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): $150,000

Major Accomplishments in FY 2006 (October 1, 2005 - September 30, 2006):

1. The Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (PCRH) awarded $969,200 in State Primary Care Grants Program funding to 26 public and not-for-profit agencies/organizations in Utah. The Program helps to decrease the number of individuals without access to appropriate, high quality primary health care by providing primary health care services to medically-underserved individuals who are low income; and do not have health insurance, or do not have health insurance that covers primary health care services, or do not have health insurance that covers a particular primary health care service. Sixteen (16) of the 26 agencies/organizations awarded serve rural Utah communities.
2. PCRH manages the Utah Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program. The Program awarded $419,700 in educational loan repayment grants to 27 health care professionals who agreed to serve medically underserved populations for a minimum two (2) service obligation. Seventeen (17) of the 27 health care professionals are serving in rural Utah communities. The program makes awards to primary care physicians, dentists, mental health therapists, mid-level practitioners (PA, NP, CNM), nurses and nurse educators
3. PCRH contracted with the Utah Hemophilia Foundation to administer the “State Assistance for People with Bleeding Disorders” program. This State-funded program was created in 2006 in order to assist persons with bleeding disorders with the cost of obtaining hemophilia services or the cost of insurance premiums for coverage of hemophilia services.
4. PCRH participated in planning the 7th Annual Conference of the Rural Health Association of Utah. PCRH was also a major sponsor of the Conference.
5. PCRH contributed to and solicited articles for the “Rural Report”, the newsletter of the Rural Health Association of Utah. The newsletter was distributed to over 1,600 rural health advocates in, as well as outside of Utah.
6. PCRH staff presented three (3) cultural competency workshops, four (4) customer service workshops, and two (2) board training workshops to rural health care agencies/organizations. Staff also participated as facilitators for Social Medicine courses at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
   The Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (PCRH) awarded $679,475 in Utah Primary Care Grants Program funds to 26 agencies/organizations serving the medically-underserved, including 13 rural agencies/organizations.

SORH Contact Information:

Office: Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
Address: P.O. Box 142005, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2005
Phone: (801) 538-6818
Fax: (801) 538-6387
Email: dbeckwith@utah.gov
Website: health.utah.gov/primarycare/
Director: Don Beckwith

Other Grant Programs

1. 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.
Award (FY06): $430,000

Program Highlights:

• Number of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) supported: 8
• Number of Critical Access-eligible Hospitals supported: 11
• Number of Rural Health Networks developed: 1
• Number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assisted: 17
• Number of Rural Communities assisted: 25

Major Accomplishments:

1. PCRH contracted with the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association (UHA) to review proposals from Utah CAHs that would enable them to upgrade their information technology infrastructure, and share information with the Utah Department of Health and other Utah hospitals in real time. Five (5) CAHs were awarded grants for this purpose.
2. The Utah Bureau of Emergency Medical Services completed, or contracted for the completion of numerous activities for rural emergency medical services (EMS) providers, including the following:
   • Trained over 100 EMS providers in rural trauma team development.
   • Sponsored two (2) trauma education conferences.
   • Conducted one (1) medical director course.
   • Conducted two (2) PHTLS (“Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support”) courses and five (5) TEAM (“Together Everyone Achieves More”) courses.
   • Trained over 100 hospital and EMS providers in trauma treatment quality improvement.
3. PCRH contracted with HealthInsight, the State QIO to conduct the following activities for Utah’s CAH as well as rural non-CAHs:
   • One (1) root cause analysis workshop – attended by staff from 8 of the State’s 19 rural hospitals, and
   • One (1) “rural quality network retreat” (attended by 15 rural hospital nursing directors). Three topics were covered at the retreat including leadership skill development, disaster preparedness and patient skin care. Topics were identified, in advance, by surveying potential attendees.

2. 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: costs related to implementation of prospective payment systems (PPS); compliance with provisions of HIPAA; and reduction of medical errors and quality improvement (QI). State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) help eligible rural hospitals to participate in SHIP. Eligible rural hospitals submit an application to their SORH; the SORH prepares and submits a single grant application to HRSA on behalf of all rural hospital applicants in the State. There are approximately 1,600 eligible hospitals nationwide and each usually receives approximately $9,000.
Award (FY 06): $177,460

Program Highlights:

• Hospitals receiving funding: 19
• Hospitals in consortiums, networks or systems: 6
• Hospitals using funds for QI and /or reduction of medical errors: 19
• Hospitals using grant funds for Health Information Technology (HIT): 9

Major Accomplishments:

1. Rural hospitals used their grants for a wide variety of HIT enhancements that supported quality improvement and compliance with the provisions of HIPAA (e.g., purchase of financial computer software that is compliant with HIPAA; and purchase of electronic medical record (EMR) and pharmacy software to increase efficiency and quality).
2. Rural hospitals also used the grants for a variety of training efforts related to HIPAA compliance and QI.
   

GRAND TOTAL HRSA Funding (FY 06): $757,460