Rural Hospital Innovation Grant (RHIG)

The Rural Hospital Innovation Grant (RHIG) was established by the Kansas Legislature through Sec. 11 of House Bill 2208 (PDF) on May 6, 2021 and funded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) under the State Fiscal Recovery Funds (SFRF)  program. The purpose of RHIG is to strengthen and improve the healthcare system and increase access to healthcare services in eligible counties in order to help communities in those counties achieve and maintain their optimal health. Funds are to be used at a hospital within the county for the transitional assistance related to changing a hospital’s current healthcare delivery model to a model more appropriate for the community that the hospital serves.

 Eligibility

 Per legislation, funds are to be utilized by a county in Kansas other than Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, or Wyandotte counties at a hospital for the purpose of assisting the hospital with transitioning their model of care to a model that better serves the residence of their community.

 Funds must be matched by an outside stakeholder with $2 of matched funds for every $1 of RHIG funds being requested.

 View the Rural Hospital Innovation Grant Guide (PDF)  for more details about program eligibility and requirements.

 Application Process

 The board of county commissioners, or the board’s designee, of an eligible county may apply to KDHE for a grant.

 Applications will be accepted beginning September 1, 2022  through September 30, 2024 or until all funds have been awarded.

 Applications can be found at the following link.  RHIG Application (PDF)

 Completed applications can be submitted to the State Office of Rural Health at:   [email protected]  Include the subject line: “RHIG Application” when submitting.

 Documents

Rural Hospital Innovation Grant Guide (PDF)

 Rural Hospital Innovation Grant Application (PDF)

 Resources

 Kansas House Bill 2208, Sec. 11-RHIG (PDF)

U.S. Department of Treasury
American Rescue Plan Act/State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) for Grants and Agreements
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II

 Kansas Office of Recovery
Job Aids

KDHE Telehealth Resource
http://telehealthkansas.kdhe.ks.gov/providers.htm

HRSA Telehealth Resource
https://www.hrsa.gov/library/telehealth 

KHA Rural Issues – Rural Emergency Hospital
https://www.kha-net.org/CriticalIssues/AccessToCare/RuralIssues/ 

NRHA Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Model Summary
https://www.ruralhealth.us/NRHA/media/Emerge_NRHA/Advocacy/Government%20affairs/2021/04-15-21-NRHA-Rural-Emergency-Hospital-overview.pdf

RHIhub The Rural Emergency Hospital (REH), a New Hospital Type webinar
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/webinars/rural-emergency-hospital 

CMS.gov Rural Emergency Hospital Proposed Rulemaking Fact Sheet
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/rural-emergency-hospitals-proposed-rulemaking

 For additional information email Andy Jones in the State Office of Primary Care and Rural Health.