Little Rock, Arkansas – Arkansas is directing $149.3 million toward dozens of projects intended to expand health care services, improve rural hospitals, introduce new technology, and give residents better access to specialty, maternal and emergency care.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the first round of awards through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which was established through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The initial round includes 50 projects involving hospitals, health systems, emergency medical services, universities, community health centers, and nonprofit groups serving rural areas across Arkansas.
The state is awarding $55.7 million through the Telehealth, Health Monitoring, and Response Innovation for Vital Expansion initiative, known as THRIVE. Another $93.6 million will be distributed through the Promoting Access Coordination and Transformation priority, or PACT.
Together, the two programs account for $149.3 million in the first round. Arkansas expects to award a total of $209 million by this fall.
State officials also anticipate that Arkansas will receive approximately $1 billion through the Rural Health Transformation Program over the next five years.
“Arkansas’ rural communities are home to families who work hard, care for their neighbors, and deserve access to quality health care close to home,” said Governor Sanders. “Thanks to President Trump and his One Big Beautiful Bill, these awards will help local hospitals, health care providers, and community partners bring new services and technology directly to the Arkansans who need them. I’m proud that we are investing in stronger, healthier communities and building a better future for families across the Natural State.”
Telehealth and rural hospital improvements receive millions
The THRIVE portion of the program focuses heavily on technology. Its projects are intended to expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring and emergency medical response while helping health providers modernize their digital systems.
One of the largest THRIVE awards is $10 million for the Arkansas Ambulance Association’s statewide EMS Connect project. The money will be used to replace ambulances while adding telehealth communications, connectivity and patient monitoring equipment. The project will also support training, data sharing and a Patient Navigation Hub.
Baxter Health will receive more than $7.7 million for a program expanding home based and virtual health services across Baxter, Fulton, Marion, Boone, Izard and Stone counties. Plans include community paramedicine, hospital at home services, telehealth, remote monitoring and chronic care support.
Mercy Health Fort Smith Communities was awarded more than $6.3 million for digital health improvements in Carroll, Logan, Franklin, Scott and Sebastian counties. Rural hospitals and clinics will receive specialty telehealth services, telemetry and imaging equipment, emergency teleconsultation capabilities and other technology.
Another $5.65 million will go to the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership for technology based chronic disease management, while the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will receive approximately $5.44 million for its SPARK program. That project will improve stroke care in 24 rural Delta communities during its first year.
St. Bernards Development Foundation was awarded $5 million to expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, smart room technology, digital care coordination and other services.
Several projects focus specifically on children and pregnant women. Arkansas Children’s will operate a statewide remote monitoring and virtual care program for rural children dealing with conditions including asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and heart disease. Its Rural Newborn Alliance will also expand prenatal diagnostics, TeleNICU services and newborn care coordination in Southeast Arkansas.
LilyLink, working with the Perinatal Center, will receive $871,736 for a maternal diabetes program serving rural pregnant patients.
“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 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Funding new approaches to expand access to both primary and specialty care is a critical step toward achieving that vision for Arkansans, and I look forward to seeing RHTP investments drive equally transformative innovations for rural communities nationwide.”
PACT funding targets hospitals and access to specialty care
The larger $93.6 million PACT investment is aimed at bringing specialty services, preventive screenings, trauma ready services and other care closer to rural residents. It will also support hospital infrastructure and regional partnerships.
Mercy Health Fort Smith Communities received one of the largest individual awards at more than $12.7 million. Its project will support critical access hospitals in Booneville, Waldron and Paris while strengthening Mercy Hospital Fort Smith as a regional hub.
Baptist Health will receive $12 million to stabilize and integrate South Arkansas Regional Hospital in Union County. The project is intended to support health services across a seven county area serving more than 120,000 people. Another $3 million will support the transition and integration of Magnolia Regional Medical Center in Columbia County.
Baxter Health also received $12 million through PACT to develop a regional collaboration network covering 11 counties. The project is expected to expand specialty and preventive care, improve infrastructure and increase information sharing among providers.
Mississippi County Hospital System was awarded more than $9.6 million to improve hospital facilities and essential services in Blytheville and Osceola, while St. Bernards Development Foundation received approximately $9.55 million for its PACT Rural Care Network.
The Arkansas Rural Health Partnership will receive $5 million for emergency generators and related electrical improvements at rural hospitals in nine counties. The project is designed to keep critical medical services operating during power failures and disasters.
Maternal care is another major focus.
Conway Regional Health System received nearly $796,000 for a mobile maternal health unit serving eight counties. The Doula Alliance of Arkansas will receive $860,500 to place 10 certified doulas at partner clinics in different parts of the state.
The New York Institute of Technology was awarded more than $1.52 million for rural maternal services in Poinsett and Mississippi counties, including a mobile health unit, transportation and telehealth consultations.
UAMS will receive nearly $2.99 million for Arkansas Pregnancy Care Connect. Mobile teams will serve 24 high need counties, while a statewide nurse led advice line will operate around the clock to provide pregnancy and postpartum support.
Other PACT projects address behavioral health, cancer screening and child abuse treatment. Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas will receive more than $1.37 million to expand trauma focused mental health treatment for child abuse victims and their families.
White County Medical Center was awarded more than $839,000 for its BRIDGE project, which will support breast cancer screening, diagnostic imaging and follow up services for rural women across six counties.
“Just over a year ago, Governor Sanders tasked our RHTP steering committee with developing Arkansas’s RHTP plan to address poor health outcomes and need for financial sustainability,” said DFA Secretary Jim Hudson. “Our RHTP plan builds on Governor Sanders’ vision for addressing maternal healthcare in rural Arkansas, through innovative, collaborative solutions. We appreciate the hard work of the RHTP Steering Committee, Secretary Mann, Secretary Mallory, Dr. Ted Brown and Dr. Kay Chandler. Today’s announcement is the result of a strong partnership between healthcare professionals across Arkansas and state and local leaders. We look forward to the impact this program will have for decades to come.”
The first round does not represent the end of Arkansas’ planned Rural Health Transformation investments. Two additional grant initiatives are expected to be announced later.
The Recruitment Innovation Skills and Education for Arkansas initiative, known as RISE AR, will represent one additional funding area. The Healthy Eating, Active Recreation, and Transformation initiative, or HEART, will represent another.
With approximately $1 billion expected over five years, state officials are positioning the broader program as a long term effort to address some of the challenges facing rural health care, including distance from specialty services, workforce needs, aging infrastructure and access to modern technology.
The first 50 awards cover a wide range of approaches, from replacing hospital roofs and emergency generators to deploying mobile clinics, remote monitoring equipment and telehealth systems. Taken together, the projects are intended to help rural patients receive more services closer to where they live while strengthening the hospitals and organizations responsible for providing that care.
