$60M in federal funds approved for Texas rural hospital improvements

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View of the emergency entrance of the Bellville Medical Center, in Bellville, Texas, September 1, 2021. - Hospitals in Texas are overwhelmed due to record numbers of Covid-19 hospitalizations. In rural areas, the most seriously ill patients are stuck

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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is making $60 million in initial federal funding available to rural hospital districts, the governor announced Thursday.

Rural hospital funding

The funding was released as part of the "Make Rural Texans Healthy Again" initiative, Gov. Greg Abbott's release says. The initiative aims to help rural hospital districts to improve chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, or obesity.

Federal funding can be used by rural hospital districts to:

• Open community wellness centers with exercise and nutrition classes.
• Support grocery stores, farmers markets or local food pantries.
• Establish after-hours primary care clinics to reduce non-urgent visits to emergency departments.
• Provide low - or no-cost chronic disease screenings.

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What they're saying:

"Every community in Texas deserves to have a health system that works as hard as them," said Abbott. "This funding will aid rural hospital districts to provide the critical services needed to keep Texans healthy and strong. Together, we will ensure that top-of-the-line health programs and preventive care are accessible to every corner of our state."

"Improving health outcomes in rural Texas starts with prevention," said HHS Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth. "By supporting wellness and chronic disease prevention efforts, this initiative helps communities take meaningful steps toward lifelong health."

What's next:

Texas estimates receiving approximately $1.4 billion in federal funding over five years through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation Program. Rural Texas Strong, the CMS-approved state plan, is 100% federally funded and features six initiatives that deliver funding to rural communities.