Washington State supporting the innovative development of rural health care across primary and specialty care, hospitals, workforce development, technology investment, and chronic disease management. - Subrecipients or sub-awardee organizations: Department of Health (including the State Office of Rural Health), Department of Social and Health Services, The Rural Collaborative, Rural Health Redesign Center, the Washington State Hospital Association, University of Washington, Washington State University (WSU), Project Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO), and Area Agencies on Aging. Project goals: -Create opportunities for health in rural Washington -Foster partnerships across the rural health care delivery system -Grow Washington’s workforce -Deploy technology and data-driven solutions to empower communities with healthy opportunities, increased efficiencies, and connectivity -Improve financial solvency for rural hospitals and providers Total budget amount: Washington proposes to spend $1 billion across the five-year RHT Program. The application allocates $200 million a year for six initiatives and administrative expenditures. How Washington will use the funds: The RHT Program offers Washington an unparalleled opportunity to invest in rural access to quality health care, and the long-term vitality of Washington’s rural communities. Washington’s RHT Program seeks to build a healthier, more resilient, and financially sustainable rural health system by investing $1 billion over five years to ignite innovation in rural hospitals, prevent disease and manage care in community settings, invest in the health of Native families, increase provider adoption of technology and data solutions, develop Washington’s rural workforce, and expand and sustain the rural behavioral health system. Each initiative supports the State’s goals through activities, which include increasing training capacity for Tribal providers, nurses and long-term care workers; investing in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity technology; and supporting payment transformation for rural hospitals and behavioral health clinics. Washington’s spending plan focuses on investments that can be sustained past the duration of the RHT Program. Where practical, funded activities leverage expansion of existing programs, such as proposed investments in Project ECHO or WSUs rural provider training. Other activities will directly support providers and facilities through distribution of RHT funds for technology, provider recruitment, and infrastructure investments.
