DOVER, Del. - Delaware Governor Matt Meyer is asking First State residents for their input on how best to reshape the healthcare landscape in rural Delaware through a major federal funding program.
According to Meyer’s office, the federal Rural Health Transformation Program is designed to bolster healthcare in rural communities across the country. Through the $50 billion program, states can receive funding to expand healthcare access, improve health outcomes, and provide improved services in rural areas.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine how we deliver health care in rural Delaware,” said Governor Meyer. “We want to hear directly from the people who know these communities best—patients, providers, advocates, and neighbors. Together, we can build a system that addresses today’s challenges while creating healthier futures for every Delawarean.”
Governor Meyer says he is inviting the public, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders to share ideas and priorities to guide the program’s funding.
Meyer’s office says the programs investments must be directed to at least three categories of rural health improvement, including:
-Evidence-based interventions to improve prevention and chronic disease management
-Payments to health care providers for specified services
-Consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for prevention and chronic disease management
-Training and technical assistance for use of technology (e.g., remote monitoring, AI, robotics)
-Recruiting and retaining a clinical workforce in rural areas with a minimum five-year service commitment
-IT upgrades—cybersecurity, efficiency improvements, better outcomes
-Supporting communities in “right-sizing” their health care delivery systems
-Access to opioid use disorder, substance use, and mental health services
-Innovative care models, including value-based care and alternative payment mechanisms
-Other CMS-approved efforts to promote sustainable, high-quality rural health care services
Meyer’s office says feedback on the program is due by Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. To submit your thoughts on improving rural healthcare in Delaware, you can click here.
WBOC spoke with some neighbors in Laurel Wednesday about what they would like to see prioritized. Arthur Littleton said he hopes they work to spread more hospitals and healthcare facilities to areas like Laurel.
"If there's an emergency, running half an hour can make a big difference to a person," Littleton said.
Littleton also said it would help having more specialty doctors in the area.
"For me, I need a workman's comp doctor. But you can't always find those on this side of the bridge. You have to go across the bridge one," Littleton said.
Leon Johnson said the new facilities already popping up in Delaware have been helpful in accommodating the increasing population in Sussex County. However, Johnson said he hopes the state prioritizes finding enough staffing for those facilities.
"Hospital staff are sometimes working 16 hours in one day opposed to working a regular 8 or 10 hours," Johnson said. "They're having to do double shifts because they don't have the staff to fill the spots."
Johnson also said that lack of staff can sometimes make it hard to get appointments.
"You used to be able to go to make an appointment, and within two to three days you could get in there," Johnson said. "Now it's more like two to three months before you can get an appointment."
