Small hospitals receive grants through UND Center for Rural Health program Ten rural North Dakota communities will benefit from grants provided to small hospitals through the North Dakota Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program administered through the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. This year the North Dakota Flex Program distributed approximately $214,000 in funds through 13 grants for small hospitals across the state to fund studies and evaluations of facilities, establish new programs, purchase new equipment and provide training to staff and volunteers. Facilities that received grants include: • Southwest Healthcare Services, Bowman • Cooperstown Medical Center, Cooperstown • Garrison Memorial Hospital, Garrison • St. Aloisius Medical Center, Harvey • Cavalier County Memorial Hospital, Langdon • Lisbon Area Health Center, Lisbon • Union Hospital, Mayville • Oakes Community Hospital, Oakes • Community Memorial Hospital, Turtle Lake • Wishek Hospital Clinic Association, Wishek The North Dakota Flex Program, funded through a grant from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (Health Resources and Services Administration), is a state-based partnership that works with and assists rural hospitals to stabilize and sustain their local health care infrastructure. In addition to grants, the CRH also uses North Dakota Flex Program funds to provide technical assistance to rural providers for community assessments, internal surveys, and strategic planning. The CRH administers the North Dakota Flex Program, which also includes formal partnerships with the North Dakota Department of Health, the North Dakota Healthcare Review, Inc., and the North Dakota Healthcare Association. -- Tara Mertz, Communication Specialist, Center for Rural Health, taramertz@medicine.nodak.edu, 7017773720