Texas
Rural Health Transformation Program- Program
- Texas
- First-year award
- $281,319,361 (CMS)
- Lead agency
- Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), which runs the plan as Rural Texas Strong
- Program page
- pfd.hhs.texas.gov/rural-health-transformation-program
- Contact
- The program office's contact details
- Where the plan names technology
- Texas's plan includes a "Lone Star Advanced AI and Telehealth" initiative that would fund "electronic medical record compatible artificial intelligence tools, including ambient listening" and telehealth networks for specialty and behavioral health, according to an HHSC presentation; other initiatives cover patient portals and health information exchange, and a managed cybersecurity service for rural providers. The governor's announcement of the award says the state will "Deploy artificial intelligence and telehealth services to bridge service gaps."
- AI named in the plan
- Yes
- Funding rounds
- Closed Rural Texas Strong, Initiative 4 (Round 2): The Next Generation of the Small Town Doctor and Team, RFA HHS0017618; opened Jul 15, 2026, deadline Aug 26, 2026; eligible: Eligible rural healthcare providers
- Closed Rural Texas Strong, Initiative 6 (Part 1): Infrastructure and Capital Investments for Rural Texas, RFA HHS0017220; $56 million; opened Apr 30, 2026, deadline Jun 10, 2026; eligible: Licensed rural health care providers
- Closed Rural Texas Strong, Initiative 4: The Next Generation of the Small Town Doctor and Team, RFA HHS0017212; $99 million; opened Apr 27, 2026, deadline Jun 9, 2026; eligible: Licensed rural health providers
- Closed Rural Texas Strong, Initiative 1 (Part 2): Make Rural Texans Healthy Again, RFA HHS0017223; $56 million; opened May 4, 2026, deadline Jun 4, 2026; eligible: Eligible public and private rural hospitals
- Awarded Rural Texas Strong, Initiative 1 (Part 1): Make Rural Texans Healthy Again, direct awards; $60 million; eligible: Rural hospital districts
- Awards
- Sept 28, 2026: $51 million to 68 rural hospital districts and authorities. Rural Texas Strong awards under Make Rural Texans Healthy Again, to create or improve community-based chronic disease prevention, wellness and nutrition programs, according to CMS. No technology or AI project is named. Announcement
- Next
- HHSC's program page, its project narrative and its own release on the September awards could not be read for this tracker; this row rests on the governor's releases, HHSC's grant application pages, an HHSC presentation of Feb. 11, 2026, and CMS. HHSC's application pages give later deadlines than the governor's April and May releases for Initiative 4 (June 9, not May 27) and Initiative 6 (June 10, not June 1). No solicitation was found for the plan's patient technology, AI and telehealth, or cybersecurity initiatives, which HHSC described as competitive requests for proposals or offers, and no other awards had been announced when checked.
Sources: CMS, first-year awards, Governor, $1.4 billion award, Dec. 29, 2025, HHSC presentation on Rural Texas Strong, Feb. 11, 2026, HHSC, Year 1 budget approved, Governor, $60 million, Make Rural Texans Healthy Again, Governor, $56 million, prevention and wellness, Governor, $99 million, rural workforce, Governor, $56 million, equipment and infrastructure, HHSC, RFA HHS0017223, HHSC, RFA HHS0017212, HHSC, RFA HHS0017618, HHSC, RFA HHS0017220, CMS, Texas awards
Checked against its sources
What the money can pay for: What does the Rural Health Transformation Program pay for?.
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