The Rural Hospital Program Coordinator works as part of the Center for Rural Health (C4RH) team to improve access to healthcare services in rural communities by developing, implementing, and coordinating activities of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) grant and Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) grant. The Flex and SHIP grants are two of three federal grants that support the State Office of Rural Health's (SORH) core operations within the C4RH, providing an institutional framework that links small rural communities with state and federal resources to develop long-term rural health solutions. The SORH builds partnerships to increase access to health services, develop better systems of care, and improve rural communities' health status. The Rural Hospital Program Coordinator leads the core activities of the Flex and SHIP grants, providing expert technical assistance and strategic resources to support rural health system development. The Rural Hospital Program Coordinator compiles and uses extensive data from a variety of national, state, and local sources, prepares program reports, and writes federal grant applications. In addition to effective relationships with hospital administrators, the Rural Hospital Program Coordinator maintains collaborative relationships with other partnering organizations, government officials, and national and regional rural health organizations. The Rural Hospital Program Coordinator also supports C4RH’s engagement in racial equity work, actively applies racial equity frameworks to all aspects of their work, and collaborates with other C4RH and BCHAP staff to build understanding and capacity to effectively incorporate this framing in other programs.
Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):
- Guide and support Rural Hospital Program partners, grantees, and contractors to ensure the facilitation of programmatic and capacity-building activities to meet program goals, objectives, and expectations.
- Identify and document the needs of Massachusetts’ rural healthcare systems and those of local rural healthcare organizations and provide technical assistance and resources to address those needs.
- Provide expert technical assistance and strategic resources for achieving measurable improvement in the areas of healthcare quality, operations, and finances, as well as enhancing local health system development to small rural hospitals in support of national and state healthcare reform priorities.
- Facilitate and lead the planning of regular network meetings including but not limited to the Rural Hospital CEO and CFO Forum, the Rural Hospital Quality Improvement Networks, as well as additional meetings with internal and external partners as needed.
- Conduct program planning, coordinate the implementation of evidence-based interventions, develop data standards to monitor progress and evaluate the impact of program activities to determine program effectiveness, ensure compliance, and recommend changes as needed.
- Lead preparation of grant deliverables and evaluation in collaboration with the Rural Population Health Manager to ensure accurate and timely completion of activities and reporting.
- Apply a health equity and racial equity lens to all aspects of work, particularly when implementing programs and addressing community needs, including leveraging existing rural expertise, implementing best practice tools, and building capacity to improve rural residents’ health in ways that address structural racism, long-erm geographic disparities, and other root causes of poor health.
- Act as the primary point of contact for funders of activities related to the Flex and SHIP Grant Programs, including email communication, providing updates and progress reports, responding to inquiries from funders and partners, and participating on calls and meetings.
Required Qualifications:
- Talent to analyze and determine the applicability of data, to draw conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations.
- Capacity to maintain accurate records.
- Power to prepare general reports.
- Ability to write concisely, express thoughts clearly, and develop ideas in logical sequence.
- Means to exercise discretion in handling confidential information.
- Ability to understand, explain and apply the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, etc. governing assigned unit activities.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Three years of experience in work relevant to public health, program coordination or management, program planning or analysis.
- Knowledge of rural healthcare systems and rural models of care, as well as experience with data collection, performance monitoring, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Strong writing experience with drafting announcements, informational materials, presentations, articles, and reports.
- Lived experience working with rural communities preferred.
- Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of data, draw conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations and maintain accurate records.
- Commitment to travel to rural communities to present and participate in educational activities of external partner organizations.
- Demonstrate an understanding of social determinants of health and a commitment to health equity, particularly racial equity, and racial justice.
About the Department of Public Health:
The mission of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is to prevent illness, injury, and premature death, to assure access to high quality public health and health care services, and to promote wellness and health equity for all people in the Commonwealth. We envision a Commonwealth in which all people enjoy optimal health. Massachusetts ranks among the healthiest of states according to comparative analyses, but we face numerous challenges, including chronic and infectious disease, substance abuse, violence, preventable hospitalizations, and health disparities. DPH coordinates programs and policies to address specific diseases and conditions and offer services to address the needs of vulnerable populations. We also develop, implement, promote, and enforce regulations and policies to assure that the conditions under which people live are most conducive to health and enable people to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. We license health professionals, healthcare facilities and a variety of businesses that impact public health. We operate the state laboratory and four public health hospitals. We monitor health status and manage vital records including births, marriages and deaths. We educate people about public health issues and work closely with local boards of health and community partners to identify and solve public health problems. More information can be found at: MA Department of Public Health
Pre-Hire Process:
A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://www.mass.gov/hhs/cori Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines. Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.
ADA Reasonable Accommodation:
If you require a reasonable accommodation with the application/interview process, please contact us at: EOHHS Candidate ADA Requests For questions regarding this requisition, please contact the Executive Office of Health and Human Services Human Resources at 1-800- 510-4122 Ext. #4
First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must have at least (A) four years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional, administrative or managerial experience in business administration, business management or public administration the major duties of which involved program management, program administration, program coordination, program planning and/or program analysis, and (B) of which at least one year must have been in a supervisory capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
Substitutions:
I. A Bachelor's degree with a major in business administration, business management or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.*
II. A Graduate degree with a major in business administration, business management or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of three years of the required (A) experience.*
III. A Bachelor's or higher degree with a major other than in business administration, business management or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.*
*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.
NOTE: No substitutions will be permitted for the required (B) experience.
Salary placement is determined by a combination of factors, including the candidate’s years of directly related experience and education, and alignment with our internal compensation structure as set forth by the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines. For all bargaining unit positions (non-management), compensation is subject to the salary provisions outlined in the applicable collective bargaining agreement and will apply to placement within the appropriate salary range. Comprehensive Benefits When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future. Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.
