The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has announced four funding opportunities of interest: 1) Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention-Interprofessional Collaborative Practice:  Behavioral Health Integration (NEPQR-IPCP:BHI) program; 2) Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) program; 3) Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) program; and 4) Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP).

Words for Good has vast experience and previous success with NEPQR applications. This most recent announcement, NEPQR-IPCP:BHI, solicits applications for two-year programs that will integrate interprofessional and collaborative models of behavioral health services into routine nurse-led primary care for vulnerable and/or underserved/rural populations. HRSA anticipates funding 16 cooperative grants of up to $500,000 per year. Applications are due January 22, 2016.

The PCTE program is aimed at strengthening the primary care workforce through supporting enhanced training for future primary care clinicians, teachers, and researchers. This year’s applicants must focus on clinical training associated with transforming healthcare systems, with an emphasis on characteristics identified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The project period is five years, with up to $250,000 being awarded per year for single projects and $500,000 per year for collaborative projects. HRSA anticipates making 37 PCTE grant awards. Applications are due December 16, 2015.

The purpose of the GPE  program is to prepare doctoral-level psychologists to provide behavioral health care, including substance abuse prevention and treatment services, in a setting that provides integrated primary and behavioral health services to underserved and/or rural populations.  The project period is three years, with HRSA anticipating making 21 grant awards of up to $350,000 per year. Applications are due December 16, 2015.

And, finally, HRSA expects to make 47 SHIP grant awards to small rural hospitals of 49 beds or less for: 1) the purchase of equipment and/or training to help hospitals attain value-based purchasing provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA); 2) assistance in joining or becoming accountable care organizations, or create shared savings programs per the ACA; and/or 3) the purchase of health information technology, equipment, and/or training to comply with meaningful use, ICD-10 standards, and payment bundling. The project period is three years with an award amount of approximately $9,000 per hospital per year. Applications are due December 15, 2015.