Maryland announces $80 million in rural health transformation program awards

On August 10, 2026, Maryland Governor Moore announced $80 million in Rural Health Transformation Program awards across 41 grantees to expand healthcare access in rural areas. Supported by $168 million in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the initiative aims to expand primary care to tens of thousands of residents. Funded projects include telehealth hub-and-spoke models, integrated behavioral health, and 3D printing for oral health, developed through extensive community engagement.

Maryland rural health grant awards

• ▪The Maryland Department of Health collaborated with the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Health Care Commission to award the $80 million in Rural Health Transformation Program grant funding
• ▪Governor Moore announced on August 10, 2026, that the Maryland Department of Health awarded $80 million in grant funding across 41 grantees for the first year of Maryland's Rural Health Transformation Program

Federal rural health transformation funding

• ▪The federal funding for Maryland's Rural Health Transformation Program is renewable over five years and is 100 percent funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• ▪In December 2025, Maryland was awarded $168 million in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the Rural Health Transformation Program's first budget period

Primary care service expansion

• ▪The $80 million in Rural Health Transformation Program grant funding awarded on August 10, 2026, is estimated to expand primary care services to tens of thousands of additional rural Marylanders
• ▪The Rural Health Transformation Program awards aim to strengthen and expand access to primary care, behavioral health care, and dental services in rural Maryland

Behavioral health service expansion

• ▪Funded projects under Maryland's Rural Health Transformation Program will advance integrated behavioral health and primary care services to meet specific community challenges
• ▪The Rural Health Transformation Program awards aim to improve health outcomes by promoting sustainable access and innovative care in rural Maryland communities

Telehealth innovations

• ▪Funded projects under Maryland's Rural Health Transformation Program will utilize 3D printing to address oral health needs in rural Maryland
• ▪Funded projects under Maryland's Rural Health Transformation Program include hub-and-spoke models for telehealth services and virtual and mobile services for pediatric specialty care

Rural stakeholder engagement process

• ▪The Maryland Department of Health engaged with rural community members and organizations through an open request for information, public listening sessions, and meetings to inform the program proposal submitted in November 2025
• ▪The Rural Health Transformation Committee, which includes community members, organizations, and elected officials, met quarterly in 2026 to advise on the implementation of the program funding

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