Van Wert Hospital chosen for ODH award

VW independent staff/submitted information

OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital is one of nearly two dozen Ohio hospitals chosen to receive Rural Health Transformation Program awards totaling $92 million to manage chronic illnesses and expand access to preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral healthcare in rural areas. 

The awards, administered by the Ohio Department of Health, include:

• $31.4 million to establish or expand Clinically Integrated Networks (CIN) and Rural Health Innovation Hubs
• $30.3 million to improve maternal care
• $30.3 million in one-time investments to 22 rural hospitals

“Our goal is to provide the best and most timely patient care as close to home as possible, and to create networks that effectively coordinate quality preventive and follow-up care, all of which are essential for the best patient care,” said ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.

Rural Hospital Investments

22 rural hospitals are receiving a one-time investment of $1,377,479 for specific quality-improvement projects. For example, some projects include opening behavioral health units to support access to substance use disorder treatment and mental health services, adding on-site MRI services, and/or adding or expanding diagnostic services in areas where current capacity is limited or patients are placed on waitlists. These investments allow rural hospitals to improve the quality of patient care and bring services to patients in their own communities. 

Here is the full list of hospitals receiving awards:

• Ashtabula County Medical Center in Ashtabula
• Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center in Findlay (Hancock County)
• Community Hospital of Williams County in Archbold
• Coshocton Regional Medical Center in Coshocton (Coshocton County)
• East Liverpool City Hospitals in East Liverpool (Columbiana County)
• Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk (Huron County)
• Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis (Gallia County)
• Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys (Auglaize County)
•  Knox Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon (Knox County)
• Marion General Hospital in Marion (Marion County)
• Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine (Logan County)
• Memorial Hospital in Fremont (Sandusky County)
• Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater
• O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens (Athens County)
• Pomerene Hospital in Millersburg (Holmes County)
• Salem Community Hospital in Salem (Columbiana County)
• Sojourn at Seneca in Tiffin (Seneca County)
• Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge (Guernsey County)
• TriHealth Clinton Regional Hospital in Wilmington (Clinton County)
• Van Wert County Hospital in Van Wert
• Wilson Memorial Hospital in Sidney (Shelby County)
• Wooster Community Hospital in Wooster (Wayne County)

Clinically Integrated Networks (CIN) and Rural Health Innovation Hubs

CINs and Rural Health Innovation Hubs serve as networks for physicians, hospitals, clinics, emergency medical services (EMS), behavioral health centers, pharmacists, institutions of higher education, community resource centers, and other healthcare providers. Their focus is to create robust care models that provide high-quality care at a reasonable cost.

Today’s announcement was made at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, which is a member of the Ohio High Value Network, one of the CINs that is being awarded funding.

“This award recognizes what independent rural hospitals can accomplish when we work together,” said Jeremy Normington-Slay, Vice Chair, Ohio High Value Network, and President and CEO, Firelands Health. “Through the Ohio High Value Network, nearly 3 million rural Ohioans will benefit from coordinated care that is stronger than any one of us could deliver alone. We are grateful to CMS and the State of Ohio for their partnership and their confidence in our approach.”

Awardees include:

• Beavercreek Medical Center (Soin/Kettering Health) – $15,470,879
• Child & Family Health Collaborative of Ohio – $6,709,515
• Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center (Lima) – $325,005
• Ohio Association of Community Health Centers – $10,406,623
• Ohio High Value Network – $24,980,798
• Ohio State Health Network – $3,401,944
• University Hospitals Health System – $725,702

Maternal Care

Six awardees are focused specifically on improving prenatal, postnatal, and maternal care. For example, funds will be used to provide mobile prenatal care services, offer virtual specialty care for pregnant women, and increase capacity at rural hospitals to allow more premature and medically-vulnerable newborns to receive appropriate care closer to home.

Awardees include:

• Beavercreek Medical Center (Soin / Kettering Health) – $1,427,200
• Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center (Lima) – $50,000
• Ohio Association of Community Health Centers – $1,836,462
• Ohio Health Institute – $3,630,000
• Ohio High Value Network – $24,952,221
• Ohio State Health Network – $2,084,117