History
1991
The Minnesota Rural Health Coalition developed the concept, structure, and strategic plan for the Minnesota Center for Rural Health with support from the Northwest Area Foundation, the major state health associations, and the University of Minnesota and Mayo Foundation.
1993
The Center began a public-private partnership with the Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care by collaborating on a Robert Wood Johnson foundation primary care grant.
1993 - present
The Center initiated the Health Professional Placement and Retention program for greater Minnesota hospitals and clinics to provide recruitment services for physicians and communities.
1994 - 1996
The Apostle Island Group was convened by the Center as a forum to identify long term solutions to ensure access to healthcare in rural communities. A position paper was developed proposing a nation rural health resource center.
1995 - 1997
The Center developed a rural locum tenens program with the University of Minnesota and provided 2,000 hours of family practice coverage for rural clinics.
1995 - 1998
The Center administered the Northeast Minnesota Primary Care Fund that provided scholarships for 21 physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
1996 - 2003
The Minnesota Center for Rural Health provided community development and student placement services to the Minnesota Rural Health School.
1997 - 1998
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy contracted with the Center to develop a national resource center to support State Offices of Rural Health.
1998
The Center provided technical assistance and education for rural health networks through a contract with the Alpha Center.
1999
The National Rural Health Resource Center established and staffed the Technical Assistance and Services Center for the Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program for the Office of Rural Health Policy through a partnership with Mountain States Group.
2000
The Minnesota Center for Rural Health convened a statewide forum addressing healthcare workforce issues. Eleven regional healthcare workforce forums with over 600 participants were coordinated throughout Minnesota with the Minnesota Health Professions Workforce Partnership.
2001
The National Rural Health Resource Center and Mountain States Group developed and implemented the Mississippi Delta Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Project through a contract with the Office of Rural Health Policy.
2002
The Minnesota Center for Rural Health partnered with the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care and University of Minnesota Extension to implement the Minnesota Rural Health Works program providing economic impact studies and community planning to critical access hospitals.
2003
The National Rural Health Resource Center and the Minnesota Center for Rural Health came together to create the Rural Health Resource Center consolidating functions, boards and missions. RHRC coordinated the first rural health quality summit in 2003 with national quality and rural health leaders.
2004
The Rural Health Resource Center in partnership, with Mountain States Group, was awarded an additional three year contract for the Mississippi Delta Rural Hospital Performance Improvement project. RHRC completed an analysis of the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program that provides grants to SORHs for small rural hospitals. RHRC facilitated a national summit to respond to the Institute of Medicines report Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health Care with 50 participants representing rural health care and quality organizations. Throughout 2004, RHRC coordinated regional workforce forums in Minnesota to plan for future health professional workforce needs.
Current initiatives include serving as the Technical Assistance and Services Center for the Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program and the Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Project in the Mississippi River Delta Region, a partnership with Georgia State University through the Rural Health Network Technical Assistance Program. An analysis of the 2004 SHIP grant project, as well as hosting the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Monitoring Team Web site. The Center is hosting the first rural hospital performance improvement conference in June 2005. In addition, RHRC provides rural health care, workforce support to the University of Minnesota, the State of Minnesota, and Minnesota rural hospitals and clinics through the Minnesota Center for Rural Health placement and retention program.