Monday, April 7, 2025
4/7/2025
Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant Program - The REACHING OUT AND BEING THERE project will increase access to, and coordination of, healthcare and health-related services in rural Page County, Virginia by creating a formalized network of individuals with personal and professional connections in Page County. The network will build on existing collaborations between James Madison University, Valley Health Systems, Page Alliance for Community Action, and the Page Free Clinic, and will bring additional non-traditional and traditional partners to the table to plan and develop for a more formal, diverse and inclusive network of individuals and organizations to creatively address the difficult and unique challenges faced by Page County residents and bring health equity to previously underrepresented and/or underserve populations, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or other factors. James Madison University's (JMU) integrated primary and behavioral healthcare providers (Counseling and Psychological Services-CAPS) and accredited home visiting program (Healthy Families), Valley Health System's (VH) federally designated critical care hospital (Page Memorial Hospital) and four rural healthcare clinics, as well as the Page Free Clinic and Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) will build relationships with individuals and groups who have previously not be fully included in networking and capacity-building efforts in the community. These four organizations have long provided services in Page County and have proven success increasing access to care and reducing poor health-related outcomes. JMU’s College of Health and Behavioral Studies (CHBS) has provided services in the county since 2000 when The Health Place was established there as a satellite location through CHBS’s Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS). More recently, JMU and Page Memorial Hospital have integrated and shared clinical and administrative resources to expand CAPS services to the hospital campus, as well as adding clinical and research-based services to address a lack of substance abuse treatment support services and primary care nursing staff. This project will build on these and less formal community collaborative efforts to build capacity within Page County to support grass-roots efforts to address unique and community-identified barriers to equitable healthcare and related services. Page County is an isolated, rural area where low-income families have long been underserved due to lack of finances and/or health insurance, and a distrust of government programs by many residents. Residents who lack access to adequate healthcare and preventive health services in their home community, including historically minoritized/marginalized communities such as black, LGBTQPIA+, and Latino communities have historically suffered from poorer health outcomes, disparities, and other inequities, with distrust of ‘agencies’. This dates back to displacement of county residents from their homes in the 1930’s as part of the development of Shenandoah National Park. This distrust led to families often being reluctant to seek needed services, especially as transportation, waitlists, and technology/system navigation limitations create greater disparities and hopelessness compared to more populated communities. Multi-generational families continue to live in remote hollows, often surviving on social security or disability benefits of older family members, with younger members often repeating poor health practices leading to substance abuse, chronic health issues, and poor child health outcomes. Activities of this planning project will guide the developing network to innovatively and collaboratively address healthcare access and service needs by intentionally and proactively building relationships with all sectors of the community and creating a path for a sustainable network that can successfully tackle other issues impacting the social determinants of health in this rural community.
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).