The Improve Group team members conducting the DHS Waiver Reviews are once again off visiting counties far and wide here in Minnesota. The smallest towns are always favorites with our staff. We enjoy sampling the local cuisine and meeting the good folks that work to keep rural Minnesotans healthy. Unfortunately, the more remote the location, the harder it can be to get the needed services for the people in their population. Lack of availability of providers and the distance they must travel can be a big factor in scarce resources. My choice for Grant Gazing today is an opportunity from the federal government to assist rural health communities.

This week’s pick: The Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

“This program encourages the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential care services. The emphasis of the grant program is on service delivery through collaboration, requiring the grantee to form a consortium with at least two additional partners.”

Total funding for all projects granted is $11,000,000. The grant application and further requirements can be accessed through Grants.gov by CDFA #93.912. Projects funding is for 3 years with an award date of May 1, 2009.

Keep in mind - federal grants take a good lead time to prepare so anyone who might be interested should starts planning their collaboration right away. The application deadline is October 16, 2008.