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Haines groups coordinate 'Haines Wellness' approach as RHTP LOI nears
Summary
Borough organizers urged nonprofits and tribal entities to coordinate RHTP letters of interest by March 11 (5:00), proposing a shared 'Haines Wellness' framing so multiple smaller applications can demonstrate community integration and stronger scoring.
Borough organizers convened nonprofits, health providers and community groups to align potential applications for the State of Alaska’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), emphasizing coordination to avoid duplicate requests and strengthen scoring.
The meeting leader explained the RHTP offers several tiers—preplanning, planning, implementation and a multi‑year option—and urged partners to reference a common community framework (proposed as a "Haines Wellness" initiative) in their LOIs to show integrated, complementary work.
"The letter of interest is due in one week. It is due on March 11," a meeting organizer said, clarifying earlier questions about whether the deadline was noon or 5 p.m. Attendees also heard that the state has been allocated roughly $273 million for the program but that projects must be under way by October 2026 to keep the funding available.
Speakers suggested clustering applications into three broad themes for better coverage: recreational/community‑center projects, services for the Upper Valley, and mobile medical/mental‑health services. Several nonprofits, the school, the borough planner and search/clinic staff described projects that could fit under the wellness umbrella, including trail connectivity, a public recreation program, school‑linked health services and expanded food/fitness programming.
Organizers recommended a short pause to "marinate" on the ideas, then reconvene partners to finalize which LOIs to file and whether the borough should submit a planning grant to coordinate the community effort.
Next steps: partners were asked to share project specifics, identify lead applicants, and decide whether to pursue planning grants or direct implementation requests before the LOI deadline.
