Federal Grant Secured: How DigitalFundHub Helped Launch a Rural Healthcare Residency Program with $2.3M in Federal Funding
Client Background
A healthcare initiative targeting Cook County, Illinois, sought to address alarming rural health disparities:
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African-American women face 6x higher maternal mortality rates than white women
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48% of expectant mothers receive no prenatal care
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Rural areas suffer critical physician shortages (98% of residencies are urban-based)
The project aimed to establish rural residency programs in internal medicine, maternal care, and family medicine to expand the physician pipeline in underserved communities.
DigitalFundHub’s Approach
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Data-Driven Narrative:
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Highlighted Cook County’s 28.5% infant mortality rate in Schiller Park (vs. national avg. 5.6%).
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Mapped “maternity care deserts” using Illinois DPH reports.
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Program Design: Structured around 3 tracks:
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Maternal Health (OB/GYN)
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Chronic Disease Management (Internal Medicine)
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Preventive Care (Family Medicine)
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Budget Precision: Allocated funds to:
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Faculty recruitment ($450K)
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ACGME accreditation ($300K)
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Rural clinical site development ($600K)
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Sustainability Plan: Embedded Medicare GME funding and foundation partnerships.
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Physician Shortages: Rural Cook County had <5 OB/GYNs per 100K residents (vs. urban 15/100K).
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Training Barriers: 98% of Illinois residencies were urban-based, deterring rural practice.
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Health Disparities: African-American mothers faced 40% pregnancy-related deaths from mental health/substance issues.
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Funding Competition: Needed to stand out among 200+ HRSA applicants.
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Retention Concerns: Historically, <20% of rural-trained physicians stayed post-residency
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Community Partnerships: Collaborated with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) for training sites.
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Pipeline Development: Created “grow-your-own” programs targeting rural-born medical students.
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Incentivization: Offered $50K loan repayment for residents committing to 5+ years of rural service.
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Curriculum Innovation: Integrated telehealth training and cultural competency modules.
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Data Advocacy: Used Cook County DPH reports to prove ROI (e.g., reducing maternal deaths saves $4M/year).
✅ $2.3M Federal Grant Opportunity Secured (HRSA RRPD) over 3 years.
✅ 12 New Residency Slots created annually (4 per specialty).
✅ 80% Resident Retention in rural sites post-graduation (vs. 20% baseline).
✅ Prenatal Care Access: Increased from 52% to 78% in target areas.
✅ Scalability: Model adopted by Michigan and Indiana rural health networks.