Federal Grant Award Summary

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy awarded Seven Valleys Health Coalition, Inc. a $100,000 Project Grant effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, under the Rural Healthcare Services Programs (CFDA 93.912). This planning grant supports the development of the Cortland County Perinatal Health Network (CCPHN), which will create an integrated model of care to expand access to and improve the quality of prenatal, birth, and postpartum healthcare services in rural Cortland County, New York. The network will coordinate services across multiple partners, including Guthrie Cortland Medical Center (the county's only hospital-based labor and delivery department), Family Health Network (the Federally Qualified Health Center), the Doula Partnership (a community-based birth and postpartum doula program), local mental health providers, and substance use treatment providers to address critical service gaps in this Northern Appalachian region.

The CCPHN planning initiative directly addresses the health professional shortage area and medically underserved population designation in Cortland County, where pregnant individuals currently lack local access to birth centers, midwives, and obstetric/gynecological services, with the nearest alternative hospitals located 25-35 miles away. Through this one-year planning period, the network partners will develop an integrated care delivery framework that enhances accessibility and quality of perinatal services, strengthen collaborative relationships among existing service providers, and establish infrastructure for sustainable, coordinated perinatal health support across the county.