The Nevada Health Authority recently announced more than $50 million in new Rural Health Transformation Program awards — one of the state’s largest investments in its rural healthcare workforce.
The investment is expected to expand access to essential services, stabilize health care operations in underserved communities, and strengthen the long-term viability of rural health systems, the authority said.
The first round of grants supports one of four initiatives approved as part of Nevada’s Rural Health Transformation Program—the Rural Health Flex Fund. The fund is designed to cover the cost of one-time critical, unmet infrastructure needs and technology gaps in rural and frontier areas of the state.
Projects receiving funding address chronic, unmet rural needs in medical technology, life-saving emergency and rescue equipment, facility maintenance equipment, medical transportation, ambulances, telehealth capabilities, diagnostic services, mobile care, preventative and primary care, dialysis services and more.
The authority awarded $32.3 million to support provider recruitment and staff retention and $14.3 million in apprenticeship and training investments to modernize rural clinical training and build long-term workforce pipelines.
Funding also included $4.8 million in rural medical residency investments to add residency programs and improve the current rural workforce. Those investments include:
- Creation of a new rural obstetrics fellowship program.
- Development of a new nursing fellowship program that allows currently practicing nurses in rural Nevada to obtain dual certification in primary care and behavioral health.
- Establishment of a new rural family medicine residency track in Fallon.
- Creation of a new statewide Rural Graduate Medical Education Consortium to support rural hospitals with development of future rural residency programs.
Funding will also bring primary care, pediatric, behavioral health, OB/GYN, orthopedic and family medicine providers to communities including Mesquite, Pahrump, Elko, Tonopah, Fallon, Incline Village and tribal reservations.
Additional awards expand dental services, strengthen tribal dental care, increase behavioral health capacity, and enhance care coordination, EMS leadership development and statewide specialty tele-mentoring.
Photo by Negative Space from Pexels
For more of the latest from the expansive government marketplace, check Government Market News daily for new stories, insights and profiles from public sector professionals. Check out our national contracting newsletter here.
