Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced that West Virginia has secured $199 million the coming year from the federal Rural Health Transformation Fund<\/p>\n
The award almost doubled the guaranteed minimum for the first year.<\/p>\n
Nationally, disbursements for states<\/a> are between $145 million and $281 million for the coming year.<\/p>\n Morrisey said the funding reflects the strength, depth and statewide focus of West Virginia\u2019s plan to modernize rural healthcare delivery and improve outcomes for families and communities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe $199 million investment for 2026 provides a transformative foundation to improve health outcomes, expand access to care, and strengthen families and communities throughout West Virginia,\u201d Morrisey said in an announcement<\/a> of the funding.<\/p>\n \u201cThis award positions our state to deliver better care closer to home and build a healthier future for generations to come. It is also the highest per capita award of any state that West Virginia touches.\u201d<\/p>\n Key initiatives of West Virginia\u2019s framework include the \u201cMountain Health Challenge,\u201d which encourages physical activity and efforts to remove harmful dyes from food, areas the early months of the Morrisey administration have emphasized already.<\/p>\n The Morrisey administration says the approved application also provides solutions to address:<\/p>\n \u2014 The distance between patients and providers.<\/p>\n \u2014 The lack of access of rural healthcare providers.<\/p>\n \u2014 Resources to support rural healthcare providers.<\/p>\n \u2014 Connecting West Virginians to the workforce as they become healthier.<\/p>\n \u2014 Preventing adverse health outcomes through nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n This is through The Rural Health Transformation Program, created under the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act\u201d to distribute $50 billion over five years across all 50\u00a0states to strengthen rural health care.<\/p>\n The program to support rural health\u00a0grew out of concerns<\/a>\u00a0that changes to Medicaid under the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act\u201d would undercut already fragile rural health systems.<\/p>\n