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Rural Health Information Technology Workforce Application Technical Assistance

HRSA-13-251 solicits applications for the Rural Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Program, which supports formal rural health networks that focus on activities relating to the recruitment, education, training, and retention of HIT specialists. 

The program will also provide support to rural health networks that can leverage and enhance existing HIT training materials to develop formal training programs that will provide instructional opportunities to current health care staff, local displaced workers, rural residents, veterans, and other potential students. 

These formal training programs will result in the development of a cadre of HIT workers who can help rural hospitals and clinics implement and maintain systems, such as electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, home monitoring and mobile health technology, and meet EHR meaningful use standards.

Eligible Applicants

The lead applicant organization must be a public or private non-profit entity located in a rural area or in a rural census tract of an urban county, and all services must be provided in a rural county or census tract. 

In addition to the 50 states, applicants may be located in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territories of the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Compact Free Association Jurisdictions of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. If applicants are located outside the 50 states, they still have to meet the rural eligibility requirements.

Networks must

• Comprise at least three health care providers that are separate, existing organizations.
• Partner with an accredited 2-year educational institution, such as a community, technical, or vocational college, to deliver the educational component of the Rural HIT Workforce Program.
• Have a formal network organizational relationship.
• Be able to document previous collaboration and accomplishment between network members.
• Have a governing body that includes representation from all network member organizations and ensures that the governing body, rather than an individual network member, will make financial and programmatic decisions. 
• Have a permanent network director (i.e. network executive director) or an interim network director capable of overseeing the network’s administrative, fiscal, and business operations at the time of the application. 

See the full HRSA-13-251 Funding Opportunity Announcement (PDF - 745 KB) for complete eligibility requirements and other information.

Funding

Approximately $4,500,000 is expected to be available annually to fund between 10 - 15 grantees. Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $300,000 per year. The project period is 3 years.