 New Healthy Hometowns Funding Opportunities
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Iowa HHS is pleased to share three new funding opportunities through Healthy Hometowns, the state of Iowa’s Rural Health Transformation Plan. Below are summaries and high-level details about each opportunity. More detail about each of the funding opportunities, including timelines and funding amounts can be found here: https://hhs.iowa.gov/about/funding-opportunities
Cancer Hub and Spoke
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is asking healthcare organizations to apply to become “Hub and Spoke” cancer care sites. The goal is to make cancer treatment—especially chemotherapy—easier to access for people living in rural Iowa.
Through this program, we will build new, innovative ways of delivering healthcare that help rural communities get high‑quality cancer care close to home.
Examples of what Hub and Spoke sites will do together:
- Bring chemotherapy to more rural locations
- Coordinate patient care so that people can get treatment at their local Spoke site whenever possible, only traveling to the Hub when necessary.
- Offer remote services like tele-oncology
- Expand access to cancer specialists in a financially sustainable way.
- Keep as much care as possible inside rural communities.
- Develop sustainable operating models for rural cancer clinics.
- Support long-term workforce planning
Who can apply
Only proposed Hub sites submit applications. Each Hub must name three Spoke sites they will partner with. Spoke sites must be within a 60 mile radius from a Hub. Spokes might be community hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, or independent oncology practices.
Hubs can work with more than three Spokes, but only three will be reviewed and funded unless the state approves additional ones.
The Hub site is responsible for submitting the application and leading the work. The application must include signed agreements showing that Hub and Spokes have agreed to participate and agreed on the budget. Eligible hubs must currently offer external radiation therapy or offer it by 12/31/2026. Spokes must offer chemo (or offer additional access to more chemo) by 12/31/2027. Applications should note that this applications requires a Letter of Intent.
Funding
Applicants can apply for one of two funding levels over five years:
- About $31.9 million, or
- About $45.2 million
If applying for the higher amount, applicants must submit two work plans and two budgets—one for each funding level—and explain the added impact of the higher amount. The state may decide to award the lower amount to support statewide coverage.
Best and Brightest - Workforce Recruitment
Iowa HHS is seeking applications from organizations that want to recruit highly skilled healthcare providers to Rural Iowa. The goal is to make rural practice appealing and sustainable by offering incentives like recruitment bonuses, relocation assistance, or other financial supports. Providers must work in person and full time in rural communities.
Who can apply
Any organization that employs healthcare providers—such as hospitals, clinics, nonprofits, community organizations, academic institutions, or government agencies—may apply. The provider’s practice location must be in a rural area defined in the RFP. The provider who receives the incentive must work in person and full time in rural Iowa.
Qualifying Providers
Providers must work in one or more of these fields:
- Maternal/child health
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular health
- Mental/behavioral health
- Chronic disease prevention and management (including primary care)
They must also be licensed in Iowa before September 29, 2027, as one of the following:
- Provider Type 1: MD, DO, ARNP
- Provider Type 2: RN, PA
- Provider Type 3: Pharmacist
- Provider Type 4: Dentist
- Provider Type 5: Dental Hygienist
- Provider Type 6: Psychologist
- Provider Type 7: Technicians supporting cancer care (for example, radiology techs, imaging staff, or other cancer-care support staff)
Application limits
Organizations may submit up to two applications per rural county, but each application must involve a different provider type.
Relation to past awards
Organizations that received funding under Best and Brightest RFP #PHTHORC26010 cannot apply again for the same provider type, but they may apply for different provider types. Organizations that did not receive a previous award will receive priority points.
Best and Brightest – Equipment
This Request for Proposal (RFP) is for Iowa HHS to award funding to rural healthcare organizations so they can buy and install medical equipment. Funds can also be used for small building updates if needed to support the new equipment.
The goal is to help rural providers:
- Add new services that aren’t currently available in their area,
- Expand access to existing services, and
- Strengthen long‑term sustainability of high‑quality healthcare in rural Iowa.
Who can apply
Any healthcare facility—public, private, nonprofit, academic, community-based, or government-owned—that provides in‑person care in a rural area may apply.
Eligible facilities include:
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Primary care practices
- Behavioral health centers
- Other organizations providing direct care in maternal/child health, cancer, cardiovascular health, mental/behavioral health, or chronic disease prevention and management
Who cannot apply
Organizations that received funding under Best and Brightest Medical Equipment RFP #PHTHORC26009 are not eligible for this opportunity.
Federal Support
These procurements are supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling approximately $206,792,440 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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