This announcement solicits applications for the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Cooperative Agreement.

The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to enhance health care delivery in the Delta Region through intensive technical assistance to providers in select rural communities,

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including Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), small rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics (RHC), and other healthcare organizations.

In-depth and long-term assistance to a select number of identified communities in the Delta Region should be provided for, but is not limited to, the following:
? Improving hospital or clinic financial operations; ? Implementing quality improvement activities to promote the development of an evidence-based culture leading to improved health outcomes; ? Increasing use of telehealth to address gaps in clinical service delivery and improve access to care; ? Enhancing coordination of care; ? Strengthening the local health care system to improve population health; ? Providing social services to address broader socio-economic challenges faced by patients (e.g., housing, child care, energy assistance, access to healthy food, elderly support services, job training, etc.); ? Ensuring access to and availability of emergency medical services (EMS); ? Identifying workforce recruitment and retention resources targeted to rural communities; and ? Other areas to be determined in consultation with HRSA and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) upon award of this cooperative agreement.

Under this cooperative agreement, the awardee will work with a number of selected communities in the Delta Region to make in-depth health system enhancements through the provision of intensive technical assistance over multiple years.

The awardee will implement a phased approach that:
? Selects a process for gathering the data to identify high need communities in the Delta Region, for HRSA and DRA determination of final selection; ? Conducts an objective community analysis and assessment of financial status, quality indicators, locally available human services and gaps, and locally available clinical services and gaps; ? Assesses how telehealth can help address the identified clinical service gaps and the availability of affordable broadband services; ? Develops a community assets and needs assessment; ? Develops and implements a strategic plan for the provision of technical assistance for the local hospital and other rural providers in the selected communities; ? Provides technical assistance based on the strategic plan for finance, quality, and telehealth and population health service coordination; and ? Evaluates the impact of the technical assistance.