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May 28, 2026
What's New
CMS-Driven Partnership Seeks Rural Experts to Help Shape U.S. Health Care Quality – Nominate by June 1. The Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) seeks individuals with health care expertise or lived experience to serve on the Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review committee to provide recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the selection of quality measures being considered for use in CMS programs. Committees are designed to represent a variety of voices and perspectives, including rural health experts, clinicians, health care facilities, purchasers, payers, policymakers, researchers, health IT professionals, patients, and caregivers. Committee members help shape U.S. health care priorities and drive better patient outcome. Learn more about responsibilities and time commitments, and nominate yourself or someone else by June 1.
Telehealth and Workforce Planning in Rural Health Transformation. Experts from the National Technology Center – Telehealth Technology Assessment Resource Center reviewed all 50 state plans for the Rural Health Transformation Program with a close look at technology-enabled care in rural settings. A recording of that presentation, along with the transcript and slides are provided here by the HRSA-funded National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers.
New Data Resource: County-Level Hospital-Based Obstetric Care Status from 2010-2024. The University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center developed a publicly available data resource that tracks hospital-based obstetric care availability across U.S. counties from 2010–2024. The project was designed to create and annually update a national database identifying county-level obstetric service availability and obstetric unit closures to support analysis of trends in rural maternity care access over time. As of 2023, 60 percent of rural counties lacked hospital-based obstetric services according to a recent University of Minnesota research brief. The dataset includes county FIPS codes, state identifiers, and annual indicators showing whether each U.S. county had hospital-based obstetric care during each year from 2010 through 2024 and is available for download in XLS format to support research, policy analysis, and program planning related to rural maternal health and healthcare access.
Save the Date for The Rural Impact – Monday, June 22 at 2:00 pm Eastern. The National Association of Community Health Centers will hold an online panel discussion with leaders from rural hospitals and health centers from three states – New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania – discussing their collaborations for rural health. Hear from panelists as they discuss their priorities for Rural Health Transformation funding as well how they face shared challenges such as workforce, community engagement, and care models that close access gaps.
Webinar Recording: Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs. Rural hospitals face ongoing financial and operational pressures that have contributed to the closure of many Labor & Delivery programs nationwide. This webinar, hosted by researchers at the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) for rural Medicare hospitals and presented by Stroudwater, highlights practical strategies to help rural hospitals assess and strengthen the financial sustainability of these services. FORHP funded the development of the Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs brief; this webinar highlights key insights from the brief and covers approaches to improving how costs are tracked and reported, understanding the financial performance of Labor & Delivery services, and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and partnerships. Viewers will gain actionable insights to support informed decision-making and help maintain access to essential maternity care in rural communities.
Funding and Opportunities
SAMHSA Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Program – June 15. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) supports states and tribes with funding to implement suicide prevention and early intervention strategies for youth up to age 24. An estimated 21 awardees will each receive $735,000 per year for a five-year project. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults aged 10-24 years, and rates of suicide increase as population density decreases and an area becomes more rural.
USDA Rural Business Development Grants – June 15 and June 30. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. The June 15 closing date only applies to Strategic Economic and Community Development applications; the June 30 date applies to the remainder of the applicants.
FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants – June 22. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides grants for fire departments, EMS organizations, and fire academies for equipment, training, personnel wellness programs, capital funding, and collaboration/regional communication efforts.
Indian Health Service Phase 2 Produce Prescription Pilot Program – June 22. The IHS provides programs that connect healthcare providers with food systems to provide fruits, vegetables, and traditional foods to eligible participants. Programs are expected to integrate clinical services with community-based food access strategies and community appropriate nutrition education that reflect community values and practices.
HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program – June 23. HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce offers up to $250,000 in student loan repayment for clinicians, clinical support staff, and behavioral health paraprofessionals working in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). Applicants must be fully licensed, credentialed in an eligible discipline, and a registered SUD professional at STAR Loan Repayment Program-approved facility. These are facilities located in counties with a three-year drug overdose mortality rate greater than the national average. The next webinar for application assistance will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, June 3 at 2:00 pm Eastern.
HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – June 30. This program from HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce provides loan repayment for eligible clinicians practicing in a pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent behavioral healthcare including substance use disorder prevention and treatment services. In exchange for loan repayment, participants agree to three years of full-time service at an approved site. Sites and facilities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area, a medically underserved area, or serving a medically underserved population may be eligible to become a Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program-approved facility.
IHS Epidemiology Program for American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes and Urban Indian Communities – July 13. The Indian Health Services provides funding for Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) serving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes and urban Indian communities. TECs will conduct disease surveillance, research, and prevention; control of disease, injury, or disability; and assess the effectiveness of AI/AN public health programs.
