By MDA Staff Writer | October 2, 2026
Clarksdale, Mississippi — Two Mississippi organizations will participate in a federally funded initiative intended to strengthen cooperation among rural hospitals, health centers and other providers serving the Delta.
The Mississippi Rural Hospital Alliance and the Clarksdale-based Delta Health Transformation Council are among six organizations in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana selected for the Delta Rural Integrated Health Network Program.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is providing $2.8 million for the multistate initiative. Participating organizations will use the money over two years to develop or strengthen networks involving rural hospitals, primary-care clinics, behavioral-health providers and other essential healthcare organizations.
Federal award records show the Delta Health Transformation Council received $466,000 for its portion of the project.
The council’s network includes five rural hospitals and four federally qualified health centers. Its project will focus on governance, regional planning, information-sharing agreements and other infrastructure needed for improved coordination among providers.
Planned work includes a population-health assessment, regional system-of-care plan and evaluation of the network’s readiness for value-based healthcare arrangements. Organizers also intend to develop stronger referral relationships and reduce fragmented care.
Cooperation can help smaller providers share expertise and administrative resources while improving connections between patients and services that may not be available in every community.
The federal program continues a partnership between HRSA and the Delta Regional Authority that began in 2017. Its broader goal is to address healthcare access and financial pressures affecting rural providers across the multistate Delta region.
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Source: Official Sept. 29 announcement and federal award record for the Delta Health Transformation Council