Gov. Mike Braun announced that west-central Indiana, designated as Region 3, has been awarded $9.7 million in Growing Rural Opportunities for Well-being (GROW) initiative grants.
Region 3 includes Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Warren and White counties.
GROW is focused on improving health care access, quality and outcomes in rural communities across Indiana. The initiative is supported through the Indiana Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), administered by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
Indiana received nearly $207 million for the first year of the five-year federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) grant program. Approximately $120 million, or 60% of that funding, was earmarked for regional grants.
“This funding is a major step forward in our commitment to making health care affordable and accessible for all Hoosiers,” Gov. Braun said. “It’s an important stride toward creating a more sustainable and connected network in rural Indiana.”
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the Rural Health Transformation Program is intended to expand access to health care and improve health outcomes in rural communities.
Region 3 GROW grant activities include:
- Expand Mobile Integrated Health: Bring care into residents’ homes through chronic disease monitoring, medication management, 24- to 72-hour post-discharge follow-up, behavioral health crisis response, prenatal home visits and telehealth support.
- Leverage Transportation and Navigation: Expand access to medical appointments, pharmacies and essential services for rural residents.
- Provide New Access Points: Expand clinic capacity, add primary care and behavioral health access points, launch mobile medical and dental services, and support medication delivery for high-risk rural residents.
- Improve Rural Prenatal Care Access: Increase regional prenatal referrals and care coordination, expand telehealth and remote patient monitoring, and provide outreach, mobile services, postnatal support, education, and prevention and support resources.
- Support Chronic Disease Prevention: Train community health workers, implement screening and referral workflows in clinical settings, and conduct patient outreach and education focused on preventing and managing chronic conditions.
The GROW program will now move into implementation, building on collaboration, local leadership and targeted activities designed to address health care needs in rural communities.
Region 3’s award is part of regional GROW grants awarded to all eight regions across Indiana. The RHTP also includes 11 statewide initiatives focused on workforce investment, partnerships and infrastructure development.
Additional information about the GROW regional grants and statewide initiatives is available at growruralhealth.in.gov.
This Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $206,927,896.80, with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. government.