Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program Grants

Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) grants provide support to help small rural hospitals with the implementation of the prospective payment system (PPS), to comply with provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, and to improve overall hospital performance. Funds will benefit small rural hospitals and help ensure that they have a strong foundation to provide quality health care to their community.

Federal authorization for the SHIP program is found in Section 1820 (8) (3) of the Social Security Act and the Labor HHS Appropriations Act of 2002 (PUBL 107-116).

Grant funds are awarded to small rural hospitals to help with any or all of the following: (1) costs associated with the implementation of the PPS; (2) HIPAA compliance; and (3) to assist in reducing medical errors and supporting quality improvement. These funds are used to help the most vulnerable of hospitals – small rural hospitals – to assist with improving their internal infrastructure and to provide quality health care to the community.

Grantees have used funds to invest in computers, software, and training and consultation.

SHIP Application for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2007-2008

• SHIP Application Letter
• Hospital Grant Application
     
  To qualify for SHIP Grants, applicant hospitals are required to be small non-Federal, sort-term, general acute care facilities, with 49 or fewer available beds, and must be located in a rural area. Amounts awarded are dependent on Federal funds and the number of eligible hospitals that apply. Successful applicants will receive funding for one year and will be eligible for subsequent yearly renewals contingent upon the availability of continued Federal funds and satisfactory applicant performance.

Interested applicants must submit a brief letter of application to the California State Office of Rural Health (CalSORH). CalSORH will then submit a single grant application of all hospital applicants to HRSA.