Alaska opens second round of rural health webinars for $272M program

The Alaska Department of Health will host the second round of interactive stakeholder webinars May 13 through 15 for its Rural Health Transformation Program, a $272.1 million federal initiative designed to reshape health care delivery across the state.

The webinar series brings together partners from across Alaska to work within six separate initiatives: Healthy Beginnings, Health Care Access, Healthy Communities, Pay for Value: Fiscal Sustainability, Strengthen Workforce, and Spark Technology and Innovation. Each series spans multiple sessions where stakeholders share ideas, learn from real-world examples in Alaska and beyond, and tackle challenges together to design practical solutions.

Alaska received $272,174,855.72 in 100 percent federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in December 2025. The award represents the second-highest total amount among all states and the highest per capita funding at approximately $365 per Alaskan, Alaska Public Media previously reported. According to CMS, the funding will focus on vulnerable populations through primary care rightsizing, obstetric access expansion, chronic disease management, and using telehealth and artificial intelligence to address rural challenges.

The Healthy Beginnings session will take place Wednesday, May 13, from 10 to 11 a.m. Alaska daylight time. The Healthy Communities session follows the same day from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

On Thursday, May 14, the Health Care Access session runs from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by the Strengthen Workforce session from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

The Spark Technology and Innovation session will occur Friday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to noon. The department is still planning a June session for the Pay for Value: Fiscal Sustainability initiative.

Registration is open for all sessions through the department's website. All webinars will be recorded and posted online for those unable to attend live. The department encourages interested parties to sign up for RHTP updates and share the opportunity with colleagues and partners who may be interested in participating.

The sessions follow initial vision-setting webinars held in late March. The current round focuses on priority challenges, partnerships, and potential projects. Future sessions will address key takeaways and next steps.

The department held its first regional planning meetings April 29 and 30 in Seward and Kenai, and May 5 in Fairbanks. The Seward and Kenai meetings mark the beginning of a series of similar events that will take place statewide during the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program. The meetings brought together stakeholders from across the health care system to discuss regional strengths, explore opportunities, and identify priorities for improving rural health. A Mat-Su regional planning meeting is scheduled for June 4. The department plans to publicly share key takeaways from the Seward and Kenai gatherings, as well as from other future meetings.

The program was created by Congress in 2025 as part of legislation establishing a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program with new Medicaid access requirements. Alaska's first budget period runs from December 29, 2025, through October 30, 2026. First-year award funds must be fully spent by September 30, 2027.

Administrative costs are capped at 10 percent of the total award. Capital expenditures and infrastructure costs are capped at 20 percent.

The Alaska Community Foundation is serving as the department's grant administration partner. An RHTP Advisory Council will provide stakeholder-informed guidance to the department.

The department received nearly 1,800 letters of interest during the first submission period, which ran from February 17 to March 11. Organizations can expect to receive response notifications in early to mid-May.

Questions about the program can be directed to [email protected]. More information about upcoming meetings and how to get involved is available on the department's Rural Health Transformation Program website.