DeSantis touts $188 million from federal grant to help expand healthcare in Florida's rural areas – WUSF

Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting $188 million in funding to help expand healthcare access throughout Florida’s rural communities.
In a Tuesday announcement, DeSantis said the funds will be spent across 31 rural counties.
“These investments in rural Florida will strengthen hospitals and clinics, expand the rural healthcare workforce, and help ensure Floridians can access high-quality care in their own communities,” DeSantis said in a statement.
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The awards are a part of Florida’s share from the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion federal initiative administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The program began this year and runs five fiscal years, with $10 billion available annually,
Florida received $209 million through the initiative. The funds, administered by the Agency for Health Care Administration, will grow workforce education, expand access to care through mobile health units and telehealth services, and support rural hospitals and clinics.
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The announcement has been met with applause from state leaders, including Senate President Ben Albritton, who views the initiative as a part of the rural renaissance package he’s championed throughout the last two legislative sessions.
“This is a transformational day for rural Florida as we implement the first year of a five-year initiative that will invest more than $1 billion to stabilize rural health care, expand access, and improve outcomes for Florida’s rural residents,” Albritton said.
Northwest Florida received the largest breakdown of funding, with 35 planned expenditures totaling $81 million. Some of the recipients include $4.4 million for Madison County Hospital Health System, $11.2 million for Calhoun-Liberty Hospital in Blountstown, as well as funding for Florida State University and Florida A&M University.
The state’s Northeast region has 14 awardees totaling $51 million, Southwest Florida will get $45 million for 35 awardees, and the Southeast region has 11 awardees totaling 12 million.
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