On November 6, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) announced that it recently submitted its application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for $1 billion in Rural Health Transformation Program funding. This program was created by the Budget Reconciliation Act that was signed into law by the President earlier this year and allows each state to apply for rural health funding.

According to its press release, DHS divided its funding application into the following three areas:

“Strengthen the rural health care workforce - $337 million. Recruiting and retaining an adequate health care workforce is a challenge in rural areas, making access to quality, timely care for rural residents difficult. This funding will provide grants for innovative workforce projects in rural communities, support career pathways for rural health care providers, and fund services provided by community health workers.

Drive rural technology and innovation - $329 million. Rural Wisconsin needs the technology to support and reach residents, such as closed-loop referral systems and telehealth capabilities. This funding will invest in upgrades to rural provider systems, digital infrastructure, and develop a digital rural health care collaborative.

Transform rural care through partnerships - $279 million. Rural Wisconsinites experience fragmented coordination across primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, chronic disease prevention, and community social supports. This funding will stand up a competitive grant program for rural regions to create coordinated systems of care where multi-sector partnerships show a clear path to sustainability.”

Further details are included in the DHS press release.