Blackburn applauds $206 Million for Tennessee from Rural Health Transformation Program
PRESS RELEASE FROM MARSHA BLACKBURN'S PRESS OFFICE:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Trump administration announced a $206,888,882 award to strengthen rural health care in Tennessee.
This funding comes from the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, which Senator Blackburn supported as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation that President Trump signed into law over the summer.
“Rural communities face more challenges when it comes to getting the health care they need, and that is why Republicans created the Rural Health Transformation Program as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation that President Trump signed into law,” said Senator Blackburn. “This investment could mean the difference between life and death for people in rural Tennessee, and we look forward to seeing it strengthen access to health care and improve the quality of service in communities across the Volunteer State.”
Background
- The Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, now law, established the RHT Program at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to strengthen access to health care and modernize health systems in rural areas by allocating $50 billion for the program over a period of five years.
- Rural residents, particularly in Appalachia, experience worse health outcomes than urban populations, including increased rates of “diseases of despair,” preventable pregnancy-related deaths, and aging-related illness.
- This funding will help connect rural residents to partnerships, modern technology, and care closer to home. It will also address transportation burdens in rural Tennessee through a transportation coordination system with hospitals, clinics, community networks, and other stakeholders that offers efficient and sustainable access to transportation.
- The expected outcomes of this award for Tennessee include:
- Expansion of integrated and co-located health care services with connected referral systems;
- Elimination of all maternity-care deserts;
- Improved preventative care utilization and chronic disease outcomes;
- More modern and interoperable rural health technology systems to improve care coordination; and
- Increased health care workforce pipeline capacity.
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