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H R S A News U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration

HRSA NEWS ROOM
http://newsroom.hrsa.gov


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 19, 2004
Contact: HRSA Press Office
301-443-3376

HRSA Awards More Than $3.1 Million to Improve Health Care in Rural Communities

HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today announced 16 new grants totaling $3.1 million to encourage greater coordination of services and more partnerships in delivering health care in rural communities.
 
“The funds will help rural providers improve the delivery of vital health care services to local residents,” HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.  “By building rural health partnerships, health care professionals will be better able to reach their skills and services into the most isolated parts of the nation, where the need is great and resources often are scarce.”
 
Eleven Rural Health Outreach Grants, totaling more than $2.1 million, support coalitions of at least three health-related organizations to stimulate innovation in rural health care delivery.  Schools, churches, emergency medical service providers, local universities and private practitioners work together, for example, to bring rural communities hospice and prenatal care, expand checkups for children, and supply prescription drugs and providers’ salaries when needed.  One new Outreach project will provide in-home parenting support to 60 families in rural northeastern New Mexico for the first three years of their children’s lives to promote physical and mental health and reduce child abuse and neglect. 
 
Five Rural Health Network Development Grants, totaling just under $1 million, support efforts to strengthen health care networks, also of at least three local providers, by integrating clinical, administrative, financial and information technology systems among participating organizations.  Grant funds may be used to hire staff, contract with technical experts and buy equipment, but cannot pay for direct patient services.  A Network project serving remote northern New Hampshire plans to improve the skills of local health professionals by using telehealth technology to air live, televised training sessions from distant hospitals or universities.
 
“The cost-sharing and resource-sharing enabled by both sets of grants exemplify the kind of collaboration the Department and HRSA support, not only in rural America, but in America’s cities and towns as well,” says HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke.
 
HRSA has funded 631 Rural Outreach Grants since 1991, totaling more than $303 million, and 137 Rural Network Development Grants since 1997, worth more than $53 million.
 
Tables listing Rural Health Outreach and Network Development grant recipients follow:
 

FY 2004 Rural Health Outreach Grant Program
Organization
City
State
   Award
Tanner Medical Foundation
Carrollton
Ga.
$200,000
Warren Achievement Center, Inc.
Monmouth
Ill.
$165,836
Crisis Intervention Services
Oskaloosa
Iowa
$195,076
Northwest Iowa Mental Health Center
Spencer
Iowa
$195,644
Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital
Irvine
Ky.
$200,000
Murray State University
Murray
Ky.
$187,150
Northeast Health
Rockport
Maine
$199,913
Marquette General Hospital
Marquette
Mich.
$199,910
Frontier Education Center, Inc.
Chamisal
N.M.
$198,651
Mora / Colfax Head Start
Holman
N.M.
$192,003
Chenango Memorial Hospital
Norwich
N.Y.
$200,000
 
 
TOTAL:
$2,134,183
 
 
FY 2004 Rural Health Network Development Program
Organization
City
State
Award
Rural Health Network of Monroe County Inc.
Key West
Fla.
$200,000
Sioux Central Community School
Sioux Rapids
Iowa
$199,723
North Country Health Consortium Inc.
Littleton
N.H.
$198,863
Waterfall Clinic Inc.
Coos Bay
Ore.
$180,035
Jasper Newton County Public Health District
Jasper
Texas
$199,787
 
 
TOTAL:
$978,408
 

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