(a) Not later than January 1, 2023, the Office of Higher Education shall establish a health care provider loan reimbursement program. The health care provider loan reimbursement program shall provide loan reimbursement grants to health care providers licensed by the Department of Public Health who are employed full-time as a health care provider in the state.

(b) The executive director of the Office of Higher Education shall (1) develop, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, eligibility requirements for recipients of such loan reimbursement grants, which requirements may include, but need not be limited to, income guidelines, and (2) award at least twenty per cent of such loan reimbursement grants to graduates of a regional community-technical college. The executive director shall consider health care workforce shortage areas when developing such eligibility requirements. A person who qualifies for a loan reimbursement grant shall be reimbursed on an annual basis for qualifying student loan payments in amounts determined by the executive director. A health care provider shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while such person is employed full-time in the state as a health care provider. Persons may apply for loan reimbursement grants to the Office of Higher Education at such time and in such manner as the executive director prescribes.

(c) The Office of Higher Education may accept gifts, grants and donations, from any source, public or private, for the health care provider loan reimbursement program.