Local News

ND receives second grant for health transformation

BISMARCK - North Dakota will receive $206 million for the second year of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the state's congressional delegation announced Monday, Nov. 9.

The award keeps the state on track to receive up to $1 billion over the five years of the RHTP.

"This $206 million award builds on the progress North Dakota has made so far under the Rural Health Transformation Program and will unlock more opportunities to build a continuum of care across our state," U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, said. He noted the award is timely, coming after conversation last week with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., officials from North Dakota Health and Human Services and health care providers from across the state.

"We will continue working to support our state in implementing these funds, building effective partnerships and advancing solutions to truly transform rural health care services in North Dakota," Hoeven said.

"Rural hospitals are essential to our communities, and the Rural Health Transformation Program is an investment in their future," U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND., said. "This second-year award provides an opportunity to build on the progress already being made. After a positive discussion with Secretary Kennedy last week, I look forward to working with our state leaders and CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) to deliver lasting improvements to transform healthcare delivery across our state."

"This additional $206 million in funding, on top of the $200 million we already received, represents an extraordinary opportunity to transform how we deliver health care in North Dakota, especially in our rural areas," Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, R-ND, said. "I urge state leaders to think big and use these one time resources to fundamentally rethink and retool how we deliver healthcare in a way that maximizes access and quality at a cost that is sustainable."

The delegation worked to establish the RHTP through the passage of the Working Families Tax Cut Act and supported Gov. Kelly Armstrong and his team in putting forward a strong application. The state was awarded nearly $200 million for the program's first year, which is twice the program's baseline and comes as a result of the state investing in statewide fiber optic infrastructure; building a network of new, state-of-the-art critical access hospitals (CAHs); and leveraging both telehealth and CAHs to recruit and retain health care professionals and provide access to a comprehensive continuum of care.

NDHHS recently obligated the full year-one award, with the bulk of the funding going to the North Dakota Center for Rural Health, which will manage awards to sub-grantees. The state also advanced programs to make clinical equipment upgrades, improve health care workforce retention and support mobile mammography services.