Doctor Corey Takasue says NHSC loan repayment helped sustain a decade of rural care in Maui County

Doctor Corey Takasue, who has worked for 10 years on a rural Hawaiian island in Maui County, said the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment program enabled her to continue practicing in an area with limited resources by reducing her student-loan burden.

Takasuе said she first learned about NHSC loan-forgiveness options from then-executive director Dr. Diana Shaw, who “was really good about keeping all of her providers informed” about repayment programs designed to help retain clinicians in rural postings. That guidance “paired with the cost of living here” was important to making a rural posting sustainable, she said.

The NHSC offers service-commitment options that range from two to six years; Takasue said she carefully weighed those choices and ultimately opted for a three-year commitment because of uncertainty about the organization’s direction and the practical constraints of island practice. She described administrative hurdles in applying for repayment, including consolidating loans and “tracking down the original promissory note,” which delayed parts of the process.

Takasuе characterized the island’s clinical environment as more resource-limited than larger islands in Maui County, saying access to care and community partnerships necessary for comprehensive treatment were harder to secure. Even so, she said the tangible changes she saw and community appreciation made the work rewarding and helped sustain her decade-long tenure at the organization.

On the financial side, Takasue said the NHSC repayment provided “peace of mind.” After approval she received funds relatively quickly and was able to pay down high-interest loans, which reduced the financial strain that often pushes clinicians away from rural practice.

The account offered by Takasue underscores two recurring themes in rural workforce retention: targeted financial incentives can reduce barriers to long-term service, and local organizational stability and access to broader clinical resources remain important determinants of whether clinicians stay.

Takasuе remains at the same organization and described her experience as an example of how the NHSC program and local leadership can combine to keep clinicians serving isolated communities.