Michigan Rural Behavioral Health Intellectual and Development Disabilities Pilot - 2027

Summary

As part of RHTP's Care Closer to Home Blueprint Initiative, the Advancing Rural Behavioral Health Blueprint aims to transform access to care in rural communities by creating sustainable, community-based pathways that bring health services closer to where people live and work. By connecting partners across health and social sectors, the initiative reimagines care delivery, improves transportation access, and simplifies access to primary and behavioral health. The initiative will support innovative behavioral health models that increase access in rural areas, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and reliance on law enforcement, and improve services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The initiative will also support efforts to establish and maintain accurate data on the prevalence of I/DD in rural communities to inform planning and improve service delivery.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include local public health departments, nonprofit organizations, community mental health agencies, and other entities capable of providing behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability services in rural Michigan communities.

Requirements Checklist

• Applicants must demonstrate capacity to implement innovative, sustainable models for behavioral health and I/DD service delivery in rural areas; partnerships with local stakeholders are strongly encouraged. Funded projects must include mechanisms to collect and report prevalence data for I/DD in the service area, and support improvements in transportation and access to care.