State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program (SORH)

The goal of the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) grant program is to assist States in strengthening rural health care delivery systems by creating a focal point for rural health within each State. The program provides an institutional framework that links small rural communities with State and Federal resources to help develop long term solutions to rural health problems. The SORH grant program features a single grantee from each of the 50 United States. The program is a Federal-State partnership that requires a State funding match of $3 for each $1 of Federal funding.
SORH Award Amount (FY06): $144,000

Major Accomplishments in FY 2006:

1. Sponsored a rural health clinic workshop. Sixty-seven participants attended the workshop, which included representation from the majority of Idaho’s 48 certified rural health clinics.
2. Awarded $273,900 from the Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP) to 7 new grantees. Projects funded include provider recruitment and retention, administrative support for a free medical clinic, and an endoscopy program for the uninsured. The RHCAP program provides the state funding match for the SORH grant.
3. Developed a new 3RNet brochure that was sent to health organizations statewide. The effort resulted in a 25 percent increase in vacancy postings on the 3RNet web site.
4. Established a partnership with Boise State University, Idaho Alliance of Leaders in Nursing, and Idaho Nursing Workforce Center to develop a toolkit of current nursing recruitment and retention activities in Idaho.
5. Initiated a new collaborative project with Family Medicine Residency of Idaho and Boise State University to assess the rural family physician recruitment and retention challenges experienced by rural hospital administrators and practicing rural family physicians in Idaho.
6. Initiated a new contract with the federal Office of Minority Health to build infrastructure and coordinate efforts to address health disparities in Idaho.

SORH Contact Information:
Office: Idaho State Office of Rural Health
Address: 450 W. State St. – 4th Floor, Boise, Idaho 83720
Phone: 208-334-0669
Fax: 208-332-7262
Email: ruralhealth@dhw.idaho.gov
Director: Mary Sheridan

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program (Flex)

The Flex Program helps sustain access to high quality health care services in rural America. It facilitates the development and support of community-based collaborative rural delivery systems in all grantee States through conversion of hospitals to critical access status, development of rural healthcare networks and integration of EMS.
Flex Award (FY06): $500,806

Program Highlights:

• Number of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) supported: 26
• Number of Critical Access-eligible Hospitals supported: 0
• Number of Rural Health Networks assisted: 6
• Number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assisted: 21
• Number of Rural Communities assisted: 75
  Major Accomplishments:

1. Initiated a contract with Idaho State University to provide training, via human simulator units on mobile units, to CAHs and EMS agencies in CAH areas. As of November 2007, the unit traveled to 4 CAH areas and 1 EMS regional conference to provide pediatric airway hands-on training.
2. Awarded $30,000 subcontractual agreements to four CAH communities for the following projects: Franklin County Medical Center: integrate and implement an electronic medical records system across the healthcare continuum; Gooding County EMS: establish and support the Gooding County Healthcare Community Learning Project; Bear Lake Memorial Hospital: develop and implement a “charge catcher” system to improve financial performance; and Bingham Memorial Hospital: improve access to pediatric rehabilitation services in Bingham County and provide education for parents of children with developmental delays and disorders.
3. Awarded $4500 health information technology (HIT) planning and education subcontractual agreements to three regional CAH networks: Southwest Idaho Community Health Network, North Idaho Rural Health Consortium, and Public Hospital Cooperative. The funds were used to provide information technology education to hospital staff, sponsor peer learning events, and develop HIT action plans for CAHs.
4. Partnered with Qualis Health (Quality Improvement Organization) and Idaho Hospital Association to implement 18-month CAH Patient Safety/Best Practices collaborative. Sixteen hospitals are participating in the project designed to improve patient safety culture through education, tools, and peer support. The patient safety survey from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be used to assess change pre and post collaborative.
5. Conducted case studies in McCall and Preston, Idaho, to assess the impact of the Flex program and CAH conversion within the community

Small Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Grant Program (SHIP)

The goal of SHIP is to assist small (less than 50 beds) rural hospitals pay for any or all of the following: 1) costs related to implementation of prospective payment systems, (2) compliance with provisions of HIPAA and 3) reduction of medical errors and quality improvement. State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) help eligible rural hospitals to participate in SHIP. Eligible hospitals submit an application to their SORH; the SORH prepares and submits a single grant application to HRSA on behalf of all hospital applicants in the State. There are approximately 1600 eligible hospitals nationwide and each usually receives approximately $9,000.

SHIP Award (FY06): $241,218

Program Highlights:

• Hospitals receiving funding: 27
• Hospitals in consortiums, networks or systems: 0
• Hospitals using funds for QI and /or reduction of medical errors: 24
• Hospitals using grant funds for Health Information Technology: 11

Major Accomplishments:

1. Provided timely and efficient distribution of grant funds. One hundred percent of SHIP hospitals were notified of their award within two weeks of receiving the notice of grant award from HRSA; 81 percent of SHIP hospitals had contracts in place within the first four weeks of the grant year and 100 percent within the first 3 months.
2. Actively provided technical assistance, support, and networking opportunities to participants.
   
   Total HRSA Funding (FY06): 886,024