University of Iowa to expand support of rural health care through Iowa HHS’ Healthy Hometowns Initiative
The University of Iowa to be awarded $12 million over five years to support Iowa HHS projects funded by the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
The University of Iowa plans to expand its support of rural hospitals across Iowa with $12 million awarded over five years by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for two projects included in its Healthy Hometowns initiative.
Healthy Hometowns is the state’s submission to the Rural Health Transformation Program, a federal funding initiative managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Iowa was recently awarded $209 million for the first year of the program, making it the first state to receive funding for this federal initiative.
University of Iowa Health Care was awarded requests for proposals for “Health Hubs Technical Assistance Provider” and, in collaboration with the UI College of Public Health, “Combat Cancer Technical Assistance Provider." These two critical components of the Healthy Hometowns initiative will help Iowa HHS build a hub-and-spoke network model aimed at expanding support of hospitals statewide and keeping care local for Iowans in rural communities.
Health Hubs
The Health Hubs technical assistance program will support organizations in designing and implementing health hub-and-spoke models with the goal of improving access, quality, and long-term viability of rural health care across the state. The project will focus on strengthening rural workforce, operations, and care delivery models, as well as expanding access to care through telehealth and referral networks. Priority areas outlined in the proposal include:
- Maternal and child health
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular
- Mental and behavioral health
- Chronic disease prevention and management
“With decades of experience delivering customized, localized support for rural health care organizations, we are excited to be able to expand this work in a meaningful way,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI Vice President for Medical Affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnerships with rural health care organizations that play a vital role in our overall health care landscape of Iowa.”
The program will pull together teams from across the network to build a high-quality, sustainable system of care that improves health, well-being, and quality of life for residents in rural communities across the state.
"The creation of Health Hubs provides a transformative opportunity to strengthen rural health care across Iowa,” says Jeffrey D. Quinlan, MD, FAAFP, professor, chair, and department executive officer of family and community medicine. "Along with our rural health care partners, we will build a sustainable hub-and-spoke model that expands access, supports local providers, and ensures high quality care for rural Iowans statewide."
Combat Cancer
The Combat Cancer program, co-led by the UI College of Public Health and UI Health Care, will support development of a coordinated, statewide cancer ecosystem that improves early detection, strengthens rural partnerships, and supports access to cancer care across Iowa. This expands UI Health Care’s existing work supporting hospitals across the state through the I-CAN network and county-level prevention initiatives through the University of Iowa Cancer Partnership.
"The Combat Cancer program will be a critical component in advancing our vision to bring world-class, comprehensive cancer care closer to home for all Iowans," says Jamieson. "Through hand-in-hand collaboration with rural hospitals, providers, and programs, we are looking forward to continued progress in building a statewide cancer care network."
“This work continues our efforts to address Iowa’s second-highest cancer incidence rate in the nation,” says Edith Parker, dean of the UI College of Public Health. “We look forward to working with our partners in UI Health Care and Iowa HHS to improve cancer prevention, detection, and treatment in our state.”
The development of the Cancer Health Hub technical assistance provider initiative will work alongside rural hospitals to further strengthen partnership development, agreements, business planning, and grant navigation.
“To defeat cancer in Iowa, we need to work together across communities, hospitals, and organizations to prevent cancer, detect it early, and ensure accessible care across the state,” says Mark Burkard, MD, PhD, director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This program will go a long way to reducing the pain and suffering caused by cancer in our state and building a healthier future for all Iowans.”
The University of Iowa was awarded $6 million for each initiative. In collaboration with rural hospitals, providers, and community‑based organizations, the university will promptly establish work groups to ensure robust engagement with rural partners as the project gets underway. More information will be shared over the coming months as progress toward goals is made.
These projects are 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 $209,040,063.71 with 100 percent 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 the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, CMS/HHS, or the U.S Government.