Free Sept. 23 Anchorage session preps applicants for rural health Year 2 money

The Alaska Department of Health is holding a free day in Anchorage on Wednesday, Sept. 23, for anyone eyeing a share of its $272 million Rural Health Transformation Program. Registration is open at rhtp-applicant-convening-2026.eventbrite.com.

It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dena'ina Center, in person or virtually: Year 1 lessons, a Year 2 preview, a panel of successful applicants taking questions, then afternoon office hours on crafting a winning application. Vendors and contractors may attend only as applicants.

The department anticipates opening Year 2 applications as early as this fall, and says the cycle is streamlined, cutting application-to-award time to about 11 weeks from 24 in Year 1. The same standards apply across both rounds, Commissioner Heidi Hedberg said.

An Oct. 2 Zoom webinar, 1 to 2 p.m., on common Year 1 mistakes appears on neither the department's events page nor its timeline, with no registration link posted.

Alaska has announced $207 million across 217 Year 1 projects, the running total as of Sept. 4; more come each Friday. Questions go to [email protected].