Month: September 2019

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcements

September 26, 2019

What’s New

Quality Improvement Mentors for Critical Access Hospitals Announced.  Last week, eight Critical Access Hospital (CAH) staff were announced to serve as national Virtual Quality Improvement Mentors for other CAHs across the country.  The mentors were selected from a pool of candidates nominated for their success in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP), a project that invites CAHs to voluntarily report their data on quality measures and look for ways to improve patient outcomes.

Funding Opportunities

Small Rural Hospital Transition Project – October 16.  In response to the increasing number of rural hospital closures, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy administers the Small Rural Hospital Transition Project (SHRT).  The program provides technical assistance through onsite consultations to eligible hospitals that have 49 beds or less and are located in a federally-designated persistent poverty county. Core areas of technical assistance include: 1) financial operational assessment (FOA) and 2) quality improvement (QI) projects. A total of nine hospitals will be selected based on a competitive process. A minimum of three FOA projects and three QI projects will be selected in each core area.  Interested applicants that meet SRHT readiness requirements and project expectations are encouraged to apply.

Community Food Projects Technical Assistance – Ongoing.  Any organization seeking or receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Community Food Projects grant program is eligible to apply for one-on-one technical assistance, educational resources, and professional development opportunities from the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.  The USDA program promotes self-reliance in low-income communities by improving access to locally-grown foods. Continue reading “Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcements” →

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcement

September 19, 2019

 

 What’s New

Comments Requested: Rural Eligibility for FORHP Funding – November 2.  As part of an ongoing effort by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to assess the extent to which FORHP-administered grant programs align with the needs of rural communities, HRSA has published a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting public comment.  Respondents are asked to comment on whether and how the eligibility criteria governing FORHP’s community-based grant programs affect rural communities’ ability to leverage grant funding through FORHP.  RFI responses must be provided via email to RFIComments@hrsa.gov and must reference “Rural Health Grants Eligibility RFI” in the title.  Submissions are due no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2019. HRSA will not accept hard-copy responses or other formats.

The Help End Addiction for Life Initiative. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in partnership with the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) released a case study on the rural Kentucky Help End Addiction for Life (HEAL) initiative. This case study provides an in-depth examination of HEAL’s unique features and highlights the voices of local providers and stakeholders. The lessons learned by the HEAL coalition offer strategies for other communities to consider in their own collaborations to reduce opioid use.

Funding Opportunities

Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship – November 6.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will provide up to $165,000 for up to six mid-career professionals with an advanced degree.  Fellows will participate in the policy process at the federal level and will use that leadership experience to improve health, healthcare, and health policy. The experience is designed to prepare individuals with the skills needed to influence the future of public health and healthcare policy, as well as provide a way to advance their own career development. The fellowship requires, at a minimum, a 12-month residential experience in Washington, D.C., with additional support for health policy leadership development activities.  RWJF seeks diversity of background, including rural life and experience.  Continue reading “Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcement” →

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcement

August 28, 2019

 

New Federal Funding Opportunity for the Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program

On Tuesday, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) published a new Notice of Funding Opportunity.  The Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program (Delta) will support up to 12 organizations, which are either public or nonprofit private rural entities within the Delta Region.  The Delta Region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.  Each applicants needs to  represent a network and/or consortium of three or more participants. Organizations that meet eligibility requirements are eligible to apply. Faith-based, community-based, and tribal organizations are also eligible to apply for these funds if they meet the rural eligibility. For-profit or urban-based organizations are not eligible to be the applicant organization, but can participate in the network.  All services must be provided in a non-metropolitan county or rural census tract. HRSA expects to invest approximately $12 million for this program to support the development of integrated health care networks to address unmet local health care needs and prevalent health disparities in rural Delta communities.

The Delta program’s goals are: (i) to achieve efficiencies; (ii) to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (iii) to strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. The Delta Program, competitive every three years, offers rural Delta organizations resources to help rural communities develop partnerships and jointly address health programs that affect the Delta Region. Previously funded organizations under this program implemented multi-county evidence-based projects that address the following key focus areas: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and acute ischemic stroke. In addition to the required key focus area(s), grantees could also devote a percentage of grant funds toward another issue identified as a need in the service area. Programmatic activities across the service regions were implemented with particular effort and resources directed towards the most underserved communities with the highest unmet health care and health promotion needs to promote sustainability of rural health networks and strengthen local communities.

Full details of the program and requirements for applicants are available at Grants.gov

Applications will be accepted until December 6, 2019.