Rural health network development planning grant program

Mariposa Community Health Center, Inc. received a $200,000 Rural Health Network Development Planning Grant from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy under the Rural Healthcare Services Programs (CFDA 93.912) for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The award supports the planning and development of the Mariposa Family Medicine Rural Residency Partnership, an integrated rural health care network designed to address critical primary care provider shortages in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The planning grant will facilitate collaborative efforts among network participants to develop strategies for family medicine provider workforce development and improved patient quality of care, with a focus on establishing residency training opportunities in rural settings to counter the national trend of 91% of medical residents receiving no rural training experience.

The project addresses documented health professional shortages in Santa Cruz County, where Arizona ranks 42nd nationally in primary care provider availability and currently meets only 39% of its primary care provider needs. Through network development planning activities, Mariposa Community Health Center will work to achieve operational efficiencies, expand access to coordinated basic health care services, and strengthen the overall rural health care system. The initiative targets designated Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Areas within the county, with particular emphasis on serving the region's predominantly Hispanic, low-income population in this underserved border community.