The Wisconsin Department of Health Services received $203 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program.
DHS applied for $1 billion in funding ($200 million annually) In November. The funding will be used to improve health care systems in rural communities throughout Wisconsin by providing grants for innovative workforce projects, upgrading rural provider systems and more.
“Our proposal was developed over months of hard work in collaboration with over 200 partners,” DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with rural communities to implement these initiatives and drive sustainable change.”
Rural health care faces many shortages, with 40 of 72 Wisconsin counties designated as mental health professional shortage areas, 37 as primary care shortage areas and 34 as dental care shortage areas.
CMS did not announce what award amounts for the subsequent four years of the program will be.
