Endowment Challenge Forms

To apply for matching funds from the Wyoming Critical Access/Rural Hospital Endowment Challenge Program, eligible hospitals must complete the following forms: a state vendor form, a contact list, and a request for payment form.

This guide, developed by the State Treasurer's Office, provides helpful background information for setting your hospital up to participate in the program.

Please email or call with any questions about these forms or the application process.

Issue Briefings

The third annual Rural Hospital Replacement Facility Study, conducted by Stroudwater Associates and Red Capital Group, indicates that rural hospitals realized improvements in patient volumes, staff recruiting, operational efficiency, and quality of care following facility replacements. Read an executive summary of the study, or email your request for the complete study.

The RUPRI Center and the Walsh Center recently published the following joint issue brief: "Critical Access Hospitals' Experience With Medicare Advantage Plans." Findings from this survey of 60 CAH administrators identify concerns that, as the Medicare Advantage program evolves, may be addressed through technical assistance and changes in regulation or legislation.
Date: 2008

Rural Assistance Center

Below are additional documents compiled by the Rural Assistance Center that may be helpful to other members of the network. If you would like to upload a document that you think could be helpful to others, just email it here.

Access Denied: A Look at America's Medically Disenfranchised
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers Reports results of a study that found inadequate access to a primary care physicians due to shortages of these physicians in certain communities. Includes some rural-specific information on health care access.
Date: 2007

American Hospital Association Section for Small or Rural Hospitals 2006 Annual Report
Author(s): AHA Section for Small or Rural Hospitals
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
Describes advocacy and other efforts taken by the American Hospital Association and its Section for Small or Rural Hospitals in 2006 to address the needs of rural hospitals.
Date: 2006

Choosing Rural Definitions: Implications for Health Policy
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller, Rebecca T. Slifkin, Mary K. Wakefield
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Rural Health Panel
Provides an overview of rural definitions and their policy implications. Discusses the factors that should be considered in selecting among rural definitions.
Date: 03 / 2007

Creative Class: A Key to Rural Growth
Author(s): David A. McGranahan, Timothy R. Wojan
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Provides an overview of the creative class concept, that people in highly creative occupations have a greater impact on an area's economic development. Discusses how the creative class has impacted rural areas' economies.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 04 / 2007

Delivering HIV Care in Rural Areas
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Describes delivery techniques and approaches for providing HIV care in rural areas.
Date: 2007

Fighting Stigma and Denial
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses the stigma and denial surrounding HIV in rural areas and methods that providers can take to address patients' concerns.
Date: 2007

Hospital Size, Uncertainty and Pay-for-Performance
Author(s): Gestur Davidson, Ira Moscovice, Denise Remus
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Discusses hospital quality issues, hospital size, and pay-for-performance.
Date: 02 / 2007

Population Dynamics Are Changing the Profile of Rural Areas
Author(s): Carol A. Jones, William Kandel, Timothy Parker
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Overview of the impact that changing rural populations may have on rural communities. Addresses the benefits and the challenges brought by an influx of retirees and ethnic populations.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 04 / 2007

Rural Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Is Concentrated in Private Fee-for-Service Plans
Author(s): Timothy D. McBride, Tanchica L. Terry, Keith J. Mueller
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Provides findings about enrollment in the newly designed Medicare Advantage (MA) program in rural and urban areas. Includes rural and urban data on enrollment in Medicare Advantage and other pre-paid plans by type of plan. Also provides state-level information on MA enrollment.
Date: 04 / 2007

Written Testimony at the House Veterans' Affairs Oversight Hearing, Access to VA Health Care: How Easy is it for Veterans? Addressing the Gaps, April 18, 2007
Author(s): Andy Behrman
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Written testimony of NRHA Rural Health Policy Board Chair Andy Behrman for the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The testimony discusses current VA successes in providing quality care for rural veterans and suggestions for further improvements in quality of care.
Date: 04 / 2007