Rural Health and Economic Development Analysis

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Health and Economic Development Analysis Program (RHEDAP). The purpose of this program is to quantify and describe the economic impacts of local health care sectors on rural economies to provide information which will assist policy makers and other rural stakeholders to improve health care in rural areas. Topic areas for this program may include sustainability of services and minimum population requirements as it relates to health care and the economic vitality of rural communities, including rural tribal communities, as well as other topics determined in coordination with HRSA. HRSA will work closely with the award recipient on areas of concern such as the impact of hospital and other health care facility closures on local economies, the impact of bypass of local rural health care services, the impact of new health care services and facilities, the economic impact of health care professionals working in rural communities, and other emerging issues at the intersection of rural health care improvement and rural economic analysis. The award recipient’s work will help rural stakeholders and policy makers to better understand economic spillover effects of rural health care in order to improve health care in rural areas. The award recipient will disseminate their findings on the economic impact of health services in rural communities and the implications of those findings for improving health care in rural areas to rural stakeholders. Research and analysis funded by RHEDAP will focus on quantifying the relationship between health care and economic factors in rural communities, particularly the economic impact of rural health care services, to provide information to improve health care in rural areas. HRSA funds rural health services research on a range of other topics through the Rural Health Research Center Program, and RHEDAP will not fund projects in those areas.