Medical students in Virginia graduate with an average of $215,000-$250,000 in medical school debt alone — with private school costs now exceeding $400,000 over four years — at crushing federal interest rates of nearly 9%. These rates are set when students are barely old enough to understand what they are signing, and they compound every single day through years of residency training where physicians earn approximately $60,000-$68,000 per year.

My fiancée is an Emergency Medicine resident here in Virginia. She works 60+ hour weeks saving lives and carries hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt that Virginia's current programs cannot help her with — because she practices at a major hospital, not in a rural shortage area. She is not alone. Thousands of Virginia physicians, residents, and medical students are in the exact same position.

Virginia has loan repayment programs and they are valuable. But every single one requires practicing in a rural or underserved area. The vast majority of Virginia's medical professionals — those serving at major hospitals across the Commonwealth — receive no relief whatsoever.

Rhode Island solved this problem with RISLA — the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority — which offers low-interest refinancing to ALL medical borrowers regardless of where they practice. Since 2014 RISLA has helped borrowers refinance over $445 million in education loans by simply charging lower interest rates and capping payments at 15% of income during low-income training years.

Virginia has the opportunity to do the same. We are asking Governor Spanberger, Senator Warner, and Senator Kaine to create a Virginia low-interest medical loan refinancing program that helps every Virginia physician, resident, and medical student — not just those willing to relocate to underserved areas.

If you are a medical professional, a supporter of healthcare workers, or simply a Virginian who believes the people who save lives deserve affordable loan options — please sign and share this petition.