Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

Link

https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/find-funding/HRSA-25-037

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: Feb 19, 2025

Sponsor

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)

Purpose

Awards funding to assist rural communities with the planning of integrated healthcare networks to better address the health needs of rural residents. Promotes the creation of integrated networks to meet challenges health systems face in rural areas, such as expanding access and care coordination and increasing the use of health information technology and alternative care delivery models. Allows applicants to identify and address a focus area for the planning project based on specific community needs, and encourages projects to prioritize other important clinical areas, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUDs), childhood obesity, maternal mortality, and mental health.

Planning activities must address 1 of the following goals:

1. Achieve efficiencies in health systems through network collaboration and improving regional and local delivery of rural healthcare services. Examples of planning activities include using the needs assessment process to identify the following:
   • The most critical need of network participants to ensure their viability
   • Additional collaborating network participants in the community/ region
   • Planning to address workforce issues
   • Financial resources or gaps available to support services
   • Planning to develop regional systems of care to better meet rural patient concerns
   • Opportunities for the network to better address regional and/or local health population needs
2. Expand access to, enhance coordination, and improve the quality of basic healthcare services and associated health outcomes by focusing on capacity building and developing network infrastructure to serve rural communities at the local and regional level. Examples of planning activities include:
   • Developing a network business and/or operations plan
   • Identifying the appropriate governance structure for participants to use in creating a network
   • Identifying strategies to communicate with the community about changes in the healthcare landscape and how to maintain access to viable healthcare services
   • Integrating health and human services, including enhancing access for those with disabilities, through mobile cancer screening programs, chronic disease management programs, oral health care and mental/behavioral health care services, and other services
   • Developing a plan to expand the role of emergency medical services (EMS) within the community, including loss of services as a result of a hospital closure/conversion and/or readiness to support labor and delivery
   • Developing a data use and sharing agreement to facilitate strategic and sustainability planning
3. Strengthen the rural healthcare system as a whole through community and partner relationships that promote participation in network planning activities to improve the regional healthcare system. Examples of planning activities include:
   • Identifying ways to encourage cross-organizational collaboration and leadership commitment
   • Assessing the network's sustainability and viability
   • Identifying and establishing ways to obtain regional and/or local community support/buy-in around the development of the network
   • Identify a strategy to leverage broadband connectivity to support health information technology applications in rural communities

Project focus areas for past network planning grants can be found in the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program 2023 Grantee Directory. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Mental and behavioral health
• Health equity
• Care coordination
• Chronic disease prevention and management
• Telehealth
• Social determinants of health
• Workforce Development

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling: $100,000
Project period: 1 year
Estimated number of awards: 35
Estimated total program funding: $3,500,000

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include:

• Public and private institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) status
• For-profit organizations and small businesses
• States and territories
• County, city, township, and special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Native American tribal governments
• Tribal organizations
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
• Community health centers
• Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
• Hospitals
• Rural Emergency Hospitals

Eligible applicants may be located in a rural or urban area but must demonstrate experience or the capacity to serve rural, underserved populations. All areas served by the project must be located in Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA)-designated rural counties or rural census tracts in urban counties. Applicants can determine whether a specific area is designated as rural by using the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer.

In fiscal year (FY) 2025, the 17 counties that were formerly considered HRSA-designated rural areas in FY 2024 will also be considered rural for this opportunity. These counties are listed in Appendix A of the funding announcement.

Applicant organizations must represent a network comprised of at least 3 or more separately owned healthcare provider entities, including the applicant organization. Network members may be rural or urban; however, at least 66% of the network must be composed of entities located in HRSA-designated rural areas, as determined by the HRSA Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer. Additional network requirements can be found in the funding announcement.

Previous Network Planning Grant award recipients with proposals seeking to expand services or their service area are eligible to apply if they meet the following requirements:

1. Include new or additional stakeholders, defined as collaborating with at least 2 outside organizations they have not worked with before under a formal relationship
2. Target a new population or new focus area

Applicants should indicate in the project abstract and Attachment 8 their request for funding preference. Funding preference will be granted to applicants who can demonstrate that they meet at least 1 of the following qualifications:

• Qualification 1: Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) preference is given to applicants located in an officially designated HPSA. Applicants can use the HRSA Shortage Designation Tool to determine if an address is located in a HPSA.
• Qualification 2: Medically Underserved Community/Populations (MUC/MUPs) preference is given to applicants located in a medically underserved community or serving medically underserved populations. Applicants can use the HRSA Shortage Designation Tool to determine if an address is located in a MUC or serves a MUP.
• Qualification 3: Focus on Primary Care, Wellness and Prevention Strategies preference is given to programs that focus on primary care, wellness, and prevention strategies.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • Equipment • Training Providers

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information can be found in the funding announcement.

Applicants are required to notify their State Office of Rural Health (SORH) of their intent to apply to this program.

Applicant webinar
January 7, 2025
2:00 p.m. Eastern
Call: 833-568-8864
Passcode: 26433025

Contact

For programmatic or technical questions:
Claire Darnell
301-945-5176
cdarnell@hrsa.gov

For grants management or budget questions:
Eric Brown
301-945-9844
ebrown@hrsa.gov

Rural Awards

Examples of past awards rural communities have received are described on the program website.

Topics This Program Addresses

Community Planning and Coalition Building • Emergency Medical Services • Healthcare Facilities • Infrastructure • Teleservices and Technology