Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Training Program

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Delta Regional Rural Health Workforce Training Program. The purpose of this program is to educate and train future and current health professionals in the rural counties and parishes of the Mississippi River Delta Region and Alabama Black Belt (Delta Regional Authority (DRA) region) in the following critical administrative support occupations: medical coding and billing, claims processing, information management, and clinical documentation. This program supports HRSA’s collaboration with the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) to enhance healthcare delivery in the rural counties and parishes of the DRA region, and addresses a key area of need identified by DRA and rural healthcare organizations in the region. The Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Training Program addresses the ongoing need in healthcare facilities for trained administrative support or business operations professionals in rural communities through the development of Strategic Networks that support recruitment, formal training, certification, and placement of students. This program aims to provide training and pathways to professional certifications to current administrative support professionals working in rural DRA region healthcare facilities as well as new entrants to the workforce1 and dislocated workers.2 The goals of the Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Training Program are: • Enhance healthcare delivery in rural areas within the DRA region by creating training programs focused on building the skills and capacity of administrative support and business operations professionals in rural healthcare facilities. • Create a sustainable pipeline of trained professionals to rural areas through the development of Strategic Networks between academic institutions, community based organizations, and rural healthcare facilities located in the DRA region. • Provide students with training opportunities and experiences within community focused rural healthcare facilities, which will build and reinforce ties within rural communities in the DRA region. • Retain current healthcare staff in rural areas with opportunities for training and education in critical positions. • Expand the uptake of industry-validated credentials that are competency based, empowering job seekers and reducing barriers to hiring and promotion in rural areas.

Eligible applicants include domestic public, private, and non-profit organizations, including tribes and tribal organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, and accredited domestic institutions of higher education including public or private non-profit educational entities, such as four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) located in one of the eight states in the DRA region. Eligible entities must be located in the DRA region. The DRA region includes 252 counties and parishes located across eight states - Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. To view service area maps for each state, visit https://dra.gov/about-dra/map-room/. Applicants do not need to be located in a rural DRA region county or parish, but training must be provided to the rural counties and parishes listed in the Service Area Requirements section below.

Jason Leger, MPH

(301)443-2203