Trump Administration Announces Nearly $249 Million to Bring Healthcare Closer to Home for Rural Alaskans

Administration Rural health Share Trump Administration Announces Nearly $249 Million to Bring Healthcare Closer to Home for Rural Alaskans This federal investment will connect Alaska's remote clinics through telehealth, equip community health aides with new tools, and grow the local health workforce Today, the Trump Administration announced nearly $249 million in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding for 254 projects that will strengthen healthcare for rural Alaskans. This investment will expand maternal and child health services, strengthen the rural health workforce, bring new technology to village clinics, and improve access to care in communities statewide. The announcement completes Alaska's Year 1 RHTP funding cycle. These investments are beginning to take shape in rural communities across Alaska. In Interior Alaska, a new telehealth network is connecting village clinics, including community health aides, doulas, and lactation specialists, to expand access to pregnancy and postpartum care for families across 32 communities during a baby's first year of life. In Northwest Arctic villages, portable X-ray units are being placed in local clinics so community health aides can work with hospital providers by telehealth to diagnose patients and determine whether they need medical evacuation quicker. In Galena, a new program is helping high school students earn certified nursing assistant credentials before graduation, building a local pipeline of healthcare workers to serve in elder care, home health, and clinics. In Nome and 15 nearby villages, cellular-enabled remote monitoring and daily check-ins will help track patients with chronic conditions, and alert care teams so they can act before a manageable condition becomes an emergency. The Rural Health Transformation Program is expanding access to quality healthcare, regardless of a patient’s ZIP code, while equipping first responders with the lifesaving resources they need when every second counts. This funding will make critical investments to strengthen rural healthcare, expand access to lifesaving services, and bring modern technology to communities across Alaska. "President Trump understands that every American deserves high-quality healthcare, no matter where they live," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "We are putting resources directly into rural communities to strengthen the health workforce, modernize infrastructure, expand access, and bring care closer to home. We are giving states the flexibility to build solutions around the people they serve, while demanding accountability for results. That is how we strengthen rural health, improve the lives of patients and families, and Make America Healthy Again." “President Trump made a historic commitment to rural America, and these investments are turning that commitment into better care for patients in communities across Alaska,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “This is what rural health transformation should look like: federal investment that is putting patients first, driving lasting improvements and expanding healthcare for the hardworking Americans who call these communities home.” Today’s investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats — delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America. “Accessing quality care remains a challenge across Alaska, but nowhere is that challenge felt more acutely than in our rural communities. With nearly $249 million going toward more than 250 projects across our state, we’re making significant strides to bridge that gap. From expanding access to maternal and child health services to building our healthcare workforce and bringing new technologies to underserved communities, these investments will make a real difference. I worked hard to bring this funding to our state, and I look forward to seeing it put to work for Alaskans,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “The Rural Health Transformation Program represents the largest investment in rural health care in American history, and it was one of the most important provisions I fought to secure in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said. “With $1.4 billion in funding over the next five years, no state stands to benefit more from this investment than Alaska, particularly in rural and remote communities. We are already seeing these resources put to work with nearly $249 million supporting 254 projects across our state—strengthening maternal and child health, expanding access to care, supporting our rural health care workforce, and bringing innovative technologies to underserved communities. This is exactly what we envisioned when we fought for this program: giving Alaskans the resources and flexibility to redesign our health care system to work for Alaska and ensure all Al