HHS Awards $13.8 Million to Improve Health Care in Rural America

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced nearly $13.8 million in first-year funds for 73 Rural Health Outreach and Network Development grants to strengthen health care systems in rural communities and encourage innovative approaches to rural health care delivery.

“These grants foster partnerships and creative strategies to help bring health care to rural Americans who might not receive it otherwise,” Secretary Thompson said. “They enable health care and social service providers, health centers, hospitals and universities to pool resources and efforts to provide more and better services.”

The 53 Outreach grants, totaling more than $9.8 million, fund coalitions of at least three health-related organizations to stimulate innovation in health care delivery in rural areas. This year, for example, Outreach grantees will:

• improve access to health and dental care among Hispanics by funding bilingual outreach workers and health advisers;
• help isolated rural residents, including those in Native American communities, gain access to specialty services through a telehealth distance-learning network; and
• start a Nutrition on Wheels program that targets some of the poorest residents of Appalachia

The 20 Rural Health Network Development grants, totaling more than $3.9 million, provide support to rural-based health care organizations to work collaboratively to integrate administrative, clinical, financial or technology-related activities. Some of this year’s Network grants will:

• connect rural consumers to online health information;
• increase access to pharmacy services through remote dispensing technology, referrals to pharmaceutical manufacturers’ discount programs, and covering costs of interim medications; and
• permit federally designated Critical Access Hospitals to contract jointly for specialty medical and business consulting services.

“These Outreach and Network grants effectively improve rural residents’ access to quality health care,” added Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of the HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA’s Office of Rural Health Policy administers the grant programs.

Grantee tables for Outreach and Network Development grants follow: