Pennsylvania Applies for $1 Billion to Improve Rural Health Care

The Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP)

The Shapiro Administration has released Pennsylvania's Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) application, a comprehensive proposal seeking federal funding to strengthen healthcare access in the Commonwealth's rural communities.  

Through the RHTP, Pennsylvania wants to create 8 regional health teams (called Regional Rural Care Collaboratives, or RCCs) across the state. These teams would bring together local hospitals, health centers, and community groups to figure out what each area needs most and to work to address those needs. Community Health Centers are a big part of the plan—the state wants more hospitals and health systems to work with Community Health Centers to provide specialty care. 

If Pennsylvania’s application is approved by the federal government, the state will receive up to $200 million per year for five years—totaling $1 billion—to improve health care access, quality, and outcomes in rural communities. Decisions on RHTP funding should be made by the end of December.

Six Priority Areas 

The 67-page application requests funding focused on six priority areas, which DHS identified through multiple years of community engagement across the state, including listening sessions, roundtables, and regional rural health summits. The six priority areas are as follows:  

1. Technology – Like telehealth so you can see a doctor from home 
2. Workforce – Helping rural areas get more health care workers like doctors, nurses, and other providers 
3. Maternal health – Better care for pregnant women and new moms 
4. Behavioral health – Mental health and substance use services 
5. Care for older adults – Help for seniors to get the care they need 
6. Emergency services and transportation – Getting people to care when they need it 

 

Goals of the RHTP 

Pennsylvania’s RHTP application sets measurable targets it will aim to achieve with the additional funding, including:  

• Improve Access to Care: More than 85% of Pennsylvanians can get a routine primary care appointment within four weeks and urgent care appointments within one week. 
• Digital connectivity and telehealth: More than 85% of rural hospitals and clinics will have broadband and telehealth functionality. More than 50% of rural hospitals and clinics connected via Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. 
• Workforce Adequacy: Reduce rural hospital vacancy rates by 10% for key direct care roles. Add three new rural training programs. 
• System sustainability: More than 60% of systems partnered with rural Community Health Centers for specialty care. 
• Health outcomes: Reduce the number of pregnant women living in rural areas with inadequate prenatal care by 20%. 

 

Regional Rural Care Collaboratives (RCCs) 

A central component of the plan is the creation of eight (8) Regional Rural Care Collaboratives (RCCs) through Pennsylvania's existing Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance organizations. The RCCs will aim to coordinate regional health priorities, strengthen shared services, expand telehealth, and ensure access to primary and specialty care. 

 

Why This Matters 

Pennsylvania has the third-largest rural population in the country, and many rural communities face persistent challenges accessing care, including hospital closures, provider shortages, and long travel times for care. The federal Republican budget passed in July will strip health care from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and threaten the closure of at least 25 rural hospitals, making these investments critical. Learn more at PA.gov - Improving Rural Health.

The full Rural Health Transformation Plan is available on the DHS website.  

 

"I Am a Rural Pennsylvanian"
– Poem written by Mark Stephens, MD, for the Juniata College Regional Rural Healthcare Summit
 

I am the low hum of wind through the tall, green corn,
The deep, earthy scent of hay freshly cut, a memory vibrant.
I am the dirt in these boots, ingrained, deep.
From sun-up chores to starlit quiet.

I grew up where the horizon stretched, uninterrupted,
A tapestry woven by seasons, hiding nothing.
Barefoot on welcoming porch swings, chasing fireflies as dusk settled,
Learning life's vital lessons, from dawn's first glimpse ‘til sunset’s fading light.

I pledge my hands, ..4H rooted lessons deep within me.
From the nervous flutter of public speaking to
raising market lambs, facing a judge's assessing eye.
Community built, leadership practiced,
Friendships forged, a silent pride swelling, expanding over time.
Planting seeds of future dreams, a hope every rural soul carries.

But shadows lengthen now, across our grand fields,
A quiet, growing struggle, woven into the rural landscape.
For the promise of revitalization, won't truly take hold, won't truly ascend,
Unless we tend to the well-being of our people, with all our collective strength.

Imagine the worry pressed onto faces, when a baby's almost here,
And the nearest maternity care is miles, hours away.
Anxious drives, hurried breaths, gnawing isolation.
Our mothers, our infants, deserve a gentle, nearby embrace,
Not endless roads, or sterile waiting rooms, a cold forgotten space.

And quiet battles fought alone, behind closed farmhouse doors,
Farmer suicide is real! Burdens carried in silence, until they can be carried no more.
A whispered plea, a fear of shame that endures, keeping people hidden,
While silent struggles fester, and rural sadness grows.
We need counselors, therapists, hands reaching out to find,
A path to healing, to understanding, for body and for mind.

The wisdom of age, a cherished gift, yet in rural lands, it's often a silent strife.
For our elders, the golden years can bring isolation, a lonely, quiet life.
Access to specialists, in-home care, and community's gentle embrace,
Are often scarce resources, leaving vulnerability in their place.
We must ensure our seniors, who built these fields and bore our rural pride,
Have comfort, dignity, and care, for them we must abide.

The open road, a symbol of freedom, becomes a barrier to in rural space,
When miles stretch long for folks to reach a healing, welcoming place.
Public transport is a whisper, oft unheard, unseen,
Leaving many without a ride, to reach their healthcare needs.
Emergency rooms grow distant, a lifeline hard to seize,
And chronic conditions worsen, bringing rural communities to their knees.
Let us think of innovative solutions, transport woven into our design,
So that access to care is not a luxury, but a right, for all to find.

So as we speak of progress, ambitious plans, economic gain,
Remember these deep currents, that shape our current pain.
I am a Rural Pennsylvanian, stories echo in my soul,
For our future's full flourishing, comprehensive healthcare is what can make us whole.
From birth's first fragile cry to wisdom's seasoned gaze,
From transport to the troubled mind,
Let wellness be the harvest, for all of us to find.