Gov. Mike Braun announced today that the west-central Indiana region (Region 5) has been awarded $16.7 million in Growing Rural Opportunities for Well-Being (GROW) initiative grants. GROW region five includes Clay, Greene, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, and Vermillion counties.

GROW is focused on improving healthcare access, quality and outcomes in rural communities across the state of Indiana and supported by the Indiana Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), administered by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). Indiana received nearly $207 million for the first year of the five-year federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) grant program. About $120 million, or 60% of that funding, was earmarked for the regional grants.

“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program is based on one simple idea: your access to quality health care shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Funding new approaches to expand access and improve health outcomes for rural Hoosiers is an important step toward achieving that vision and I look forward to seeing RHTP dollars support equally transformative innovations for rural communities nationwide."

“This funding is a major step forward in our commitment to making health care affordable and accessible for all Hoosiers,” Gov. Braun said. “It’s an important stride toward creating a more sustainable and connected network in rural Indiana.”

Region 5 GROW grant activities include:

• Connect hospitals, clinics, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), behavioral health providers, and public health partners: Predictive modeling supports earlier risk identification to improve chronic disease and maternal health outcomes and reduce avoidable emergency visits.

• Regionwide telespecialty infrastructure: Expand inpatient and outpatient teleconsultation services, increase access to specialty providers, reduce delays and strengthen clinical integration across critical access hospitals.

• Enhance the behavioral health crisis continuum: Use mobile crisis hubs, telepsychiatric consultation and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration readiness to improve stabilization and reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization.

• Scale up mobile integrated health (MIH) services: Provide home-based chronic disease monitoring, maternal child health services, behavioral health follow-up and remote monitoring for high-risk residents, improving care access and reducing readmissions.

• Create a coordinated regional transportation network: Link hospitals, EMS, aging-service providers and local transit to reduce missed appointments and improve access to medical, behavioral health, and specialty services through unified scheduling and governance.

Rural Health Transformation Program’s GROW will now move into implementation building on a foundation of strong collaboration, local leadership and meaningful impact from targeted activities.

Region 5’s award complements the seven other regions that received GROW regional grants. RHTP also includes 11 statewide initiatives that promote workforce investment, thoughtful partnerships and infrastructure development.

Additional information about the GROW regional grants and 11 statewide initiatives are available on the RHTP website growruralhealth.in.gov.