Rural Health Programs

(800)-Tell-TDA
835-5832

Texas State Office of Rural Health

Program Overview

The State Office of Rural Health (SORH) provides services, programs and grants for rural health in the amount of approximately $3.5 million per year. Major funding sources include the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the general revenue of the State of Texas. Texas SORH serves as a coordination, facilitation and grant issuing agency for federal and state programs related to healthcare in rural areas. Major rural health related programs include health care workforce recruitment and retention, infrastructure assistance and the Rural Hospital Medicare Flexibility Program.

In addition to funding opportunities, the State Office of Rural Health serves as a data clearinghouse for rural health information and provides technical assistance to rural communities. Please view the program pages below or visit the State Office of Rural Health home page for more information. Please also feel free to contact us directly with questions.

Health Care Workforce Support

SORH supports the recruitment and retention of trained medical professionals to rural Texas. SORH also strives to support rural clinicians. Services include:

Financial assistance for medical, dental and allied health educations
Assistance with continuing education and professional development
Job search and job posting assistance
Submission of expedited license requests to the Texas medical board for physicians

Click here for more information about health care workforce recruitment and retention.

Infrastructure Support

The Rural Health Facility Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Grant assists public and nonprofit hospitals with capital improvements to existing health facilities, construction of new health facilities or the purchase of capital equipment. Hospitals applying to the program must be located in a county with 150,000 or fewer residents. Application information available by clicking on the above program title.

The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) Grant provides funding to small rural hospitals to help them do any or all of the following: costs related to implementation of prospective payment systems (PPS) - (such as updating chargemasters or providing training in billing and coding); and/or pay for the costs related to delivery system changes as outlined federal legislation, such as value-based purchasing (VBP), accountable care organizations (ACO), payment bundling, and care transitions.

The Flex Program

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) encourages the development of a statewide rural health plan; conversion of small rural hospitals to Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status; development of rural health networks associated with the CAH facilities; the integration and strengthening of rural emergency medical systems; and the improving of the quality of healthcare services for rural populations. Programs and activities under this program are designed specifically for hospitals designated as CAHs or those investigating converting to a CAH. Major program activities include support for strategic planning; training and development; and quality improvement and data reporting.

Click here for more information about the Flex Program.