Rural Health Transformation Program

About the Funding: What is RHTP and Why Does It Matter?

The Nebraska Rural Health Transformation Plan is a statewide initiative led by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) aimed at strengthening rural health infrastructure, expanding community-based care, and addressing key health disparities across Nebraska communities.

Why This Funding Matters

Rural and suburban-rural communities often face unique healthcare challenges, including long travel distances to specialty care, workforce shortages, and barriers to accessing preventative wellness programs. RHTP funding provides dedicated resources to address these gaps locally by:

• Promoting Preventative Wellness: Investing in physical activity and nutrition to establish healthy habits early in life.
• Bridging Gaps in Care: Expanding the Community Health Worker workforce to guide residents through local health, social, and human service systems.
• Advancing Health Equity: Ensuring every resident—regardless of location, background, or income—has access to tools and resources that support long-term health.

Our RHTP Initiatives

At Sarpy/Cass Health Department, we are actively implementing two key RHTP subaward initiatives:

Initiative 1.5b: Kids Fitness & Nutrition

To tackle childhood health disparities and foster lifelong healthy habits, this initiative focuses on improving nutrition and physical activity behaviors through incentive-driven, community-wide engagement.

• The Goal: Build equitable access to nutrition education and physical activity across our community through hands-on learning and an interactive programming.

• Target Impact: Educate hundreds of local residents and establish physical activity and nutrition opportunities across multiple community settings.

Initiative 2.3a: Community Health Worker Network

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trusted frontline public health workers who serve as a vital link between health/social services and the community. Through this initiative, our CHW network delivers hands-on assistance tailored to local needs.

• The Goal: Expand our local CHW team to navigate social determinants of health, coordinate care, and improve health outcomes for individuals and families.

• Core Focus Areas:

  • Maternal & Child Health (MCH): Providing Child Passenger Safety (CPS) car seat inspections, supporting safe sleep initiatives, assisting with healthcare enrollment, and guiding families to prenatal and pediatric care.

  • Social Needs Navigation & SDoH: Conducting screenings to identify unmet needs—such as housing, food security, and transportation—and guiding residents through programs like ACCESS Nebraska.

  • Chronic Disease Prevention & Management: Offering free community health screenings (e.g., blood pressure monitoring), leading walking groups, facilitating Living Well with Chronic Conditions classes, and expanding access to healthy food options.

  • Emergency Preparedness & Environmental Health: Providing emergency readiness education and resources to high-risk populations, alongside community outreach on air quality, radon, and safe drinking water.