(1) The community health care collaborative grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis based on a determination of which applicant organization will best serve the purposes of the grant program established in RCW 41.05.650. In making this determination, priority for funding shall be given to the applicants that demonstrate:

     (a) The initiatives to be supported by the community health care collaborative grant are likely to address, in a measurable fashion, documented health care access and quality improvement goals aligned with state health policy priorities and needs within the region to be served;

     (b) The applicant organization must document formal, active collaboration among key community partners that includes local governments, school districts, large and small businesses, nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, carriers, private health care providers, public health agencies, and community public health and safety networks, as defined in RCW 70.190.010;

     (c) The applicant organization will match the community health care collaborative grant with funds from other sources. The health care authority may award grants solely to organizations providing at least two dollars in matching funds for each community health care collaborative grant dollar awarded;

     (d) The community health care collaborative grant will enhance the long-term capacity of the applicant organization and its members to serve the region's documented health care access needs, including the sustainability of the programs to be supported by the community health care collaborative grant;

     (e) The initiatives to be supported by the community health care collaborative grant reflect creative, innovative approaches which complement and enhance existing efforts to address the needs of the uninsured and underinsured and, if successful, could be replicated in other areas of the state; and

     (f) The programs to be supported by the community health care collaborative grant make efficient and cost-effective use of available funds through administrative simplification and improvements in the structure and operation of the health care delivery system.

     (2) The administrator of the health care authority shall endeavor to disburse community health care collaborative grant funds throughout the state, supporting collaborative initiatives of differing sizes and scales, serving at-risk populations.

     (3) Grants shall be disbursed over a two-year cycle, provided the grant recipient consistently provides timely reports that demonstrate the program is satisfactorily meeting the purposes of the grant and the objectives identified in the organization's application. The requirements for the performance reports shall be determined by the health care authority administrator. The performance measures shall be aligned with the community health care collaborative grant program goals and, where possible, shall be consistent with statewide policy trends and outcome measures required by other public and private grant funders.

[2009 c 299 § 2.]