Rural Health Transformation Program tracker › Kentucky

Kentucky

Rural Health Transformation Program

Program

Kentucky

First-year award

$212,905,591 (CMS)

Lead agency

Kentucky Department for Public Health, supported by Cabinet for Health and Family Services agencies

Program page

ruralhealthplan.ky.gov

Contact

The program office's contact details

Where the plan names technology

The state's community health worker certificate solicitation describes Kentucky's plan as "five interrelated programs," among them community hubs that integrate "digital self-management tools," "telehealth-supported maternal care teams" and "technology-supported crisis stabilization." The EMS Transformation solicitation allows tablets and connectivity for field telehealth. The community health worker solicitation names AI only to require that curricula "be developed by subject matter experts and not by artificial intelligence (AI)."

AI named in the plan

Yes

Funding rounds

Upcoming Rural Community Hubs for Chronic Care Innovation, statewide expansion; deadline Dec 18, 2026; eligible: Hub leads for the Area Development Districts beyond the first three, such as local health departments, health care organizations and Area Development Districts
Closed Community Health Worker Specialized Certificates; $200,000 per specialized certificate; $800,000 for four; opened Jul 15, 2026, deadline Aug 5, 2026; eligible: Kentucky-based training organizations
Closed Rapid Response to Recovery: CMHC Support; approximately $800,000 to $1,200,000 for Eastern Kentucky CMHCs supporting both focus areas; approximately $400,000 for first responder training only; opened Jun 1, 2026, deadline Jul 6, 2026; eligible: Kentucky's 14 Community Mental Health Centers
Closed Rapid Response to Recovery: Telebehavioral Health Support; approximately $500,000 per applicant; opened Jun 1, 2026, deadline Jul 6, 2026; eligible: Medicaid-enrolled, Eastern Kentucky-serving 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations focused on behavioral health
Closed From Crisis to Care: EMS Transformation; $20,000,000 across all awardees for the first year; opened May 15, 2026, deadline Jun 15, 2026; eligible: Non-profit, Kentucky Board of EMS licensed Class Ia or Class Ib EMS agencies that provide 911 emergency responses
Closed From Crisis to Care: EMS Training Equipment Quality and Mobile Training Units; opened May 11, 2026, deadline Jun 12, 2026; eligible: "non-profit and/or publicly funded agencies or programs that are KBEMS TEI licensed"
Closed Crisis to Care: Establish or Expand Community Paramedicine Programming; $20,000,000 across all awardees for the first year; opened May 1, 2026, deadline Jun 12, 2026; eligible: Non-profit, Kentucky Board of EMS licensed Class Ia or Class Ib EMS agencies providing 911 advanced life support responses
Closed Rural Community Hubs for Chronic Care Innovation, first phase; deadline Jun 1, 2026; eligible: Organizations serving as a hub lead in the Big Sandy, Lake Cumberland or Purchase Area Development Districts
Closed Rooted in Health: Establish or Expand Accredited Dental Hygiene Programs; $9.9m; opened Apr 20, 2026, deadline May 29, 2026; eligible: Non-profit, Kentucky-based educational institutions able to educate, train and supervise dental hygiene students
Closed Rooted in Health: Rural Dental Access Program (public health dental hygiene teams); an estimated $470,000 each for about five programs; opened Mar 20, 2026, deadline Apr 24, 2026; eligible: Local health departments or their authorized contractors
Open Rooted in Health: Definitive Mobile Dental Services; eligible: Non-profit organizations incorporated in Kentucky, such as colleges and universities, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics

Next

The state's program pages list no subawards as of Oct. 13, 2026; its solicitations start first-year performance periods between July 1 and Oct. 7, 2026. The Definitive Mobile Dental Services round, first due June 12, 2026, "remains open to applications during this budget period until funds are exhausted." The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the community hubs program's convening partner, holds an information session Oct. 23 and plans to post the application portal in mid-November. Questions go to [email protected], and organizations can register for updates and announcements.

Sources: CMS, first-year awards, Team Kentucky Rural Health Transformation, program page, Kentucky's project narrative, Funding opportunities, Get involved, Community health worker certificates RFA, Community paramedicine RFA, EMS training equipment and mobile training units RFA, EMS Transformation RFA, CMHC Support RFA, Telebehavioral Health Support RFA, Definitive Mobile Dental Services RFA, Rural Dental Access RFA, Accredited Dental Hygiene Programs RFA, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Rural Community Hubs

Checked against its sources Oct 13, 2026

What the money can pay for: What does the Rural Health Transformation Program pay for?.

All states Kentucky on the law map