Dual Track Rural Hospital Remote Critical Care Services Grant

The Georgia Department of Community Health, through its State Office of Rural Health, is offering the Dual Track Rural Hospital Remote Critical Care Services grant to support critical care access in rural Georgia hospitals. DCH is responsible for major health care financing, planning, and access functions in Georgia, while the State Office of Rural Health works to improve health care access and reduce disparities in rural and underserved areas. The grant responds to the difficulty rural hospitals face in recruiting and retaining specialist physicians and nurses for intensive care services. Remote critical care services use telehealth technology to connect rural hospital patients and local staff with critical care specialists through continuous monitoring, real-time consultation, video and audio communications, data streams, and related decision-support capabilities. Applicants must select exactly one of two tracks and may not apply for both. Track 1 supports continuation of a currently existing and operational remote critical care services program. Track 1 funds may be proposed for contracted services, equipment and infrastructure, program administration, and staff education. Track 2 supports establishment of new remote critical care services intended to provide continuous monitoring and real-time access to critical care specialists for patients admitted to a rural hospital intensive care unit. Track 2 funds may be used for program implementation and administration, equipment and infrastructure, contracted services, marketing and community engagement, and staff education. Applicants may propose up to four projects or initiatives within their selected track. Eligible applicants must be hospitals located in a county designated as rural under the Rural Hospital Organization Assistance Act of 2017 or in a county with a critical access hospital. Applicants must also be in good standing to conduct business with DCH and SORH and must be listed on the Rural Hospital Tax Credit 2026 Ranking of Financial Need. Awardees must maintain administrative, nursing, and physician leadership support; designate a Project Manager; participate in a new grantee orientation webinar and quarterly SORH meetings; submit quarterly invoices and reports; and remain responsive to SORH requests throughout the funding period. No cost share or matching requirement is stated in the solicitation. The solicitation identifies a one-year funding period and an award amount of $225,000. Appendix H states that both Track 1 and Track 2 are limited to $225,000 and directs applicants not to budget for an amount higher or lower than the identified available funding. The main award section describes at least $225,000 for selected applicants, creating wording that should be read together with the more specific Appendix H budget instruction. The source also contains an award-count inconsistency: the cover states up to four awards, while Section IV separately states up to four selected applicants for Track 1 and up to four selected applicants for Track 2. Because these statements do not establish one unambiguous opportunity-wide award count, the total number of awards and total program funding require verification. Indirect costs are optional; Section IX states that DCH limits indirect costs to ten percent of the total award amount, while the Appendix E budget worksheet note describes the limit as ten percent of total direct costs. Applications must include a Project Declaration, Project Abstract, Project Narrative, Organizational Narrative, Appendix A DCH Grant Application Form, Appendix B Statement of Ethics signature page, Appendix C Ethics in Procurement Policy signature page, Appendix D Business Associate Agreement signature page, Appendix E Budget Worksheet with Budget Justification, Appendix F Project Work Plan, and Appendix G Project Timeline. The submission format requires Microsoft Word 2016 or newer for narrative materials, 12-point Arial or Times New Roman, 8.5 by 11 inch pages, one-inch margins, specified page limits, numbered and labeled pages, section headers, organization and page-number footers, and assembly in the order given in the RFGA. The complete application with appendices must be scanned into one PDF and emailed to RFGA.DualTrackRCCS26@dch.ga.gov. Applicants must not copy DCH staff or people from other organizations on the submission email, because doing so may disqualify the application. Late, incomplete, or non-responsive applications are ineligible for review. Applications are competitively evaluated. Scored elements include the Project Declaration, Project Abstract, Project Narrative, Organizational Narrative, Financial Assessment, Budget Worksheet and Budget Justification, and Project Workplan and Timeline. The Project Narrative carries the largest share of points and includes a track-specific introduction, an administrative letter of support, proposed use of funds and spending plans, and outcomes and sustainability. The Financial Assessment uses the Rural Hospital Tax Credit 2026 Ranking of Financial Need and requires no additional applicant action. An evaluation committee reviews responsive applications and makes recommendations, but final awards remain at the sole discretion of the DCH Commissioner. Applications were released May 15, 2026. Questions were due May 26, 2026 at 11:59 pm, with responses scheduled for posting by May 29, 2026. Applications were due June 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm. The solicitation does not state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another fixed schedule. Joanne Mitchell, Grants Manager, is identified as the point of contact at jmitchell@dch.ga.gov, while RFGA questions were directed to RFGA.DualTrackRCCS@dch.ga.gov.

Choose exactly one track and follow only that track's instructions; address every requested item in the scoring guidance; keep the Budget Worksheet, Budget Justification, Project Narrative, Work Plan, and Timeline consistent; assemble documents in the exact required order; comply with formatting and page limits; include all required signatures and acknowledged addenda; do not copy DCH staff or other organizations on the application submission email; submit early enough to avoid the firm late-application disqualification rule