Georgia awarded $218.8M to launch major rural health care transformation

Georgia has been awarded $218.8 million for the first annual installment of a five year program that aims to improve health care in rural areas.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced the award with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). DCH applied for the grant through the federal government’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), an effort to mitigate some of the health cuts from the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.

“This funding will help move us forward in strengthening our rural providers while bringing cost-saving innovations to the state’s health system,” Kemp said in a news release.

Kemp’s administration requested $1.4 billion over the course of five years in their application to the program. The $218.8 million is the first allotment.

The money will fund Georgia’s Rural Enhancement And Transformation of Health, or GREAT Health program.

“When Georgia was presented with this funding opportunity, we sought public input to shape the grant process – because different rural communities have different needs,” said Dr. Dean Burke, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, in the news release. “Through the GREAT Health program, we remain committed to driving true transformation of healthcare in rural Georgia.”

The GREAT Health program implements 29 strategies across five initiatives, according to the application. The first initiative is largely a planning and assessing stage of the program, according to the application.

• Transforming for a Sustainable Health System in Rural Georgia: $428,350,000
• Strengthening the Continuum of Care in Rural Georgia: $234,904,250
• Connecting to Care to Improve Healthcare Access in Rural Georgia: $217,036,750
• Growing a Highly Skilled Healthcare Workforce in Rural Georgia: $220,519,001
• Leveraging Technology for Healthcare Innovations in Rural Georgia: $233,349,384

The application suggested funding each initiative each year of the five year program. However, because the first allotment is more than $200 million less than the cost of the first initiative, it is unclear from the news release which parts of the GREAT Health program will be funded.