Trump administration approves $205.9M for Mississippi rural health program
In a Facebook post, Mississippi officials said the Trump administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved a first-year investment of $205.9 million for the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program, about $6 million more than the state had expected. The post said the funding reflects confidence in Mississippi’s plan to transform rural health care and improve outcomes for residents outside metro areas.
The state said it has launched MississippiRHTP.com, held five community outreach meetings and hosted application webinars that reached more than 1,000 stakeholders. Officials said they have sent over 33,700 emails to providers and community organizations to keep them informed.
Officials said $81.7 million is available in this first round through three grant opportunities to help address care gaps, strengthen health information technology and expand telehealth. The post said 236 organizations applied, requesting more than $676 million, a response the state described as evidence the need exceeds available funding.
The post said applications opened July 15 for a Workforce Expansion Initiative and for Psychiatric Emergency Service locations using the nationally recognized EmPATH model. The Mississippi State Department of Health released requests for proposals to design a statewide health information exchange and to conduct a comprehensive statewide emergency medical services assessment, the post said.
Mississippi officials said they have executed interagency agreements with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Department of Mental Health to launch pilot programs including a comprehensive obesity initiative, a remote patient monitoring pilot, mobile obstetric clinics, expanded telehealth for veterans and first responders, crisis diversion centers and expanded behavioral health training. The Facebook post thanked President Donald J. Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Oz for their support. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
