Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program
Deadline: 4/1/2022
Amount: unspecified
Website: https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/healthcare-connect-fund-program/
Description:
to increase the efficiency of health-related facilities that are located in rural areas by increasing broadband capabilities and upgrading network equipment, services, and facilities. Projects may include designing or constructing a new network or building upon an existing network. The Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program provides a 65% discount on eligible broadband connectivity expenses for eligible rural health care providers (HCPs).
Broadband connections to off-site data centers and administrative offices used by a facility for healthcare purposes are eligible for funding. Subject to certain restrictions, support may also be provided for connections used by eligible HCPs:
- Between eligible HCP sites and off-site data centers or off-site administrative offices,
- Between two off-site data centers,
- Between two off-site administrative offices,
- Between an off-site data center and the public Internet or another network, and
- Between an off-site administrative office and an off-site data center or the public Internet or another network.
Eligible applicants:
To be eligible, your health care site must meet all of the following criteria:
1. Must be a public or nonprofit entity
2. Must be one of the following types of facilities:
– A post-secondary educational institution offering healthcare instruction, such as teaching hospitals or medical schools,
– A community health center or health center providing healthcare to migrants,
– A local health department or agency,
– A community mental health center,
– A not-for-profit hospital,
– A rural health clinic,
– A dedicated emergency room of a rural for-profit hospital
– A skilled nursing facility (SNF), or
– A consortium of health care providers (HCPs) that includes at least one of the facilities mentioned in (a) through (h).
3. Must be in a rural location as defined by the FCC. If your site is not located in a rural area, it still may be eligible to apply to the HCF program as part of a consortium.