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 2005 (October 1, 2004 - September 30, 2005):

1. The division is in the process of finalizing the Rural Resources newsletter that will be disseminated through email and the website.
2. The Minority Health mini-grants were given to minority service organizations in the total of $30,000.
3. The planning of the 2006 14th Annual WV Rural Health Conference is underway and has a new innovative format thanks to the input of the Rural Health Conference Planning Committee.
4. The Division of Rural Health and the Division or Recruitment has combined to form one office, which will serve not just rural health initiatives but rural recruitment in the state.

SORH Contact Information:

Office: Division of Rural Health and Recruitment
Address: 350 Capitol Street, Room 515, Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-4382
Fax: 304-558-1437
Email: melissawheeler@wvdhhr.org
Website: www.wvochs.org/orhp/
Director: Melissa Wheeler

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.
Flex Award (FY05): $480,700

Program Highlights:

• Number of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) supported: 19
• Number of Critical Access-eligible Hospitals supported: 5
• Number of Rural Health Networks developed: 1
• Number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assisted: 5
• Number of Rural Communities assisted: 24

Major Accomplishments:

1. Continued collaborative projects with West Virginia Medical Institute in Patient Safety which has also improved Health Information Technology at many of WV Critical Access Hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers and Small Rural Hospitals.
2. Completed the update to the Flex Program's State Rural Health Plan.
3. Provided funding to Critical Access Hospitals and their developing Network to benefit all the CAHs individually and as a whole.
4. In collaboration with the WV Hospital Association started the implementation process of the Balanced Scorecard in the state's CAHs.
5. The Recruitable Communities Project with Monroe County Health Center (FQHC) in Monroe County, WV will be completed by the end of June.

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: 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 receives approximately $9000.
SHIP Award (FY 05): $214,820

Program Highlights:

• Hospitals receiving funding: 10
• Hospitals in consortiums, networks or systems: 13
• Hospitals using funds for QI and /or reduction of medical errors: 21
• Hospitals using grant funds for Health Information Technology: 5

Major Accomplishments:

1. All grants were disbursed to the grantees in a timely fashion, allowing them to complete all their projects early in the grant year.
2. The WV Hospital Associations SHIP Consortium have improved the quality of services in the 13 hospitals that are in the consortium and are already receiving positive feedback.

Total HRSA Funding (FY 05): $845,520