Illinois rural health transformation program - to support rural communities across the state of illinois in improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming healthcare delivery. -…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services a $580.254648 billion cooperative agreement on December 29, 2025, to support rural communities across Illinois in improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes through transforming healthcare delivery under the Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798). The award extends through October 30, 2030, with performance in Illinois.

HFS delivers work through three categories of initiatives: transforming rural healthcare via innovative care models and hospital transformation; overcoming geographic barriers to care through EMS expansion, mobile health clinics, mobile crisis units, and virtual care technology; and building a resilient rural workforce through training and certification programs, educational awards, bonuses for provider relocation and retention, fellowships, and apprenticeships. Activities include investments in infrastructure and care delivery models to right-size services in rural communities, deployment of mobile health units, investments in telemedicine and specialty care technology to bring services to patients rather than requiring travel, integration of community health workers and peer support professionals into care teams, and development of local workforce pathways for roles including EMTs, paramedics, community health workers, doulas, and lactation consultants.

Sub-recipients delivering work under this award include Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives operating existing models: The Carle Foundation and OSF Healthcare System scaling innovative care delivery; Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation supporting transforming rural healthcare delivery; the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network supporting disease prevention programming, provider retention initiatives, and specialty care technology investments; the Illinois Department of Public Health coordinating EMS expansion and supporting rural hospital partnerships; the Egyptian Public & Mental Health Department providing healthcare transformation collaborative services in southeastern Illinois; the Illinois Primary Health Care Association supporting integrated primary care and behavioral health models and mobile health infrastructure; the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois supporting integrated care models and mobile crisis units; the Illinois Community College Board expanding workforce training and certification programs and provider recruitment and retention initiatives; and the University of Illinois (through its College of Medicine Rockford and workforce development programs) expanding rural healthcare career pathways and rural workforce pipeline programs.

Illinois rural health transformation program - to support rural communities across the state of illinois in improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming healthcare delivery. - name of organization: illinois department of healthcare and family services (HFS) subrecipients or sub-awardee organizations: HFS intends to further identify subrecipients and sub-awardees in upcoming demonstration years. Subrecipients are expected to include: hospitals, illinois primary health care association (iphca), community behavioral health association (cbha), university of illinois chicago (UIC), illinois critical access hospital network (icahn), illinois department of public health (idph), illinois state university system, and illinois community college board (iccb). Project goals, purpose, & outcomes: HFS has developed a vision for the future of rural healthcare in illinois based on the five strategic goals outlined by the centers for medicare and medicaid services (CMS) in the notice of funding opportunity (nofo). The project includes 3 categories of initiatives: (1) transforming rural healthcare; (2) overcoming geographic barriers to care; (3) building a resilient rural workforce. The purpose of HFS' RHT program is to (1) invest in infrastructure and innovative models of care to right-size care delivery in rural communities; (2) break down existing barriers to care by bringing health care into the rural communities; and (3) build a robust local workforce. Total budget amount: $200 million per budget period description of use of funds: initiatives strategic goals uses of funds transforming rural healthcare innovative care, a, b, c, d, g, h, i, j, k hospital transformation make rural america healthy again, community care infrastructure sustainable access hospital disease prevention overcoming geographic barriers to care sustainable access, a, c, d, f, g, h, i, j EMS and mobile healthcare tech innovation technological innovation for virtual care building a resilient rural workforce workforce development e, g healthcare workforce expansion training healthcare support workers rural health education pipeline