Missouri Puts More Than $55 Million Into Rural Health Care: Mobile Clinics, Workforce Support and Remote Monitoring
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced in Jefferson City on November 6 that, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), the state will launch more than $55 million in new funding opportunities to revitalize, modernize and strengthen health care in rural Missouri. The funding, administered through Missouri's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) and Healthier Communities Together (HCT), builds on $15 million in recently released discretionary funding. To date, the state has delivered $75 million in direct awards to 36 rural providers and established 27 local Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Care Hubs serving every rural county in Missouri.
The rollout includes $5 million in capital awards for mobile health units bringing maternal care, mental health services and primary care to high-need counties; $11 million for locally designed programs to recruit and keep doctors, nurses and specialists, targeting barriers such as child care and housing; and a combined $37.5 million for technology and digital upgrades — $24.4 million for digital system upgrades, $8 million for digital innovation pilots, $2.5 million for remote monitoring of high-risk pregnancies in Southeast and Southcentral Missouri, $1 million for on-demand telehealth access to cardiac and stroke specialists, and $1 million to help rural hospitals secure national certifications in emergency stroke, heart attack and trauma care.
"Our rural hospitals, clinics, and frontline clinicians are critical to the success of Missouri communities," Kehoe said. "With this new $55 million investment, we are putting tools directly into the hands of local providers." He added that Missouri's Rural Health Transformation Program is leading the nation in rural health innovation, and that Year 2 planning is under way as the state prepares for its next federal funding award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the end of this year.
The state will host informational webinars in mid-November — a workforce support webinar on November 12 from 2 to 3 p.m. CT and a digital backbone application webinar on November 17 from 10 to 11 a.m. CT — and the governor's office encourages eligible rural hospitals, clinics and community partners to connect early with their local Hub Program Coordinator and Leadership Board.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Missouri)
Source: Office of the Governor of Missouri
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密苏里州州长迈克·基霍官方肖像。密苏里州政府摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe. Photo by the State of Missouri, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
