Huntsville Hospital Health System and three of its North Alabama hospitals will receive more than $6.5 million through Alabama’s new Rural Health Transformation Program, including $2.8 million to build a regional network aimed at bringing specialty care closer to rural patients.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday the first 138 grants through the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program, awarding more than $144 million to healthcare providers and institutions across the state.
The largest HH Health award is $2.8 million to establish the North Alabama Rural Specialty Access Network, which will expand specialty care for patients in DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties.
The goal is to allow more rural patients to receive services closer to home rather than traveling farther for specialized treatment.
Three hospitals within Huntsville Hospital Health System also received separate awards.
Athens-Limestone Hospital will receive $886,464 to expand HH Health’s shared electronic health record system to the hospital, improving care coordination, information sharing and cybersecurity in Limestone County.
Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro will receive $1.89 million to modernize its electronic health record system and supporting technology infrastructure. The project is intended to improve patient care, cybersecurity and operational reliability in Jackson County.
Marshall Medical will receive $935,000 to establish the training and operational infrastructure needed to launch a new rural family medicine residency program in Marshall County, part of an effort to build a stronger pipeline of physicians practicing in rural communities.
Together, those awards total approximately $6.51 million for HH Health and its hospitals.
Established in Huntsville in 1895, Huntsville Hospital has grown into a regional nonprofit health system serving communities across North Alabama and southern Tennessee. Led by President and CEO Jeff Samz, HH Health operates hospitals in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Decatur, Boaz, Guntersville, Fort Payne, Red Bay, Sheffield, Scottsboro and Fayetteville, Tenn.
More North Alabama projects
A number of other North Alabama organizations also received funding in the first round.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville was awarded $1.47 million to establish the Rural Alabama Nursing Scholars Program, designed to strengthen the nursing workforce in Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Marshall and Morgan counties.
The Arc of Madison County received $1.34 million to expand a physician-assisted autism diagnostic program through virtual occupational therapy, speech therapy and coordinated services for young children following a developmental delay or autism diagnosis.
Limestone County-based TLC Pediatrics & Family received several awards, including $200,000 for cybersecurity and technology improvements, $174,117 to establish a rural maternal-infant wellness and lactation program and $33,508 for newborn and early childhood screening services.
Cullman Regional Medical Center was awarded $3.8 million to develop a family medicine residency program with an obstetrics track, while Gadsden Regional Medical Center received grants for cybersecurity upgrades, rural transportation and nursing workforce recruitment.
Other North Alabama recipients include Russellville Hospital, Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center, WellStone, North Alabama Shoals Hospital and emergency medical providers serving multiple rural counties.
The first round is part of a broader federally funded effort to reshape rural healthcare across Alabama. The state received more than $203 million through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with the initial grants supporting rural healthcare access, workforce development, mental health, health information technology and cybersecurity.
“Alabama is serious about creating systematic changes through the ARHTP to ensure every citizen has access to quality care,” Ivey said. “This program is enabling institutions covering every part of the state to improve healthcare for Alabamians through projects that are both innovative and sustainable.”
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