Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program - Applicant Organization Information Name: Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) Address: 201 E. Main Street, Suite 415, Washington, IN 47501 Facility Type: State Rural Health Association Website Address: https://www.indianaruralhealth.org/ Designated Project Director: Nicole Watkins, MPH, CRHCP Title: Rural Health Clinic Network Director, Indiana Rural Health Association Contact Phone: 812-229-2370 Contact Email: nwatkins@indianarha.org Network Planning Grant Project: Indiana Transfer of Care (InTOC) Legislative Aim(s) 1. Achieve efficiencies; 2. Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes; 3. Strengthen the local rural health care system Focus Area: Care Coordination via Interfacility Transfer (IFT) Proposed Service Region: Greencastle, Indiana (Putnam County); Sullivan, Indiana (Sullivan County); Clinton, Indiana (Vermillion County) Target Population(s): 1. Target population will be ultimately determined by the InTOC network members through a regional needs assessment. Populations could include, the elderly, infants and their mothers, racial and ethnic minorities; 2. Encompassing both emergent and non-emergent care, Interfacility Transfer serves an important role in the treatment of many health conditions across vulnerable patient populations. Therefore, IFT provides a means to achieve health equity across numerous vulnerable populations in the region. Typically, IFT is utilized to transport stroke patients, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, severe traumatic injury patients, and geriatric trauma patients to and from skilled nursing facilities and acute rehabilitation facilities. Additionally, IFT may be utilized to transport complicated maternal patients who require a higher acuity of perinatal and neonatal care. This systematic evaluation of the region’s IFT network will ensure the equitable utilization of resources to address community health needs--including community health equity. Network/Consortium Partnerships: Indiana Rural Health Association (state rural health association)/Lead; and three Critical Access Hospitals (Putnam County Hospital, Sullivan County Community Hospital, and Union Hospital Clinton. The lead applicant (IRHA) and all 3 hospitals are in a HRSA-designated rural area (see Attachment 6). Experience in Serving Rural Underserved Populations: Over the past 15 years, the IRHA has been instrumental in developing successful and sustainable rural health networks across the state to address rural health priorities, provide shared resources, and leverage costs for Indiana rural hospitals and their communities. These include the Indiana Statewide Rural Health Network (InSRHN), Upper Midwest Telehealth Resource Center (UMTRC), Indiana Rural Workforce Innovation Network (IRWIN), Indiana Rural Schools Clinic Network (IRSCN), the Chronic Care Management Network (CCMN), Indiana Rural Opioid Consortium (InROC), Rural Maternal Medical Home (RMMH) Outreach, Healthy Start Communities that Care (HSCC), and Rural Health Care Coordination Project. Through this work, the IRHA has demonstrated excellent capacity for managing large-scale projects that span the state, multiple communities, and organizations, as well as an exhibition of exceptional stewardship of grant funds to maximize the intended impact among the targeted recipients of IRHA’s rural-focused programs. Past and present HRSA-funded projects can be found in Attachment 9: Previous Grants. Funding Preference: The IRHA is requesting a funding preference based on Qualification #1: Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation. Putnam and Sullivan counties are in designated HPSAs.
