Primary Care Office (PCO)

Photo Credit: Kelsey Toups

The purpose of the Primary Care Office (PCO) is to assess and address the primary care needs throughout the state with regard to access to primary care services. We provide technical and non-financial assistance to vulnerable populations identified through our assessments and to the primary care, dental, and mental health care providers who serve them. We do this by coordinating with partners to address the needs we find, processing NHSC and J-1 Visa Waiver applications to increase provider recruitment and retention for those areas, and responding to program inquiries. We strive to allocate federal resources to vulnerable areas by designating health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) and medically underserved areas and populations (MUA/Ps).

For additional information about the services and programs within the Primary Care Office click on the following links:

• Shortage Designations (Health Professional Shortage Areas & MUA/P’s)
• National Health Service CORPS (Loan Repayment, Scholarship, NURSE Corps)
• J-1 Visa Waivers (Foreign Physicians)
• Primary Care Needs Assessment