The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has established a new UH Rural Health Research & Policy Center (RHRPC) with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. This funding was championed by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Rep. Ed Case in the FY22 federal appropriations process.
Launched in September, the new center is focused on improving rural health care challenges in Â鶹´«Ã½ through policy-relevant research and actionable, evidence-based strategies and recommendations, specifically on health workforce and health equity.
“Â鶹´«Ã½ faces unique challenges as a non-contiguous state with multiple islands, such as problems with accessing health care for residents especially on neighbor islands, provider shortages and underrepresentation of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the health care workforce,” said Principal Investigator Aimee Grace, director of the . “While many of these issues impacting rural health in Â鶹´«Ã½ are well-known, a critical gap has been translating these challenges into specific policy solutions that are actionable and evidence-based.”
In the short term, UH RHRPC plans to focus on areas of priority to the rural health community and related challenges to Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s health workforce, including improving Medicare payments and making federal designations, such as the Health Professional Shortage Area scoring system, to be more reflective of Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s unique needs.
“The need for far more focused action to close Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s rural health divide has never been so acute,” said Congressman Ed Case (HI-01). “The University of Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s new Rural Health Research and Policy Center will play a critical role to address the specific and unique health care needs of Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s rural communities. I am very pleased that Congress approved my funding request to support the creation of this center and look forward to continuing to work with UH and other key rural health stakeholders in Â鶹´«Ã½ to further these efforts.”
New initiative to collaborate with health partners
The center will collaborate with key rural health partners, including the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Rural Health Association, the State of Â鶹´«Ã½ Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, the and the . Focus groups and site visits to impacted regions across the state and with key stakeholders will provide the Center with critical information to support its research and policy efforts.
The need for far more focused action to close Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s rural health divide has never been so acute.
—U.S. Rep. Ed Case
“We want to ensure that RHRPC¡¯s work is aligned overall with the needs of our rural communities and encompasses the concerns and potential solutions from rural health stakeholders from across Â鶹´«Ã½,” said Kelley Withy, co-investigator and director of the Â鶹´«Ã½/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center at the .
The grant will fund RHRPC for one year with core staff, a partnership award with the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Rural Health Association for outreach and stakeholder engagement, and subcontracting services as needed to fulfill key research needs. RHRPC also plans to pursue grants and additional funding opportunities to ensure ongoing sustainability of the center.
“As Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s only public institution of higher education, UH and its health sciences programs play an essential role in educating the health care workforce of the state and region and addressing health challenges. RHRPC has a critical role in advancing research and policy solutions to improve health for rural communities in Â鶹´«Ã½, and we sincerely thank Sen. Schatz and Rep. Case for their support of the establishment of this Center,” said Grace.