West Virginia Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program

The West Virginia Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) funding opportunity is administered by the West Virginia Department of Health, Bureau for Public Health, through the Office of Community Health Systems and Health Promotion and the State Office of Rural Health. This program is supported at the federal level by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and is authorized under the Social Security Act. The initiative is designed to strengthen small rural hospitals by providing financial support that enables them to meet evolving healthcare delivery standards, particularly those tied to value-based care and reimbursement models. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to solicit proposals to establish or administer a SHIP Consortium that supports small rural hospitals across West Virginia. The consortium model is intended to coordinate shared services, training, and technical assistance that help hospitals improve operational, financial, and clinical outcomes. Alternatively, individual hospitals may utilize funds directly to meet value-based payment and care goals. These goals include enhancing participation in accountable care organizations, shared savings programs, and compliance with federal quality reporting and interoperability requirements. Funds awarded through this opportunity may be used for specific allowable activities including the purchase of hardware and software, health information technology systems, training programs, and equipment that support quality improvement initiatives. Additional allowable uses include investments in payment bundling systems, prospective payment system readiness, and compliance with federal healthcare regulations such as HIPAA. The program also emphasizes improving patient care coordination, advancing interoperability, and strengthening hospital revenue cycle performance through pricing transparency and documentation improvements. Eligibility is limited to small rural hospitals and nonprofit organizations or coalitions that are licensed to operate in West Virginia and registered as state vendors. Eligible hospitals must be non-federal, short-term general acute care facilities located in rural areas with 49 beds or fewer, as documented in their most recent Medicare Cost Report. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to oversee a consortium, provide training and technical assistance, and support hospitals in achieving stability and compliance with healthcare regulations and financial sustainability goals. The application process requires submission through the West Virginia Vendor Self Service portal, with a parallel submission via email to ensure receipt and facilitate communication. Required application components include a proposal narrative detailing outcomes, a detailed line-item budget and justification, a signed subrecipient information form, and a comprehensive grantee contact list. Applications are reviewed by administrative staff for completeness and scored based on defined criteria, including proposed outcomes and budget justification. The funding period for this opportunity spans eleven months, beginning July 1, 2026 and ending May 31, 2027. Funding is distributed through a subrecipient agreement with the possibility of annual renewal based on performance and program success. The application deadline is June 19, 2026, following a release date of June 8, 2026. While the opportunity may be offered annually, continued funding is contingent on federal allocations and program outcomes. Technical assistance is available via a designated program contact email, and applicants are encouraged to submit questions in writing prior to the deadline.

Ensure strong alignment with value-based care goals clearly justify all budget items and demonstrate capacity to provide statewide training and technical assistance