A new grant opportunity is available on grants.gov for Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program. The description can be viewed at: https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/UpdateOffer?id=18385
Overview
This program provides
funding to enhance mental health services, including the provision of crisis
intervention and diagnostic assessments to detect post-traumatic stress
disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other injuries associated with veterans
of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom including the
referral of these veterans to medical facilities operated by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA), and for the delivery of these services to other
residents of such rural areas.
Purpose
The emphasis of the
grant is to identify innovative approaches to improve the capacity of hospitals
in rural areas to deliver mental health and other health services using
collaborative networks and virtual linkages to reach out to rural veterans
where in states where veterans make up a high percentage of the total
population and mental health professionals and other health service providers
are separated by distance or time.
Through this announcement the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will provide support to eligible entities to coordinate activities to provide rural Veterans access to services for needed mental health care via the use of networks, electronic communication and telehealth networks. HRSA will make grants to up to three states to test out innovative approaches to improve access to mental health and other healthcare services for rural Veterans and other residents of rural areas. While the primary beneficiaries for this program are OIF and OEF veterans, other veterans and other residents in rural areas may benefit from the increased access to services through collaborative networks and telehealth networks developed through this program. Additionally, this program is targeting all veterans lacking access to services regardless of their enrollment status with the VA.
The applicant should consider methods that utilize regional approaches, networks, health information technology, telehealth, or telemedicine to deliver services to individuals in rural areas. Potential network members may be federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, home health agencies, community mental health clinics and other providers of mental health services, pharmacists, local government, and other providers deemed necessary to meet the needs of veterans.
Goals
- Implementing programs that provide access to and increase the delivery of quality mental health service and other healthcare services, including the provision of crisis intervention services detection of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), muscular skeletal, and other signature injuries deemed necessary to meet the needs of rural Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF);
- Referring rural veterans to medical facilities operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs when appropriate, and coordinating care with VA facilities for continuity of care for all enrolled veterans;
- Expanding existing networks to provide access to mental health and other services to rural veterans via partnerships and coalitions with other healthcare entities such as: critical access hospitals, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, home health agencies, community mental health clinics and other providers of mental health services, pharmacists, local government, private practice physicians, and other providers deemed necessary to provide access to services and meet the needs of rural veterans; and
- Consulting with the state hospital association, rural hospitals, providers of mental health services and other stakeholders for the provision of services in the development of program activities.
Details
- Application closing date: June 4, 2010
- Expected number of awards: 3
- Estimated total program funding: $900,000
- Estimated average award size: Applicants may apply for a maximum of $300,000 per year.
- Eligible applicants: Current Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program grantees in States with certified Critical Access Hospitals are eligible to apply for funding under this solicitation. Special consideration of certain applications – Per Section 121 of the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, P.L. 110-275, HRSA will give special consideration to applications submitted by States in which veterans make up a high percentage of the total population of the State. Such consideration shall be given without regard to the number of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in the areas in which mental health services and other health care services would be delivered under the application. The list ranking percentage of veterans by state population is available in Appendix B. Applicants that qualify for the special consideration will be placed in a more competitive position among applications that can be funded.
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Contact information for questions:
Samantha Williams
Public Health Analyst, Office of Rural Health Policy
Attn: Rural Veterans Health Access Program
Parklawn Building, Room 9A-42
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
301-443-7306
Fax: 301-443-2803