N.Y. PBH Law § 236-A

§ 236-a. Study of health professional employment incentives. 1. The\nlegislature hereby finds and declares that:\n a. Some parts of rural New York are suffering from physician and nurse\npractitioner shortages forcing residents to forego proper care or travel\nlong distances to receive health care. Rural areas have particular\ncharacteristics such as low population density, inadequate\ntransportation, increasing elderly population, and a lack of economies\nof scale. These issues make recruiting and retaining physicians and\nnurse practitioners in rural areas more challenging than in suburban and\nurban settings.\n b. Therefore it is incumbent upon the state to provide incentives and\nassistance to physicians and nurse practitioners willing to practice in\nthese shortage areas.\n 2. The Charles D. Cook office of rural health, in consultation with\nthe rural health council, is hereby authorized and directed to conduct a\nstudy to analyze incentive options to encourage physicians and nurse\npractitioners to practice in rural, underserved areas. The report shall\ncontain, but not be limited to, evaluations of the following incentive\noptions: high needs service bonuses, signing bonuses, tax credits, small\nbusiness assistance for beginning practices, programs designed to\nrecruit high school students, and rural medical education tracks in\nmedical schools. The report shall contain an analysis of current state\nlevel loan repayment programs and their effectiveness and may consider\nany similar local programs. The report shall also provide information on\nfederal programs and their impact on New York state rural physician and\nnurse practitioner recruitment. The study shall make recommendations as\nto which incentives are the most effective in recruitment and retention\nof such health professionals.\n 3. The director of the Charles D. Cook office of rural health is\nhereby directed to prepare and present to the legislature, on or before\nMarch first of the year next succeeding the effective date of this\nsection, a report containing a summary of its findings and\nrecommendations.\n