INDIANA – Gov. Mike Braun announced today that the south-central Indiana region (Region 7) has been awarded $13.1 million in Growing Rural Opportunities for Well-Being (GROW) initiative grants. GROW region seven includes Brown, Crawford, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Orange, Perry, and Washington counties.
GROW is focused on improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural communities across the state of Indiana and is 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 7 GROW grant activities include:
- Build a coordinated provider ecosystem: Create a network of community
paramedicine, remote monitoring, and mobile primary care, behavioral health,
dental and preventive screening services to reach rural residents. - Improve maternal and infant outcomes: Expand prenatal/postpartum navigation, maternal fetal medicine access, infant supports, perinatal mental health programs and a rural-focused OB residency.
- Increase crisis service access: Medication for opioid use disorder availability,
mobile crisis teams, school-based mental health, youth prevention efforts and
behavioral health workforce pathways. - Address distance-based disparities: Provide transportation support, community
navigation, digital literacy, housing stability programs, recovery supports and
linkage to behavioral and medical care. - Strengthen long term rural health capacity: Create coordinated pipelines for
behavioral health, clinical, CHW, peer support and high school–based workforce
development. - Focus on healthy families: Strengthen early prevention, youth resiliency and
family supports to improve long term mental and behavioral health outcomes. It
expands evidence-based programs in schools and community settings, increases
access to infant and early childhood mental health services and enhances family
centered recovery and stability supports.
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 7’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 is available on the RHTP website, growruralhealth.in.gov.
