Hickman Community Hospital Receives U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Grant for Heart Failure Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hickman Community Hospital, a member of the Saint Thomas Health Services family of hospitals, was recently awarded a $372,594 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services to fund a Rural Heart Failure Outreach Consortium project.

“With these funds, we’ll be able to make a tremendous impact in a number of medically underserved areas.”

Saint Thomas Heart will be serving as one of four consortium members, all of which are hospital facilities providing care to multi-county, rural service areas in Tennessee. Due to its extensive experience with assisting rural facilities to expand capabilities with regard to cardiac care, Saint Thomas Heart will play a critical role in guiding the development and implementation of this project’s clinical activities. The Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network, which has helped 10 rural facilities in Tennessee and Southern Kentucky become accredited Chest Pain Centers, will also provide expertise in building the capacity of the rural service areas to deliver heart failure treatment.

Aimed at creating a uniform approach to treat heart failure throughout rural areas in Tennessee, the program will promote the standardization of education and protocol among rural primary care and emergency department physicians, as well as assist in the implementation of outpatient heart failure clinics and ongoing engagement of the target population though educational outreach.

Hickman will receive $147,594 for the first year, $125,000 the second year and $100,000 the third year. Thirty-six percent of the total project cost will be financed by federal funding.

“We are grateful to the United State Department of Health and Human Services for their generosity in rewarding Hickman Community Hospital with this grant,” said Jack Keller, CEO of Hickman Community Hospital.

“With these funds, we’ll be able to make a tremendous impact in a number of medically underserved areas.”

The program caters to all residents of Tennessee’s Benton, Carroll, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Henry, Hickman, Lewis, Lincoln, Moore, Perry, Stewart and Weakley counties. All 13 counties are considered medically underserved areas.

Ultimately the program will improve education, diagnosis and treatment related to heart failure, resulting in the slowing progression of heart failure, improving the quality of life for heart failure patients and reducing regional heart disease deaths.