Grace Cottage Hospital diabetic patients to benefit from federal grant

Grace Cottage Hospital will receive $312,000 over the next three years for a diabetes education program, thanks to a successful Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grant application.
Grace Cottage was recently notified of the grant from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HHS-HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP).
The funds will allow Grace Cottage to add a full-time Diabetes Educator to its staff to provide patients with educational workshops and support groups and to serve as a liaison for follow-up care. During a recent county-wide Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), the need to improve awareness, management and education for Windham County’s diabetic population was identified as one of the most pressing health issues.
In addition, the grant will cover the cost of creating an electronic report module to link Grace Cottage to a statewide patient registry, so patient data can be tracked and compared to statewide and national outcomes in order to achieve optimal results.
Founded in 1949, Grace Cottage Hospital includes a 19-bed hospital with emergency department, in-patient acute care, skilled rehabilitation, full-service lab, and digital imaging (digital X-ray, CT Scanner, ultrasound, and bone densitometer); a rural health clinic offering family practice, pediatric, geriatric, and mental health services; an outpatient rehabilitation department providing physical, occupational, and speech therapy; a retail pharmacy; a full-service lab; and a Community Wellness Center with a wide range of healthy living classes, including Smoking Cessation, Weight Watchers, Yoga, and Strong Bones.
‘Only 30 of these grants were awarded this year, so this was a highly competitive grant process. The award recognizes Grace Cottage’s crucial role in the health of the community it serves,’ said Grace Cottage Hospital Board of Trustees President Deborah Boyle.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) provided support to Grace Cottage during the grant application process. ‘Grace Cottage Hospital is an outstanding institution providing access to quality health care for rural Vermonters,’ he said. ‘I applaud their commitment to coordinated primary care and their leadership in implementing Vermont’s Blueprint for Health. This grant will be put to good use creating a much needed electronic reporting system that will help patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions improve their health.’