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MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) — A program that offers assistance in paying off student loans is helping draw dentists to small towns in Iowa.
Since the grant program started in 2002, 28 of the 31 dentists who received the financial aid have remained in Iowa, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported (http://bit.ly/1MR2i0l ) Sunday. Sixty-five of Iowa's 99 counties are short on dentists.
Adrienne D'Agostino Kane is receiving $80,000 in tuition reimbursement that helped make it possible for her to take over her father's practice in Maquoketa and serve the community she grew up in.
"This grant opportunity became available, and it just made it easier to be able to do that, as well as pay off my student loans," Kane told the newspaper.
Delta Dental of Iowa provides most of the grant money while the state and local communities add to the total. Participants receive $50,000 from the insurance agency, $25,000 from Iowa and $5,000 or more from local communities.
The grant money is applied directly to participants' student loan debt, said Beth Jones, Delta Dental's public benefit manager.
"What we see in applicants are around $200,000 to $250,000 in student loan debt," Jones said. "(The grant) makes a significant dent for them, but it does not by any means pay off their student loan debt."
The program requires that recipients agree to stay for several years and emphasize serving residents who might otherwise struggle to find care.
Ryan Oetken is another grant recipient who is practicing dentistry in Epworth. Oetken grew up in Akron, Iowa, with about 1,500 residents, so he was familiar with the challenges rural residents can face when finding a dentist.
"A lot of small towns in western Iowa did not have dentists," Oetken said. "A lot of people drove 35 to 40 minutes (to get care). And that's still the situation today."
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Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com
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