Review of State Flex Program Plans 2004-2005

This briefing paper examines the project activities proposed by states in their Fiscal Year 2004 Flex Program grant applications (September 2004-August 2005) and highlights recent trends in State Flex Program planning, development, and implementation.
Of the forty-five state grant applications reviewed, funding requests were greatest for activities related to network development (18%), quality improvement (21%), and supporting existing CAHs (22%). Some states provided funding directly to CAHs under state administered mini-grant programs to support hospital specific activities while others chose to use funds to support more statewide and/or regional activities to address the needs of CAHs through conferences and meetings, training and education initiatives, technical assistance services, recruitment and retention initiatives, operational assessments, and community needs assessments among others.