Alaska issues intent to award $126 million to 105 rural health projects

The Alaska Department of Health issued notices of intent to award nearly $126 million to 105 rural health projects on Friday. It is the largest single round yet under the state's first-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The notices represent planned investments, not finalized funding. Final amounts remain subject to budget review and execution of a grant agreement.

The notices went directly to selected applicants. They follow rounds issued Aug. 7 and Aug. 14. Year 1 intended awards now total more than $160 million of the $272,174,855.72 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted Alaska in December.

The planned funding moves into clinics, workforce programs and health technology in rural, remote and frontier communities. The department said the awards span all six of Alaska's RHTP initiatives, tied to lifelong health, sustainable health systems, and workforce and technology innovation.

Alaska News previously covered the program's first two rounds: more than $4.5 million to 19 projects on Aug. 7 and more than $30 million to 37 projects the following Friday. Earlier coverage noted that rural organizations submitted roughly $2.5 billion in first-year requests against the $272 million available.

The department received nearly 1,800 letters of interest. It invited 403 applicants to submit full implementation applications and preliminarily approved 28 for planning pathway funding. The Alaska Community Foundation serves as the department's grant administration partner. An RHTP Advisory Council advises Commissioner Heidi Hedberg but makes no funding decisions. Final decisions rest with Hedberg, subject to CMS review.

Recipients also face a firm spending deadline. Betsy Wood told the advisory council on July 1 that organizations "should plan to complete their project activities and expend their awarded funds by June 30th, 2027."

The department posts a running project list on its website. It will release additional award announcements each Friday as decisions are finalized.