LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Baptist Health has helped team members receive over $1.7 million in student loan forgiveness through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), thanks to the organization’s unique student loan benefit that kicked off last year.
In addition to the amount already forgiven through PSLF, eligible Baptist Health employees have $49 million in federal student loans on track for eventual PSLF loan forgiveness through Project 120.
“It is exciting to see this loan forgiveness program working so well for our employees,” said Cathy Dickinson, Baptist Health’s chief human resources officer. “Baptist Health employees invested in education for their career, and now we’re here to help ease the stress of paying for it.”
“Together with Baptist Health, our goal is to get as many employees as possible with student loans on track for loan forgiveness through PSLF,” said Sarah Catherine Gutierrez, founder, partner and CEO of Aptus Financial.
With federal student loan payments set to resume on Sept. 30 after a 3.5-year pause, employees with loans are likely to experience increased financial stress. Committed to employees’ overall wellbeing, including financial health, Baptist Health launched Project 120 in 2022, a new benefit that analyzes an employee’s loan situation, provides them with a personalized step-by-step action plan to get on track for PSLF, and offers support and nudges until the employee reaches the 120 payments needed for loan forgiveness.
To administer this benefit, Baptist Health partnered with Aptus Financial, a financial planning firm based in Little Rock with a team of national student loan experts.
About Baptist Health
For more than a century, Baptist Health has delivered All Our Best in health care through Christian compassion and innovative services. Baptist Health is Arkansas’ most comprehensive health care organization with more than 250 points of access that include 11 hospitals; urgent care centers; a senior living community; over 100 primary and specialty care clinics; a college with studies in nursing and allied health; a graduate residency program; and access to virtual care anytime, anywhere. It is also the largest private not-for-profit health care organization based in Arkansas, providing care through the support of approximately 11,000 employees, groundbreaking treatments, renowned physicians and community outreach programs. For more information about Baptist Health, visit Baptist-Health.com, call Baptist Health HealthLine at 1-888-BAPTIST or download the myBaptistHealth app.