WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Missouri was awarded $218 million in Year 2 funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program’s (RHTP) historic $50 billion investment in rural health care, which Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) authored as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts, also known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. The award places Missouri in the top ten states nationally for RHTP funding.

Congressman Smith said, “I wrote the Rural Health Transformation Program because families in rural Missouri shouldn’t have to drive an hour or more to see a doctor, deliver a baby, or get emergency care.The first year of funding has already provided resources and stability to hospitals, EMS crews, and nurses back home, and this second-year award means that support will continue.”

“I fought to include this program in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill because rural communities like my hometown of Salem were too often an afterthought in Washington, and since I first got elected in 2013, I’ve made sure rural Missourians have a seat at the table. I’m proud to see Missouri among the top ten states in the country for rural health care funding, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure every dollar reaches the hospitals, clinics, and families who need it most.”

Background:

• This announcement builds on the $216 million Missouri received through the RHTP in its first year, bringing the total to over $430 million in the program’s first two years alone.
  • Year 2 priorities include modernizing rural hospitals, expanding data-sharing technology, recruiting and retaining health professionals, and advancing new care and payment models.
• As part of the $216 million awarded in its first year, over $66 million has already been allocated toward supporting rural health care projects and initiatives across the Show-Me State, including:
  • More than $7 million to expand doula training and certification for Missouri’s rural maternal health workforce, as well as mobile health care and community paramedicine services in rural communities.
  • More than $45 million to upgrade rural Missouri hospitals, connect providers with behavioral and maternal health specialists, and grow the state’s emergency care workforce.
  • More than $2.3 million to strengthen Missouri’s rural health care workforce through expanded childcare support and to establish the state’s first-ever certified nurse midwife training program.
  • More than $12.5 million to modernize rural health care services and expand access to care in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District.
• Missouri’s broader RHTP strategy aims to strengthen coordination and build a more sustainable rural health care system. It focuses on four areas:
  • Local and regional care networks: community hubs and regional networks that improve care coordination and connect rural Missourians with providers.
  • Rural health care workforce: recruitment, training, clinical education, and retention to strengthen the pipeline of rural health professionals.
  • Technology and data: shared digital infrastructure and better data sharing so rural providers can coordinate care.
  • Rural care delivery: provider modernization and new care and payment models that support long-term sustainability.