Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Rural Northern Border Region Outreach Program - Medical Care Development, Inc. (MCD), 105 2nd Street, Suite 2A, Hallowell, ME 04347 (rural census 010700), Facility type: 501(c)3 Public Health Institute, www.MCD.org MCD Project Co-Director: Andrew Solomon, Senior Program Manager, Technology Initiatives, 207-622-7566 or ASolomon@mcd.org in collaboration Maine Seacoast Mission (MSM) Project Co-Director, Margaret Snell, Island Services Program Coordinator, 207-610-3550 or MSnell@SeacoastMission.org Project Title: Seacoast Care Collaborative Project Goals: The Seacoast Care Collaborative (SCC) Consortium aims to serve unbridged island communities by: Facilitating access to and provide health care services through a strong collaborative and consortium; Expanding the delivery of new or enhanced health care services through evidence-based or evidence-informed telehealth models; and Improve population health, health outcomes, and sustainability. Proposed Service Area: Maine rural counties of Hancock, Knox, Waldo, and Lincoln. Primary Target population: Isolated, Maine island residents who face significant barriers to in-person care. Focus Areas: To improve access to chronic care and acute care services through telehealth. SCC Member Partners: 1.) MDI Hospital, critical access hospital/primary care provider; 2.) Northern Light Health, integrated health system; 3.) Maine General Hospital, integrated health system; 4.) St. Joseph Hospital; community hospital, and 5.) Island Community Medical Services, rural FQHC. Together, with MCD and MSM, 85% (6 of 7) of member’s project location are in HRSA-designated rural areas. Project Activities will include: 1.) Lead the SCC through shared staffing, project management, and partner engagement in planning and resource development; 2.) Maintain Program Services and Operations Plans to document best practices and develop resources to manage and support adoption and implementation; 3.) Actively support SCC members to implement and optimize telehealth through technical assistance and consulting; 4.) Provide healthcare navigation of SCC resources for islanders during in-person island visits by the Sunbeam boat; 5.) Maintain an evaluation plan to monitor project activities, population health outcomes, and process measures; and 7.) Disseminate best practices throughout the Northern Border. Expected Outcomes will measure metrics on Access to Care, Quality of Care, Telehealth operations and process outcomes, as well as care coordination and network infrastructure completion measures. Capacity to Serve Rural: Each network member has a history of serving Maine’s rural, underserved populations. MCD is based in Maine and leads the HRSA-funded Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC) and the Collaborative for Advancing Rural Excellence and Equity (CARER2). MSM is a non-profit community service organization with a long, trusted history of serving Maine’s island communities, delivering healthcare, community support, and other resources through their boat, the Sunbeam. Consortium members include all primary health systems serving the mainland geography accessible from the island communities. The scope of this proposal was identified by MCD, MSM, and Consortium Members through a HRSA Rural Health Network Planning Grant (P10RH50528). All SCC members have existing collaboration with MCD and have established some existing telehealth infrastructure. All network members have expressed a commitment to an integrated collaboration, facilitated by MCD and MSM, to improve access to care for these island communities. Funding Opportunity Notification: The applicants learned of the opportunity through Grants.gov. Funding Preference: Attachment 10 includes proof that that our project service area meets funding preference eligibility Qualification 1: Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Qualification 2: Medically Underserved Community/Populations (MUC/MUPs). Additional information, including rural census tract numbers, are included in attachment 7.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).