The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) has been awarded a five-year, $10 million cooperative agreement by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to continue its management of the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program.
The DRCHSD Program provides direct support to rural hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and clinics in the eight states that make up the Delta Region, including parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The program’s focus is on helping organizations improve their financial and operational performance, and quality of care — all of which ensures their long-term viability.
Since its launch in 2017, the DRCHSD Program has assisted 68 rural health care organizations — 25 critical access hospitals, 24 acute care prospective payment system hospitals, four rural emergency hospitals, six FQHCs and nine rural health clinics.
The award marks the third consecutive round of funding that The Center, the DRCHSD Program’s founding technical assistance provider, has received from HRSA since 2017 to administer the program.
“This renewed partnership with HRSA and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is a testament to the vital work that’s being done in the Delta Region,” said Center CEO Sally Buck. “For eight years, the DRCHSD Program has been a lifeline for rural hospitals and clinics. This continued award allows us to build on that success and ensures that we can continue the critical work of helping rural health care organizations remain open and serving as true anchors in their communities.”
Approximately ten new health care organizations are selected annually to participate in the multi-year, cohort-based program.
All organizations in the program work closely with program staff and a team of nationally respected consultants to conduct in-depth assessments of finances, operations, service lines, and quality of care. The assessments — which identify organizational strengths and weaknesses — serve as the basis for action plans for improvement and community care coordination. Staff and consultants help the organizations carry out the action plans and work with them to better connect with their communities, guaranteeing residents are aware of available local services.
Since its launch in 2017, the DRCHSD Program has assisted 68 rural health care organizations — 25 critical access hospitals, 24 acute care prospective payment system hospitals, four rural emergency hospitals, six FQHCs and nine rural health clinics. Additionally, program staff provides support to HRSA for technical assistance to hospitals participating in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Delta Health Systems Implementation Program (also known as DSIP).
The Center currently manages four other HRSA-funded programs: the Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project, the Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program, the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program, and the Technical Assistance and Services Center for the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program.
