Mega Doctor News
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott announced the first round of Rural Texas Strong grant awards, providing $51 million in federal funding through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to eligible rural hospital districts and authorities. The funding will help create or improve community-based prevention, wellness and nutrition programs.
“Every community in Texas deserves a health system that provides high-quality, accessible care,” said Governor Abbott.“This $51 million investment through the Rural Texas Strong initiative will empower our rural hospital districts to build stronger, healthier communities through vital preventive care, wellness, and nutrition programs. Texas will ensure our rural families have the resources and state-of-the-art care they need to thrive for generations to come.”
The awards are part of a historic investment of an estimated $1.4 billion in federal funding over five years to improve rural healthcare throughout the state.
“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program is based on one simple idea: your access to quality health care shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator. “Funding new approaches to expand access to both primary and specialty care is a critical step toward achieving that vision for Texans, and I look forward to seeing these investments drive equally transformative innovations for rural communities nationwide.”
The Rural Texas Strong “Make Rural Texans Healthy Again” initiative supports rural hospital districts working to improve health outcomes and chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease or obesity.
“Investments in rural healthcare will help strengthen the long-term health and resilience of rural Texas for generations to come,” said HHS Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth. “HHSC is committed to ensuring local communities have the resources to invest in solutions that make the greatest impact.”
Sixty-eight rural hospital districts and authorities have been awarded $750,000 each. The $51 million 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.
Rural Texas Strong, the CMS-approved state plan, is 100% federally funded through the Rural Health Transformation Program and features six initiatives to provide funding for rural communities to improve access to healthcare. Federal funding is contingent upon meeting all applicable program requirements. For more information, visit the HHSC Rural Health Transformation webpage.
Public notices and procurement opportunities for Rural Texas Strong will be announced through GovDelivery email notifications and posted on the Electronic State Business Daily website.
