DELAWARE - Governor Matt Meyer announced that Requests for Proposals are now open for four initiatives under Delaware’s plan to overhaul health care access in the First State.
The Requests for Proposals are part of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, a multiyear effort designed to expand access to care, lower costs and increase the medical workforce, with a focus on rural Kent and Sussex counties.
“A person’s zip code should never dictate the quality of care they receive or if health care services are even available,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “These RFPs are a critical step on our journey to expand access, lower costs, and grow our workforce, so that we can improve health outcomes in every community. I encourage any organization interested to apply and help deliver real health care solutions, especially for the nearly 40 percent of Delawareans who live in rural communities.”
All Requests for Proposals are available online. Eligible organizations are encouraged to review the materials and submit applications based on the posted timelines and requirements.
The newly released RFPs mark the first competitive funding opportunities following Delaware’s successful award under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The projects focus on health care access, prevention and chronic disease management and workforce development. Additional RFPs are expected to be released in the spring.
The open Requests for Proposals include:
Delaware medical school: Competitive funding to support start-up costs for Delaware’s first four-year medical school, with a focus on building a sustainable pipeline of primary care physicians committed to rural practice.
School-based health centers: Competitive funding to support new school-based health centers in rural elementary and middle schools. The goal is to open four new centers delivering physical, behavioral and preventive health care services directly to students and families, with plans to see 400 patients by year three.
Food Is Medicine: Competitive funding to establish sustainable Food Is Medicine infrastructure that integrates nutrition-based interventions into rural health care delivery, improving outcomes for people who live there and are managing chronic disease while supporting long-term reimbursement strategies.
Rural community health hubs: Competitive funding for mobile health units and other community-based access points delivering preventive, chronic disease, behavioral health and specialty services directly to rural communities, with a goal of 1,500 yearly encounters by year three.
“These initiatives are designed to build lasting capacity, not short-term fixes,” Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Cabinet Secretary Christen Linke Young said. “By aligning workforce development, prevention, and access strategies, Delaware is creating a health care system that can meet rural residents’ needs today and into the future.”
Congress appropriated $50 billion nationwide for the Rural Health Transformation Program to be distributed over five years, with half equally distributed among states with approved applications and the remainder allocated based on technical factors and application quality.