Dive Brief:
- A HHS agency is investing nearly $75 million to boost access to healthcare in rural communities.
- The funds, distributed through the Health Resources and Services Administration, will launch new substance use treatment in rural areas, add maternal healthcare services in the South and support the financial viability of rural hospitals, the agency said in a Tuesday press release.
- A large portion of the HRSA funding will go toward expanding substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. The agency is providing nearly $54 million over four years to 18 organizations to create or expand access points, support the behavioral health workforce and coordinate with social service agencies.
Dive Insight:
The HRSA funds aim to address rural Americans, who face additional challenges accessing healthcare, like longer travel times or financially strapped providers, according to the agency.
One key area for rural healthcare is substance use treatment. Many people with substance use disorders don’t receive treatment, and rural Americans face higher rates of overdose deaths compared with those living in urban communities. Although overdose deaths are decreasing after spiking during the pandemic, more than 107,000 people died last year from them, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The HRSA investment will also tackle maternal health — a key public health concern for the Biden administration — and rural hospital closures. The agency will award nearly $9 million over four years to five organizations in the Mississippi Delta region to improve access and coordinate care before, during and after pregnancy. HRSA will also offer nearly $12 million over three years to keep their doors open and add or expand services.
More than 700 rural hospitals, or about 30% of all such facilities in the country, are at risk of closing, according to another report published this summer by CHQPR. Hundreds could close within the next two to three years.
And maternal care is a particular challenge in rural areas. Less than half of rural hospitals in the U.S. still offer labor and delivery care, often because they lose money on the services, according to a report published late last year by Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
