Meyer unveils billion-dollar rural healthcare overhaul

Gov. Matt Meyer has unveiled a plan to expand access to healthcare in rural areas of Sussex and Kent counties, while also creating the state’s first four-year medical school.

Meyer made the announcement Nov. 12, at Beebe Healthcare’s Rollins School of Nursing in Lewes.

The state has submitted an application for a $1 billion grant from the Rural Health Transformation Program. Meyer said the state expects to receive at least $500 million from the request, paid out, in part, every year for five years. Meyer said the funding will mean a generational healthcare overhaul for southern Delaware.

“For too many families, primary care is not an option,” he said. “The problems are real in the northern part of the state, and they are particularly acute down here. Our plan focuses on expanding access, lowering costs and improving outcomes.”

The grant application listed 15 critical projects, programs and initiatives where the money would be focused. At the top of the list is launching Delaware’s first four-year medical school.

“We want to create a train-here, stay-here pipeline,” Meyer said. “By training future doctors here, connecting them to rural communities, we’ll build a more stable workforce for generations to come.”

Meyer said the state would likely have to partner with an out-of-state medical school, along with Delaware universities. Meyer said Beebe would be considered to collaborate on a medical school.

Dr. Neil Hockstein, chair of the Delaware Healthcare Commission, said the key is to make Delaware a net importer of healthcare talent.

“We need to start in middle school and get [students] excited about going to medical school, get them into undergraduate school, medical school, residencies in Delaware, and have loan repayment, so those students stay in Delaware,” Hockstein said.

The list of 15 priorities includes the creation of a rural workforce development plan to offer financial incentives to Delaware medical students who commit to practicing in rural areas.

The rural healthcare plan does not call for large-scale building of infrastructure, but instead expanding a network of mobile health units and creating decentralized care for rural residents.

“Our goal is to meet people where they are,” Meyer said. “Once we execute this plan, healthcare will be delivered in ways where physical presence is less necessary than it ever was before.”

Beebe Healthcare already operates two mobile units – the Behavioral Health Unit and the Community Mobile Health Clinic – that bring care to rural parts of Sussex County.

Dr. David Tam, Beebe president and CEO, said they governor’s initiative expands that mission.

“These projects proposed by Gov. Meyer, many of which Beebe supports and is eager to partner on, create a pathway to permanently change the healthcare delivery landscape and workforce, while improving the health and well-being of all residents and caregivers,” Tam said.

Another of the 15 grant priorities is the Rural Hope Center Initiative. It would expand the hope center model to Sussex and Kent counties, turning underused state properties into integrated hubs for healthcare, housing and workforce services.

As New Castle County executive, Meyer was able to open the first hope center in a former hotel.

“It basically provides a short-term stay where we try to provide those who are most vulnerable in our communities with everything they need to stabilize their lives and help support them to get to the next step,” Meyer said.

Meyer said the state expects to be notified about the grant award by Dec. 31.