Idaho posts first 3 federal rural healthcare subgrants connected to ‘Big Beautiful’ funding
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Laura Guido, Idaho Capital Sun
BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials are soliciting organizations to improve maternal, perinatal and child health access in rural areas in its first round of subgrants using a $186 million federal grant.
The state health agency posted the two maternal and child funding opportunities Tuesday, along with a third $1.3 million grant for project management support to help oversee delivery of the grant.
Idaho received the money as part of the five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund in the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” approved by Congress last July.
The state’s first-year funding must be fully awarded by Oct. 30, otherwise it may be clawed back and given to other states, a federal official told state lawmakers last month.
RELATED | Federal official tells Idaho lawmakers there’s ‘no leeway’ in awarding rural health funds
The Idaho Legislature’s Rural Health Transformation Committee, tasked with oversight of the funds, is reviewing four more funding opportunities seeking contractors to implement workforce development programs, facilitate technology assessments, and to verify renovation projects in healthcare facilities.
Idaho to award $1.2M for maternal and child health obstetrics subgrant
The state posted a $1.2 million subgrant opportunity for an organization to serve as the state’s lead agency working to improve rural providers’ obstetric readiness at birthing and non-birthing centers, according to the subgrant description. Obstetrics refers to the field of medicine focused on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
The entity that receives the grant would be tasked with launching a “quality improvement initiative” to ensure facilities meet federal standards.
“This work will improve maternal and infant outcomes, promote consistent readiness across facilities, and support rural providers in delivering evidence-based, high-quality obstetric care,” the description said.
A $2.4M award will go to creating perinatal quality collaborative initiatives in Idaho
An additional $2.4 million subgrant will go to an organization to lead the state’s effort to increase rural hospitals completing new perinatal quality collaborative initiatives. Perinatal care can cover the period of time from conception up to about a year after birth.
Perinatal quality collaboratives are networks of teams meant to improve quality of healthcare for mothers and babies and identify processes in need of improvement, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC funds 34 state-based collaboratives, but Idaho is not one of the states with a funded program.
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