Rural Health Transformation Grant Application
On July 4, 2025, H.R. 1 was signed into law, establishing the federal $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to improve rural healthcare across all fifty states. The program provides federal funding from federal fiscal years 2026-2030 to improve access, quality, and sustainability of rural healthcare. The program is administered at the federal level by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Rhode Island has submitted an application for the Rural Health Transformation Program Grant to CMS. The application was developed through a coordinated effort within the McKee Administration led by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in partnership with the Department of Health (RIDOH)’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health and multiple state agencies, with engagement from hospitals, primary care providers, behavioral health agencies, municipal leaders, and the Narragansett Indian Tribe.
The process also incorporated extensive public input through a statewide rural health survey, which captured the experiences and priorities of rural residents and providers, along with a series of community listening sessions held across northern and southern Rhode Island and on Block Island.
At a high-level, Rhode Island's application seeks funding within 5 goals:
- Making Rural America Healthy Again - Improve the Health of Rural Resident: This goal focused on improving the health outcomes of Rhode Island's rural residents by targeting preventable chronic diseases, behavioral and mental health needs, substance use disorders, maternal and child health, oral health, and root causes of diseases.
- Sustainable Access - Expand Access to Comprehensive, Quality, Low-Cost Care - This includes expanding local access points for urgent, primary, behavioral, and specialty care services.
- Workforce Development - Strengthen the Rural Health Workforce. Building on existing workforce development efforts, we will strengthen and expand a robust, locally grounded rural health care workforce – ensuring that care is accessible, high-quality, and responsive to rural communities’ needs
- Innovative Care - Accelerate Value-Based and Affordable Care Models - Through the grant, we will advance comprehensive primary care practice transformation and support hospitals and primary care practices in transitioning to value-based payment
- Tech Innovation - Integrate Technology into Rural Practice - This includes strengthening digital and HIT infrastructure across Rhode Island's rural health system.