Beshear, Rogers to announce loan-repayment program for new dentists who agree to set up practices in Eastern Kentucky

Rogers and Beshear at SOAR Strategy Summit in May

Gov. Steve Beshear and 5th District U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers plan to announce an "initiative promoting sustained oral health and well-being in Eastern Kentucky," a media advisory from their offices announced Friday. The oral health of the region is among the worst in the nation.

The initiative will be a program to help dental students who agree to practice in Eastern Kentucky to repay their student loans at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. UK President Eli Capilouto, U of L School of Dentistry Dean John Sauk, and Dr. Raynor Mullins, project leader of the Appalachian Rural Dental Education Project of the UK Center for Oral Health., will join Rogers, Beshear and state Health and Family Services Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes at the announcement.

The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, July 20 at the offices of Jackson Energy Cooperative, 103 Mildred Rd. in McKee. The announcement will be followed by a meeting of the executive committee of Shaping Our Appalachian Region, the Rogers-Beshear initiative to help the economy of Eastern Kentucky.