The director of health, by rule, shall establish priorities among chiropractic health resource shortage areas for use in recruiting chiropractors to sites within particular areas under the chiropractic loan repayment program. In establishing priorities, the director shall consider the ratio of chiropractors to the population in the chiropractic health resource shortage area, the distance to chiropractors outside the area, health status indicators of the target population in the area, presence of health care provider sites in the area with vacancies for chiropractors, availability of an eligible candidate interested in being recruited to a particular site within an area, and the distribution of chiropractic health care provider sites in urban and rural regions. The director shall give greatest priority to chiropractic health resource shortage areas having a high ratio of population to chiropractors.

The director, by rule, shall establish priorities for use in determining eligibility among applicants for participation in the chiropractic loan repayment program. The priorities may include consideration of an applicant’s background and career goals, the length of time the applicant is willing to provide chiropractic services in a chiropractic health resource shortage area, and the amount of the educational expenses for which reimbursement is being sought through the program.