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 improve healthcare delivery in rural areas by training future and current health professionals, for high-quality, good-paying jobs 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 professions: medical coding and billing, insurance claims processing, health information management, clinical documentation, business operations for healthcare organizations, and supply chain and materials management. This program supports HRSA’s collaboration with the Delta Regional Authority 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 professionals in rural communities through the development of networks that support recruitment, formal training, social needs, 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 workforce and dislocated workers. 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 professionals in rural healthcare facilities. • Create a sustainable pipeline of trained professionals to rural areas through the development of networks between educational institutions, community based organizations, and rural healthcare facilities located in the DRA region. • Improve recruitment and retention of critical administrative support professionals by providing a pathway to high-quality, good paying jobs in rural healthcare facilities through opportunities for training and education.

All domestic public and private, nonprofit and for-profit entities are eligible to apply. This includes, but is not limited to: faith-based and community- based organizations, federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations, state governments, and private institutions of higher education. Applicants must be located in one of the eight states in the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). Applicants must be able to serve a service area that meets the Service Area Requirements in the section below. 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 are encouraged to notify DRA early in the process of their intent to submit an application

Jason Steele, MPH

(301) 443-2203