Delta State Rural Development Network Grant Program (DELTA) - The Health Enrichment Network (THEN), a rural nonprofit organization based in Oakdale, Louisiana, requests funding through HRSA-26-045 to formalize and implement the EatMoveGrow Rural Health Network across Louisiana Service Region B. Building on EatMoveGrow's established school-based implementation platform and a long history of successful HRSA-supported rural implementation, the proposed four-member Network, which is 75 percent rural and exceeds HRSA's 66 percent rural requirement, will strengthen collaboration among rural schools, health care organizations, public health agencies, educational institutions, and community partners to implement evidence-based childhood obesity prevention strategies. By providing rural schools with leadership, technical assistance, data systems, and coordinated community partnerships, the Network will strengthen the rural health infrastructure that supports child health. THEN requests funding preference based on its location in a federally designated Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (Attachment 8). Childhood obesity prevention is the Network's area of focus because it is a leading modifiable driver of chronic disease and reflects broader challenges involving healthy food access, physical activity, and preventive health care. Across participating schools, 36.1 percent of measured students have overweight or obesity. The primary gap is not the availability of evidence-based obesity prevention resources, but the local capacity to implement them consistently in rural schools. Using schools as trusted community hubs, the EatMoveGrow Rural Health Network will translate proven evidence into practical action through onsite implementation support, continuous quality improvement, and community partnerships that strengthen the rural health system. The proposed Network will serve approximately 15,000 elementary students in 45 participating schools across all 15 required Service Region B parishes. Families, educators, and school personnel are secondary target populations. The Network’s four members are THEN, Bunkie General Hospital, the Louisiana Rural Health Association, and Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center. Pennington Biomedical Research Center will serve as the Network's independent scientific evaluation partner, conducting longitudinal BMI, nutrition, physical activity, and knowledge assessments to objectively measure project outcomes. The proposed Network expands EatMoveGrow's established implementation model. Health Educators assigned to schools across the service region will expand their role by delivering new Network activities throughout the academic year. Guided by the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework, Health Educators will provide classroom instruction, technical assistance, and School Wellness Committee support while strengthening wellness planning, family engagement, and connections to evidence-based state and national resources. New project components will include the EMG School Wellness Assessment, a dedicated Physical Education Specialist, the Daily Difference staff wellness initiative, school-specific Rural Health Access Directories, provider education, and a comprehensive performance management system that combines real-time operational monitoring with independent scientific evaluation. The EatMoveGrow Rural Health Network will strengthen school wellness systems, expand access to evidence-based obesity prevention practices, improve collaboration across rural partners, and improve healthy student outcomes through coordinated implementation and continuous evaluation. The Network will build a sustainable rural health infrastructure that enables schools and community partners to continue improving child health and reducing chronic disease risk long after federal funding ends.
