Rural Health Networks in Florida

In 1993, Section 381.0406, Florida Statutes established the basis for the formation of cooperative, nonprofit health networks in rural areas of Florida. These organizations were directed to address the fundamental problems in rural health, including inadequate financing, problems with recruitment and retention of health personnel, and migration of patients from rural providers to urban providers. The networks are intended to integrate public and private health resources, to emphasize cooperation over competition, and to increase usage of statutory rural hospitals in an effort to support rural economies.

According to the 2000 Census, 33 of Florida’s 67 counties are considered rural based on the statutory definition of “an area with a population density of less than 100 individuals per square mile or an area defined by the most recent United States Census as rural.” Rural counties are located primarily in the Florida Panhandle, north central Florida, the south central portion of the state, and the Florida Keys. Approximately 1.1 million of Florida’s 16 million citizens live in those rural counties. Portions of other Florida counties also contain large, rural areas but are not classified as rural. Many of the counties bordering on the Atlantic and Gulf have populations concentrated near the coast, but thinly populated interiors. Nine rural health networks were formed in Florida, covering 28 of the 33 rural counties as well as parts of 13 non-rural counties. The Department of Health has the responsibility for certifying the Rural Health Networks and for distributing grant funds to eligible participants.