Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

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This announcement solicits applications for the Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program (Network Planning). The purpose of the Network Planning Program is to promote the development of integrated healthcare networks in order to: (i) achieve efficiencies; (ii) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (iii) strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. This program brings together key parts of a rural health care delivery system, particularly those entities that may not have collaborated in the past, to work together to establish or improve local capacity and coordination of care. The grant program supports one year of planning to develop and assist health care networks in becoming operational. These networks can include a wide range of community partners including social service agencies, faith-based organizations, mental health agencies, charitable organizations, educational institutions, employers, local government agencies or other entities with an interest in a community's health care system. For purposes of this grant program, a rural health network is defined as an organizational arrangement among at least three separately owned health care providers that come together to develop strategies for improving health services delivery systems in a community. For example a critical access hospital (CAH), a community health center (CHC) and a social services organization could come together around a shared purpose, such as coordination of care, in a collaborative activity that allows them to assess the health care needs within their community, share clinical or administrative resources or ensure that local patients have access to a full continuum of care locally. Successful applicants can use their one-year grant funds to lay out the foundation of a community health project by convening collaborating partners to conduct planning activities. This includes but is not limited to the following components: 1) Community health and/or provider needs assessments a. develop and implement a needs assessment in the community; b. identify the most critical need of network partners to ensure their viability; c. identify potential collaborating network partners in the community/region; and d. identify placed-based initiatives that focus on targeting resources in efforts to leverage investments. 2) Business, operation or strategic plans, such as a. develop a business, operational or strategic plan; b. carryout organization development activities such as a formal memorandum of agreement or understanding (MOA/MOU); c. develop a shared mission statement; d. establish a network board; e. develop bylaws; f. delineate the roles and responsibilities of the network partners; g. establish network priority areas, goals, and objectives; and h. begin carrying out network activities, include activities to promote the network's benefit to the community, increased access to quality care services, and sustainability. 3) Health Information Technology (HIT) Investments: a. use the funds to hire a consultant to perform a HIT readiness assessment for the network.

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