Rural Health

State Offices of Rural Health

Authorizing Legislation - Section 338J of the Public Health Service Act.

FY 2008 Authorization..........................................................................................................Expired

Statement of the Budget Request - The FY 2008 Budget of $8,141,000 is equal to the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution (CR).

Program Description - The health care needs of rural communities vary greatly across the country. The Office supports State-level solutions and innovations through 50 State Office of Rural Health grants. The State Office of Rural Health grant program helps strengthen rural health care delivery systems by focusing on several key activities. The grantees collect and disseminate health-related information in rural areas. They also provide technical and other assistance to rural health providers, including small rural hospitals. State Offices of Rural Health also help communities recruit and retain health professionals. Each dollar of Federal support for the program is matched by three State dollars.

Rationale for the Budget Request - The FY 2008 Budget of $8,141,000 will continue essential support for the State Offices of Rural Health grant program. Program funding will support technical assistance to rural communities around key issues such as Medicare Part D outreach, the adoption of health information technology, bioterrorism preparedness and in health systems development to ensure the financial stability of rural providers. The request will be appropriate to continue to meet all needs for this program.

Funding levels for State Offices of Rural Health during the last five years reflect this effort and are as follows:

 Outputs         

Performance Analysis - The State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program developed new performance measures beginning in FY 2004. The new measures are more closely aligned with program goals. As funding for this program increased, there was a need to develop more specific program measurement tools to track the program’s progress and to demonstrate its success.

The first new measure identifies the number of communities receiving technical assistance from State Offices of Rural Health. These Offices play a critical role as an information resource and focal point for rural health activities within their States. One of the primary outcomes of that role is the number of communities they assist to improve access to essential health services. In FY 2003, the grantees worked with 4,120 communities and with 4,603 rural communities in FY 2004. In FY 2005, the grantees worked with 4,655 communities, exceeding the target.

The second new measure focuses on recruitment of health professionals for rural communities, which is one of the key activities across the 50 State Offices of Rural Health. The measure will determine how many State Offices have an identified focal point for this activity. In FY 2003, 41 of 50 grantees identified a focal point for this activity and that increased to 42 in FY 2004. The first target for this new measure has was set for FY 2005 at 42. (See “Details of Performance Analysis”). In FY 2005, the target was exceeded with 45 out of 50 State Offices identifying recruitment as a focal point. This program was covered in OMB’s combined Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) assessment of HRSA’s Rural Health Activities during the FY 2005 budget cycle. The program received a rating of Adequate.