Spotlight on the News

HRSA Awards Funding to Georgia Southern U and New Mexico Providers

Georgia Southern University's https://georgiasouthern.edu Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Jiann-Ping Hsu Colledge of Public Health (JPHCOPH), has received a $4 million grant from HRSA to provide targeted technical assistance to rural hospitals nationwide.

The funding will support the team's implementation of the "Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program" over a 5-year period (2023-2028). Bettye Apenteng, PhD, and Charles Owens, professors of health policy and management, are going to serve as Co-Principal Investigators for the grant.

As part of the agreement, the team will work in partnership with HRSA and rural health stakeholders to provide in-depth and tailored technical assistance to rural hospitals at risk of financial distress nationwide.

The technical assistance will help rural hospital communities implement a prioritized strategy to maintain essential services locally through capacity building in evidence-based decision making, develop operational and financial improvements, provide strategic management, and help develop community partnerships.

In another state, 11 rural healthcare providers in New Mexico received $80 million through the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund (RHCDF) secured in the last legislative session https://www.hsd.state.nm.us/primary-care-council.

This initiative championed by Governor Lujan Grisham will provide crucial funding to rural healthcare providers to enable them to offer new and expanded services in their communities.

The RHCDF established in 2023 by the New Mexico Legislation. The awards will provide services for maternal healthcare to include OB/GYNs behavioral and primary care.

The funding from RHCDF is intended to defray operating losses for rural healthcare providers and/or rural healthcare startup costs, incurred in providing new or expanded health services to New Mexico residents.