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CalRHT webinar Q&A: how rural is "rural," EHR funding, community health workers and behavioral health
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Summary
Officials answered attendee questions on rural eligibility (FO RHP definition), EHR interoperability funding, central role for community health workers, behavioral-health coordination with other state funding, and the challenge of limited per-capita funding for California.
Department of Health Care Access and Information officials used a live Q&A to clarify common applicant concerns and technical questions about CalRHT.
On how "rural" is defined, Hovit Khosroevian pointed attendees to the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (HRSA) guidance and said organizations that treat rural patients can be considered eligible even if their physical location is not in a rural census tract. "If you wanna know if an area is rural, there's the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy on the Health Resource Services Administration website," he said.
Dr. Lametta Tafara said technology proposals to support EHR modernization and bidirectional interfaces are welcome if applicants can show how the work will improve care coordination and quality. "Those types of initiatives are welcome, and the technology and tools narrative describes that this is exactly what we seek to elevate through the CalRHT program," she said, while noting funding limits will constrain how many sites can be fully supported.
Both speakers emphasized the central role for community health workers (including promotores and navigators) in care collaboratives and workforce strategies; Khosroevian said CHWs generally would not be subject to the five-year workforce obligation tied to some licensed/certified awards.
On behavioral health, Tafara said CalRHT will support behavioral-health-related training and care integration in collaboratives but noted larger behavioral-health initiatives (Behavioral Health Connect, Behavioral Health Services Act) are separate funding streams with greater funding levels. He encouraged applicants to consider how CalRHT initiatives could complement existing behavioral-health investments rather than duplicate them.
Attendees also asked about program challenges; Tafara said the state's allocation relative to its population is a challenge and CalRHT staff will prioritize early accelerator partnerships and targeted first-year grants. The department said unanswered questions will be addressed via email and future topic-specific webinars.
