CHARLESTON — Governor Patrick Morrisey announced the first tranche of $28.56 million in funding opportunities through West Virginia’s participation in the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
The funding opportunities are now open for eligible organizations to apply to improve health outcomes, help more West Virginians return to the workforce and strengthen the state’s rural healthcare workforce.
“We did the work to bring this program to West Virginia, and now these resources are available to the organizations on the ground that can put them to use,” Morrisey said. “As these resources are deployed, we’ll see more West Virginians back on the job and stronger, healthier communities across the state.”
The funding, administered through the West Virginia Department of Health, will support three key initiatives: Mountain State Care Force, HealthTech Appalachia and the Connected Care Grid. The initiatives are designed to expand workforce capacity, drive better health outcomes, foster health technology innovation and enhance connectivity across rural and underserved communities.
The $28.56 million investment includes six targeted funding opportunities. Four are part of the Mountain State Care Force: High School Outreach Programs, Career Ladder, Rural Healthcare Apprenticeships and Faculty Positions & Residencies. Additional opportunities include funding for a fiscal agent and independent evaluator under HealthTech Appalachia, as well as a digital backbone data source for the Connected Care Grid. Both are intended to be non-competitive, direct awards.
Through the efforts, funding will support structured career pathways, hands-on apprenticeship models, high school engagement programs and expanded clinical training capacity to grow the next generation of healthcare professionals and help more West Virginians enter or return to the workforce. Investments in HealthTech Appalachia and the Connected Care Grid will establish data infrastructure and evaluation tools intended to improve health outcomes, support innovation and improve coordination across the state’s healthcare system.
The efforts are part of Morrisey’s broader Rural Health Transformation initiative, which has secured nearly $200 million in initial funding to strengthen the healthcare workforce and health outcomes, modernize systems and expand access to care.
“This is a major step forward in our work to improve health outcomes and transform the workforce across West Virginia,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh. “By investing in long-term, system-level solutions through initiatives like the Mountain State Care Force, HealthTech Appalachia, and the Connected Care Grid, we are making meaningful, lasting investments in our healthcare workforce and ensuring communities across the state – especially those in rural areas – have access to high-quality care now and for the future.”
Eligible applicants may access all six funding opportunities through the state’s procurement and grants management system at wvOASIS.gov. Interested organizations are encouraged to review the full materials for eligibility requirements, submission instructions and key deadlines. Additional information will be shared through an upcoming AFA release webinar.
The press release is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $199,476,098.72, with 100% funded by CMS HHS. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. government.
