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 Alaskans can access quality care no matter where they live."

"This nearly $249 million investment across 254 projects is an opportunity to deliver real improvements in rural health care, and we should measure its success by what changes for patients on the ground," said Rep. Nick Begich. "We're talking about portable X-ray equipment in village clinics, telehealth connecting expectant mothers with providers, training young Alaskans for careers in health care, and technology that helps patients get treatment. These are practical solutions to challenges Alaskans face every day. The Rural Health Transformation Program gives our state the tools to modernize care and strengthen local providers. I appreciate this commitment to Alaska, and I will continue pushing to ensure these investments are put to work responsibly."

Today's announcement highlights the overall funding amount awarded to Alaska for fiscal year 2026.

Key initiatives the overall RHTP funding will focus on include:

• Building the rural healthcare workforce: Supporting recruitment, training, and retention strategies to strengthen the pipeline of healthcare professionals serving rural communities.
• Strengthening rural facilities and access: Supporting partnerships, operational improvements, and care-delivery changes that help rural providers maintain essential services and improve access.
• Advancing innovative care and payment models: Supporting new approaches to delivery and financing designed to improve quality, strengthen primary care, and support sustainable rural healthcare.
• Expanding community-based and preventive care: Investing in school-based care, mobile services, and other community strategies that improve prevention, address chronic disease, and expand access to care.
• Modernizing rural healthcare technology: Expanding remote care and data-driven tools to improve coordination and extend healthcare services to rural communities.

The Trump Administration is delivering on its commitment to strengthen rural America by investing in solutions that modernize technology to promote health and well-being for rural communities. Led by CMS, the RHTP is moving beyond the failed one-size-fits-all approach and giving rural communities the tools to build stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable health systems that deliver better care and better outcomes for the Americans they serve.

For more information about the RHTP, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/rural-health .

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