PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A plan that would improve access to essential healthcare services in rural communities throughout the Commonwealth was awarded $193 million in federal funding, according to the Shapiro administration.

Pennsylvania’s Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) is a five-year plan to boost access in rural areas that are the most impacted by federal spending cuts to the state’s Medicaid program. According to state officials, the funding is renewable over five years, and states will be able to secure additional funding based on how well the program performs or how much it spends.

“Pennsylvania’s Rural Health Transformation Plan is the product of more than two years of collaboration, conversation, and planning to design strategies and opportunities to improve health and strengthen access to care in rural Pennsylvania driven by the leaders who come from and are invested in these communities, their residents, and their future,” Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh said. “This funding will be a catalyst for locally driven initiatives and solutions, focusing on sustainable innovations that will strengthen rural Pennsylvania and make high-quality health care accessible throughout our Commonwealth.”

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The funding for RHTP comes from the Rural Health Transformation Fund, which was established through the federal government and created a five-year $50 billion grant that is available nationwide to support rural communities. States would have to apply and be approved through certain criteria and rules, and any unspent funding will be allocated back into the program.

Pennsylvania’s submitted rural health plan included residents having improved access to high-quality care, expanding workforce development, keeping rural hospitals open, and investments in digital and informational technology infrastructures.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s plan to make healthcare more affordable for everyone, visit the RHTP website to read the plan in full.

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