State officials announced nearly $188 million in funding on Tuesday aimed at expanding health care access, supporting local facilities, and growing the medical workforce across 31 rural counties in Florida.
The money will be split among more than 80 awards to hospitals, community clinics, universities, and regional health organizations serving roughly 1.2 million residents.
The funding is drawn from Florida’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a joint federal and state initiative administered by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
In total, the program received $209 million to modernize infrastructure, support workforce training, and launch care initiatives in medically underserved areas. The latest awards mark the distribution of the remaining funds under the program’s initial implementation.
“These investments in rural Florida will strengthen hospitals and clinics, expand the rural health care workforce, and help ensure Floridians can access high-quality care in their own communities,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement.
Under the regional distribution plan, the Northwest Region received the largest share, totaling $81 million spread across 35 awardees. The Northeast Region was awarded $51 million for 14 recipients, while the Southwest Region received $45 million across 21 awardees. The Southeast Region received $12 million for 11 awardees.
Funding will go toward specific projects including mobile health units, expanded clinical rotations, startup funding for satellite clinics, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth infrastructure.
Individual awards varied significantly depending on the scope of the project. CommunityHealth IT received multiple awards, including a single grant of more than $18.5 million. Other large allocations went to Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, which received $11.2 million, and Florida State University, which secured several grants totaling over $18 million for workforce and regional care programs. Florida A&M University, Escambia Community Clinics, and various regional hospital systems also received millions to expand training and local clinical operations.
“Every awardee in this round went through a competitive, merit-based review, and it shows in the caliber of the partners we are announcing today,” said AHCA Secretary Shevaun L. Harris. “These organizations know their communities, and they have shown us concrete plans to put this funding to work.”
State leaders described the distribution as part of a broader, five-year strategy to direct over $1 billion toward stabilizing rural health systems.
“This is a tremendous and exciting partnership between our state and federal government to provide much-needed funding to strengthen Florida’s rural health,” said Rep. Sam Garrison. “This initiative will support our mission in keeping Florida healthy through better access, smarter technology, and a stronger workforce.”
The funding also builds on state programs passed during recent legislative sessions, such as the Live Healthy initiative and the Rural Renaissance legislation, aimed at retaining medical professionals and improving patient care in non-metropolitan areas.
READ: Florida Woman Charged With 72 Counts Of Animal Cruelty After 36 Border Collies Rescued
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
