(Des Moines, IA) — The state of Iowa is receiving more than $216 million in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The funding includes an additional $7 million to mark the second year of Iowa’s Rural Health Transformation Program, known as Healthy Hometowns.
The multi-year initiative is designed to expand access to essential healthcare services at hospitals and clinics across rural Iowa. The program focuses on strengthening rural healthcare systems, improving access to care and helping communities maintain services close to home.
Iowa has been awarded $216,007,657.32 for the second year of the program, an increase of approximately $7 million from the state’s first-year award of $209 million. The funding is part of a $50 billion, five-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program created to help states address healthcare challenges in rural communities. All 50 states are receiving funding through the initiative.
Healthy Hometowns includes several areas of investment, including expanding telehealth services, recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals, purchasing modern medical equipment, and improving access to cancer screening and treatment.
Other priorities include coordinating healthcare providers, improving the exchange of medical records between facilities, and expanding emergency medical services and mobile healthcare options for rural residents.
The first year of Iowa’s program has already supported investments in advanced medical equipment, maternal health telehealth services, cancer prevention, and technology connecting healthcare facilities across the state.
Iowa Health and Human Services says the second year of funding will build on those efforts, with an emphasis on strengthening rural healthcare providers and ensuring communities can continue offering essential medical services.
Additional information about Iowa’s Healthy Hometowns initiative, including funding allocations and progress, is available through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
