Gov. Greg Abbott announced Oct. 15 that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) plans to award $78 million in Rural Texas Strong grants to 216 rural health care providers across the state, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The awards are part of an estimated $1.4 billion in federal funding over five years to improve rural health care in Texas, the governor’s office said. The $78,089,434.73 announced is a portion of the $281,319,360.67 first-year award HHSC received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation Program, according to the release.
“Every Texan deserves access to high-quality healthcare, no matter where they live,” Abbott said. “This $78 million investment will help rural healthcare providers strengthen facilities, address chronic diseases, and recruit and retain the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in the release that the agency is proud to work with states like Texas on locally driven solutions as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program. HHS Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth said rural providers “know their communities best,” and that the investments will help them address local needs.
The release said the funding advances three Rural Texas Strong initiatives. The “Make Rural Texans Healthy Again” initiative helps rural hospital districts improve health outcomes and chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and obesity. The “Next Generation of the Small Town Doctor and Team” initiative supports rural communities in recruiting, training and retaining physicians, emergency medical professionals and other health care workers. The “Infrastructure and Capital Investments for Rural Texas” initiative supports rural providers in replacing aging medical equipment and improving existing facilities.
HHSC will continue to announce its intent to award funding on a weekly basis as applications are reviewed across the Rural Texas Strong initiatives, according to the governor’s office. Funding will be available after contracts are finalized, and a list of recipients is available through the governor’s release.
Rural Texas Strong, the CMS-approved state plan, is 100 percent federally funded through the Rural Health Transformation Program and features six initiatives to improve access to health care in rural communities, the release said. It noted that federal funding is contingent on meeting all applicable program requirements. HHSC issued a companion news release the same day announcing the awards.