Submitted copy Health News
White River Health has been awarded more than $5 million in federal grants through two state rural health grants, with both projects providing services to Sharp County.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Sept. 24 that $54.6 million was awarded in the second round of Arkansas Rural Health Transformation Program grants.
White River Health received approximately $2.1 million through the RISE AR initiative for 13 workforce projects aimed at recruiting, training and retaining health care professionals. The projects will address workforce needs in behavioral health, nursing, laboratory science, spiritual care and physician services in Independence, Stone, Jackson and Sharp counties and other rural areas.
The Batesville-based health system, which serves many Sharp County residents, also received a $2.94 million HEART grant to establish a “food-as-medicine” program serving Sharp, Stone, Jackson, Cleburne, Izard and Lawrence counties.
The program will connect patient health screenings with produce prescriptions, nutrition and cooking education, community health workers and locally produced food. It is also designed to create additional markets for area farmers.
Statewide, $27.4 million was awarded to 30 projects through the Healthy Eating, Active Recreation & Transformation, or HEART, initiative, while $27.2 million was awarded to 24 projects through the Recruitment, Innovation Skills and Education for Arkansas, or RISE AR, initiative.
The grants are part of Arkansas’ Rural Health Transformation Program. State officials anticipate Arkansas will receive approximately $1 billion through the program over five years for projects aimed at strengthening health care in rural communities.
“Transforming rural health care starts long before a patient walks through the hospital doors,” Sanders said. “These projects will help Arkansans live healthier lives and build a stronger rural health care system for generations to come.”
