Oregon Rural Health Transformation Program - The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program offers a pivotal opportunity for Oregon to strengthen its rural healthcare system, improve access, and support local communities and economies across the state. As the 9th largest state, with 33% of its population living in rural and frontier communities, the state faces ongoing challenges related to healthcare workforce shortages, limited preventative connections, and the financial stability of rural hospitals and clinics. Oregon envisions healthy rural communities where people, partners, and technology come together to build thriving communities of care – rooted in prevention, strengthened by regional collaboration, sustained by a resilient workforce, and guided by smart data for better health and well-being. To ensure all people and communities in rural Oregon can achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being at every life stage, we will anchor our efforts in these goals: improving health access and outcomes; fostering workforce innovation; supporting technological and data-driven solutions; building strategic partnerships; and ushering in a future of financial sustainability. Through this cooperative agreement, Oregon and our federal partners will build on a strong foundation of community partnerships and practical health reforms to enhance care delivery in rural areas. Oregon will do this through five initiatives: (1) Regional Partnerships & System Transformation (2) Healthy Communities & Prevention (3) Workforce Capacity & Resilience (4) Technology & Data Modernization and (5) Tribal Initiative. These initiatives all align with Oregon’s commitment to local and regional control, improving care efficiency, and responsible use of federal resources. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will be the lead agency responsible for implementation and administration of the program. OHA is inclusive of the state’s Public Health agency, Medicaid agency, Marketplace, and Behavioral Health agency, which allows OHA to be well positioned for cross-sector partnerships and a comprehensive view of the health of rural Oregonians. OHA proposes a budget of $200 million dollars annually for five years. OHA will provide a set-aside to the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon and use funds to make awards to rural health organizations to implement the first four initiatives in two phases. The two-phase approach for fund distribution, within each initiative, allows Oregon to support rural organizations that have been waiting for an opportunity like this and build longer, sustainable approaches to some of rural Oregon’s most impacted sectors, such as technology and workforce. In the first phase, Oregon will fund immediate projects and uplift other projects that can be executed within two years. While those projects are occurring, OHA and its regional partners will work together to develop longer-term ventures that will be implemented during the second phase of the program and beyond. All awards will ensure that investments and initiatives are community-directed and address local and regional needs. With a proven record of innovation and collaboration between federal partners, state agencies, healthcare providers, tribal and rural leaders, Oregon is well-positioned to use RHT Program funding to strengthen rural healthcare, create jobs, and promote self-sufficient, sustainable communities across the state.
