Delta States Rural Development Network Program

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Delta States Rural Development Network Program (Delta Program). The Delta Program provides grant funding to support the planning, development, and implementation of integrated health care networks that collaborate in order to (i) achieve efficiencies; (ii) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes in rural areas within the eight rural Mississippi Delta Region states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee); and (iii) strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. The goals of the Delta Program are to: • Expand access to care resources in the designated Mississippi Delta counties/parishes; • Utilize evidence-based, promising practice, or value-based care models known to improve health outcomes, and enhance the delivery of health care services; • Collaborate with network partners in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care services to increase access to care and reduce chronic disease; and • Implement sustainable health care programs that improve population health, health outcomes, and demonstrate value to the local rural communities. The Delta Program supports and encourages innovative strategies to address delivery of preventative or clinical health services for individuals with, or at risk of developing chronic diseases that disproportionally affect the rural Mississippi Delta communities. This includes populations who have historically experienced poorer health outcomes, health disparities, and other inequities such as racial and ethnic minorities, people experiencing homelessness, pregnant women, disabled individuals, youth, and adolescents, etc. Due to the high disparities in the Mississippi Delta region1, applicants are required to propose a project based on no more than two of the following focus areas: 1) diabetes, 2) cardiovascular disease, 3) obesity, 4) acute ischemic stroke, 5) chronic lower respiratory disease, 6) cancer, or 7) unintentional injury/substance use. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) selected these focus areas in an effort to address the underlying factors that are driving growing rural health disparities related to the five leading causes of avoidable death (heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury/substance use, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke).2 Projects are required to identify and implement an evidence-based or promising practice model and tailor the model to effectively address the needs of their community with respect to the organization’s capacity. You may find evidence-based toolkits (e.g., obesity prevention, care coordination, mental health and substance use disorder, etc.) and program models at https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/community-health. Applicants should consider how their proposed activities can facilitate value-based care models and reimbursement strategies for their rural network partners to improve overall health outcomes and reduce costs.