AHA Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care – July 15. This award program sponsored by the American Hospital Association honors innovative programs and organizations that care for patients with serious or life-limiting illness and provide best practices and models for the field. Rural organizations have received the award in the past.
NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R01 and R34 Clinical Trials Optional) – January 7, 2027. The National Institutes of Health supports research designed to improve health in Native American populations. Proposed research may address health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, recovery, or services research to inform intervention implementation and dissemination, and it must engage tribal partners and communities.
Policy Updates
Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov.
Proposed Changes to Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Targeted Medicaid Fee-For-Service Payments – Comment by July 21. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule to reduce the payment rate limit for certain Medicaid State directed payments (SDPs) with inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, nursing facility services, and qualified practitioner services at an academic medical center to 100% of the total published Medicare payment rate for a Medicaid expansion state, or 110% of the total published Medicare payment rate for a non-expansion Medicaid state. Additionally, the rule proposes to extend the payment rate limit to all SDPs for all services in all states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories beginning on or after January 1, 2029. They also proposed to establish a limit for targeted Medicaid fee-for–service payments.
Resource of the Week
Lessons From Rural Communities: Five Tips for Community-Based Organizations Engaging in Research. This resource comes from a peer-to-peer session titled “Roots, Relationships, and Research: Advancing Rural Health Through Community Engagement.” It was led by Community Health Workers and Community-Based Organizations partnering with the NIH Community Engagement Alliance, a research collaboration working to ensure that health research addresses the most critical issues at the community level and benefits the largest number of people.
Approaching Deadlines
CMS Seeks Input on the 2028 Medicaid HCBS Quality Measure Set – Comment by May 28
Indian Health Service Capital Infrastructure Program – May 30
Veterans Affairs Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program – May 31
CMS-Driven Partnership for Quality Measurement Seeks Rural Experts – Nominate by June 1
CMS Proposes Updates for the FY 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System – Comment by June 1
Proposed 2027 Hospice Rule: Higher Payments Paired with New Oversight Tools – Comment by June 1
CMS Proposes Updates for the FY 2027 Inpatient Rehabilitation Prospective Payment System Facilities – Comment by June 1
CMS Releases 2027 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule - Comment by June 1
USDA Delta Health Care Services Grant Program – June 1
USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program – June 5
USDA Regional Food System Partnerships – June 5
CDC Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Grants – June 8
USDA Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program – June 8
CMS Proposed Collection in Self-Attestation for Recertification of CORFs, OPT/SLP, RHCs Providers and PXR Suppliers – Comment by June 9
CMS Proposes Expansion of Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model – Comment by June 9
CMS Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Medicare Hospital Payments – Comment by June 9
VA Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grants – June 12
CMS Proposes New Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs – Comment by June 15
NIH Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference Professional Development Award – June 15
USDA Rural Business Development Grants – June 15 and June 30
USDA Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program – June 16
FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants – June 22
Indian Health Service Phase 2 Produce Prescription Pilot Program – June 22
HRSA Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program – June 23
Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available – Apply by June 23
USDA Community Connect Broadband Grant Program – June 29
HRSA Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program – June 30
USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants – June 30
USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – June 30
HUD FY 2025 Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants – July 6
IHS Epidemiology Program for American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes and Urban Indian Communities – July 13
AHA Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in Palliative and End-of-Life Care – July 15
Proposed Changes to Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Targeted Medicaid Fee-For-Service Payments – Comment by July 21
FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grants – July 23
Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available – Apply by June 23
NIH Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Phase II – July 31
Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – August 14
Final Rule: Criteria for Determining Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas. – Effective August 15
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program – Deadline for Next Cohort September 30
USDA Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program – December 31
Forecasted Opportunities
HRSA Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program – Estimated Post Date June 2
HRSA Telehealth Nutrition Services Network Grant Program – Estimated Post Date June 2
CMS Student Loan Repayment for Nursing Home Staff – Coming soon
HRSA Delta Rural Integrated Health Network Program – Coming soon
Ongoing Opportunities - Updated May 2026
Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities.
Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project
Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program
EPA Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA)
General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use
HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications
HRSA National Health Service Corps Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training
HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program
Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM)
Licensure Portability: The Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project
National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R01 and R34 Clinical Trials Optional) – January 7, 2027
ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth
Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development
Small Business Administration Rural Businesses
Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program
USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program
USDA: Summer Food Service Program
USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance
USDA Rural Development: America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative
USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems
USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Programs
USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages
USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter
USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees
USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program
USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program
USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects)
USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees
U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Physical Therapy Telehealth Research Study for Older Veterans – Ongoing until October 2026
UVM Center on Rural Addiction Contingency Management Certificate Course
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