Communities of Care

The purpose of Request for Proposal (RFP) #COMPADM26005 is to identify qualified applicants to serve as pilot Communities of Care Co-Location Sites for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (the Agency). This procurement seeks to establish rural Co-Location Sites where multiple providers work together in one place so residents can access a broad range of services that address health and health related social needs in a single visit. This project will also transform Rural healthcare delivery by providing an opportunity for Co-location Sites to share costs and sustain care long term in their local communities. The Co-Location Sites will bring together at least three separate and distinct service delivery entities, each offering different types of initiatives or services, which will collaborate in integrating services within a single rural location. The purpose of these co-location sites is to expand and sustain access to care in rural communities, foster new partnerships among local providers, improve chronic disease outcomes, and embed preventive and chronic disease management services so individuals can access multiple coordinated appointments in one place. Through the Healthy Hometowns Rural Health Transformation Program, Iowa is working toward innovative and transformative models of healthcare delivery to best serve rural Iowans. This procurement is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling approximately $209,040,063.71 over a five-year period with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government. Iowa’s year two award for this program is anticipated by October 31, 2026, and budget amounts could change at that time. All activities presented within this RFP, including access to funds, are subject to CMS approval of the Agency’s year 2 budget. This work implements a portion of the Communities of Care initiative of the Iowa Healthy Hometowns Project, funded through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program, opportunity #: CMS-RHT-26-001. Applicants for this RFP will be known as Co-Location Site Leads. Co-Location Site Leads will identify at least three separate and distinct service delivery entities (inclusive of the Co-Location Site Lead to make a total of three) in which each will provide different types of initiatives or services at a single Rural site. Service delivery entities may include, but are not limited to: • Local public health agencies • Federally Qualified Health Centers, • Community Health Centers, • Rural Health Clinics • Hospitals • Physician groups and other primary care providers • Behavioral health organizations • Substance use treatment programs • Pharmacies • Dentists and oral health providers • Maternal, adolescent, and child health entities • Nutrition services • Aging and disability service organizations • Community Based Organizations • Outpatient rehabilitation services • Minor urgent care clinics • Laboratories and diagnostic testing entities • Other healthcare or social service entities committed to reducing chronic disease These entities are expected to collaborate on the application; however, the Co-Location Site Lead is ultimately responsible for submitting the application and leading the work of the funded Co-Location Site. At least one of the service delivery entities must provide services related to chronic disease prevention and management. The applicant may include up to two Service Delivery Entities at the Co-Location Site who are affiliated with or managed by the same organization. However, priority points in the application scoring shall be awarded for Co-Location Sites that indicate that all three (3) Co-Location Site Service Delivery Entities (inclusive of the Co-Location Site Lead) are not affiliated with or managed by the same organization. Priority points shall be awarded to applicants in which at least one of the three designated Co-Location Site Service Delivery Entities is a provider that offers services that addresses health related social needs. Priority points shall be awarded to applicants in which only one of the three designated Co-Location Site Service Delivery Entities provides medical care by an Iowa licensed medical practitioner. The Co-Location Site Lead must include signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with all proposed service delivery entities at the time of application (signed by ALL parties). These MOUs must demonstrate the partners’ commitment to collaboration and state that the parties are working in good faith toward a formal legal agreement within six months of the MOU’s signature date. This Agreement must be signed by an authorized official from the Co-Location