Department of Health

The meeting included discussions on the LHD Funding Formula, grant reviews, and disease plans such as Blood Lead, Ebola Virus, Influenza, and Hepatitis A. Exempt grants were reviewed, and topics such as the State Primary Care Offices (PCO) Grant, State Loan Repayment Programs, and Mini-Grants Available to Offer Leadership Learning for Professionals Working in Public were addressed.

The committee reviewed and discussed several rules and grants. A revision of R386-702, the Communicable Disease Rule, was approved contingent on EIE review and approval. The Childhood Lead Poisoning and Prevention Program grant was approved with a final budget update. Language modifications to the R380-50 LHD Funding Formula will be taken to the health officers meeting for clarifying verbiage and brought back to Governance. An amendment to R386-703, the Injury Reporting Rule, was approved to change the blood lead reference level. Exempt grants, including the BJA FY25 Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the Rape Prevention and Education Supplemental Funding FY26, were discussed.

This document summarizes Utah's Rural Health Transformation Program application, outlining a vision to transform rural health through sustainable, generational investments. The plan is guided by four strategic goals: making rural Utahns healthy, workforce development, innovation and access, and technology innovation. It aims to achieve four overarching outcomes: improving health outcomes, improving access, improving quality, and strengthening the workforce, through seven broad initiatives in partnership with stakeholders.

The meeting included a review of Rule R392-105 regarding Agritourism Food Establishment Sanitation, for which no further action was needed due to no proposed content changes. Language modifications to Rule R380-50, concerning the LHD Funding Formula, were discussed and will be revisited in the next meeting. There were updates from the IPHS on the Wise Woman Workgroup, which presented recommendations for fund allocation, and on potential shifts in immunization outbreak response funding to support measles outbreak response. Several grants were labeled as exempt, including the State Primary Care Offices (PCO) Grant.

Utah's Rural Health Transformation Plan is a comprehensive, multi-faceted initiative led by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, designed to build resilient and sustainable rural health systems across Utah through generational investments. It is guided by four strategic pillars: Making Rural Utahns Healthy, Workforce Development, Innovation and Access, and Technology Innovation. The plan outlines seven integrated initiatives (PATH, RISE, SHIFT, FAST, LIFT, SUPPORT, LINCS) to achieve improved health outcomes, expanded access to care, enhanced quality, and a strengthened healthcare workforce for rural Utahns, fostering healthy lifestyles and financially sustainable health systems.