Rural Health Network Development Planning Program | HRSA 19 025

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 19 025

The Rural Health Network Development Planning Program (often referred to as "Network Planning") is a federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), designed to help rural communities build the foundation for a stronger, more coordinated local health care system. The core idea is to support the early planning work needed to form or formalize an integrated rural health care network, especially in places where organizations may work in the same community but have not historically partnered through a structured, collaborative arrangement. Rather than funding direct service expansion on its own, this program emphasizes the strategic planning, partnership development, and network design work that makes longer-term system improvements possible.

A key feature of the program is its definition of what qualifies as a rural health network. Under this opportunity, a network is an organizational arrangement involving at least three separately owned regional or local health care providers that come together to develop shared strategies for improving how health services are delivered in a community. The emphasis on "separately owned" matters because the program is trying to encourage coordination across independent entities, not simply collaboration within one organization. The expectation is that these partners will work together around a shared purpose, identify gaps and duplication in services, and create a practical plan for delivering care more efficiently and effectively across the local continuum.

The program highlights why networks are especially valuable in rural settings. Smaller rural providers often face workforce shortages, limited budgets, long travel distances for patients, and difficulties maintaining a full range of services on their own. By forming a network, these organizations can align resources and strategies, achieve economies of scale, and address challenges collectively in ways that are difficult for any single provider to accomplish. One example given is a collaboration between a critical access hospital, a community health center, and a public health department, but the opportunity is intentionally broad about who can participate as long as they are engaged in providing health care-related services and meet the network structure requirement.

The list of potential network participants reflects that broad approach and recognizes that rural health depends on more than just one clinic or hospital. Possible partners can include hospitals, public health agencies, home health providers, mental health centers, substance use service providers, rural health clinics, primary care practices, oral health providers, social service agencies, health professions schools, local school districts, emergency services providers, community and migrant health centers, federally qualified health centers, tribal health programs, and even community-based groups such as churches, faith-based organizations, and civic organizations when they are involved in delivering or supporting health care services. This flexibility allows communities to build networks that fit local realities, including networks that integrate medical care with behavioral health, prevention, and social supports.

Program goals are tied closely to the broader shift in U.S. health care from paying for volume (more visits and procedures) to paying for value (better outcomes, better coordination, and lower overall cost). HRSA describes the program as supporting approaches that help rural providers adapt to this changing environment by planning for more coordinated systems of care. In practical terms, the intent is for networks to use the planning period to map out how they will expand access to essential services, improve coordination among providers, and raise quality across the full continuum of care, from prevention and wellness to acute care and long-term care. The opportunity also points to the importance of health information technology and alternative delivery models, signaling that rural networks are encouraged to explore tools like shared data systems, coordinated referral pathways, and other strategies that help patients move smoothly between services.

Another theme in the notice is balancing regional coordination with local autonomy. As health care financing increasingly rewards measurable outcomes and population health management, rural communities face pressure to connect into larger systems of care. This program frames networks as a way to create that regional coordination while still preserving local control and ensuring residents can access the right level of care at the right time. Related to that, the program underscores the growing importance of population health strategies, meaning rural providers are expected to think not only about individual encounters but also about improving health outcomes for the community as a whole and demonstrating the value they deliver.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-19-025) under CFDA 93.912, administered by HRSA within HHS. The notice indicates an expected 22 awards. The eligibility category is listed as "Others," with further clarification typically provided in the full funding announcement under additional eligibility information, which usually spells out which types of organizations can apply and what network composition requirements must be met. The opportunity was originally posted on August 28, 2018, with an original closing date of November 30, 2018. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided source data, which usually means applicants must rely on the full announcement for the specific funding limits or that the ceiling was not captured in this excerpt.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as planning support for rural communities that want to move from informal coordination to a formal, integrated network model. It is aimed at helping independent rural providers come together, agree on shared goals, design workable systems for coordination and efficiency, and prepare to deliver higher-value care that is accessible, technology-enabled, and organized around the needs of the local population.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Health Network Development Planning Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.912.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 28, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 22 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 19 025

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