Delta Health Initiative

Program Purpose:
The DHA coalition exists for the sole purpose of improving the delivery of healthcare services to the Mississippi Delta, a region known for high rates of poverty, low levels of educational attainment, lower quality of life and poor health. The needs that the collaborative projects of this initiative will address include: diabetes prevention and treatment, mental health, children’s health and early childhood development, infant mortality, maternal health, substance abuse, HIV testing and prevention for high risk populations, stroke prevention and early diagnosis, emergency & trauma care, workforce development, facility planning and improvements, telemedicine and electronic health record systems.

Program Overview:
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy competitively awarded one cooperative agreement in the amount of approximately 24 million for five years to an alliance in the Mississippi Delta.  Projects funded under this cooperative agreement may include but are not limited to:

• improving communication and coordination among key health care providers across the Mississippi Delta Region;
• implementing health education, intervention, chronic disease management, wellness promotion, and care coordination projects; 
• improving access to health care services, (e.g., prescription drugs, non-emergency medical transportation, chronic disease management programs, health insurance);
• improving quality health assessment data to promote information-based health services planning;
• increasing the number of health care providers serving the region;
• improving education and health literacy;

• increasing workforce training and entrepreneurial opportunities;
• utilizing telehealth and other health information technologies;
• improving medical billing, and or
• providing for new construction of public health related facilities.

Project Service Area:
This project serves 18 counties in the Mississippi Delta: Desoto, Tunica, Tate, Panola, Quitman, Coahoma, Tallahatchie, Bolivar, Sunflower, Carroll, Leflore, Washington, Humphreys, Holmes, Yazoo, Sharkey, Issaquena, and Warren.

For additional information please contact:

Project: The Delta Health Initiative
Grantee: Delta Health Alliance, Inc.
Contact: Karen Fox
Address: 435 Stoneville Road, P.O. Box 277
Stoneville, MS 38776
Phone: 662-686-3520
Email: kfox@deltahealthalliance.org
lclark@deltahealthalliance.org (business office)
Website: www.deltahealthalliance.org

Delta Health Initiative Award (FY 2006 – 2010):    Delta Health Alliance
Stoneville, MS