Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP), in partnership with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), is launching the Delaware Rural Health Challenge (DRHC) — an innovation accelerator supported through Delaware’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

The DRHC is part of Innovate Delaware, a two-year pilot to advance and strengthen the statewide innovation ecosystem. The program will accelerate the development and deployment of technology-driven solutions that improve healthcare access, affordability, quality, and chronic disease outcomes for rural Delaware communities.

Up to $5 million in milestone-based, non-dilutive grants will be awarded through the DRHC to a competitive cohort of health tech startups. Rather than a traditional accelerator built around a generalized curriculum and mentorship, the DRHC uses a reverse-pitch model: DPP and DHSS will engage healthcare providers, community organizations, state agencies, and other stakeholders to define the specific gaps and barriers rural Delawareans face in accessing and receiving care. Once priority challenges are identified, health tech startups will be recruited to develop and deploy solutions that address them directly.

The DRHC is designed to move promising solutions from development into real world deployment by connecting selected companies with Delaware healthcare organizations and rural communities to test and measure their impact on healthcare access and outcomes.

The DRHC will be supported by the Rural Health Transformation Program and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $157,394,963.86 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.