Work full-time in a clinical practice for at least five years
- Work in primary care or be a specialty physician
- Serve in a Primary Care HPSA, Mental HPSA (for psychiatrists only), Medically Underserved Area (MUA), or a Veterans Affairs facility
- Obtain a statement from a federal agency or a state department of health that has knowledge of your qualifications as a physician and that states your work is in the public interest.
To request a PNIW support letter, submit a request form here: https://redcap.isdh.in.gov/surveys/?s=KE4J8F7ALMTK7PMT
If you have not received a follow-up on your request within 10 business days, please reach out to:
Gabby Long
Office of Primary Care Manager
glong@health.in.gov
The Office of Primary Care will issue Shortage Designation Verification Memos for the purpose of Rural Health Clinic certification. The Office of Primary Care requires the following to verify shortage designation status:
- Name of facility
- Address of facility
- Name, job title/relation to the facility, phone number, and email of the individual requesting the memo
Please send requests via email to:
Gabby Long
Office of Primary Care Manager
glong@health.in.gov
Shortage Designations
Shortage designations identify an area, population, or facility experiencing a shortage of health care services, and include Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), Medically Underserved Areas (MUA), and Medically Underserved Populations (MUP).
HPSAs can be geographic areas, populations, or facilities that indicate shortages of primary, dental, or mental health care practitioners. MUA/MUPs identify geographic areas and populations with a lack of access to primary care services and help establish health maintenance organizations or community health centers.
The Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is responsible for the designation process.
Shortage designation status can be checked using the following tools:
- Geographic or Population HPSA: Find Shortage Areas by Address
- Geographic, population, or facility HPSA: HPSA Find
- MUA/P: Find MUA/P
Benefits of HPSA & MUA/P Designations
Designation Requirements for Programs | |||||
National Health Service Corps and IN-SLRP | FQHC Program | CMS Medicare Incentive Payment | CMS Rural Health Clinic Program | Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program | |
Type of Designation | |||||
Primary Care HPSA | X | X | X | X | |
Dental Health HPSA | X | ||||
Mental Health HPSA | X | X | X | ||
Geographic HPSA | X | X | X | X | |
Population HPSA | X | X | X | ||
Facility HPSA | X | X | |||
Exceptional HPSA | X | X | |||
MUA | X | X | X | ||
MUP | X | X | |||
Shortage designation status can be checked using HRSA’s Find Shortage Areas by Address tool.
The Indiana Office of Primary Care submits HPSA and MUA/P designation applications and updates to BHW. The Office of Primary Care must be contacted to request a shortage designation and is the only entity that can submit a designation request to HRSA. Requests are free and can be made by anyone in the community.
To request or inquire about a shortage designation, please reach out to Gabby Long at glong@health.in.gov.
