Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced nearly $55 million in additional grants for rural healthcare projects across the state, building on the millions in Rural Health Transformation Program funding previously reported by Gulf Coast Media in September.

The 34 grants are part of the second round of 2026 funding through Alabama’s Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP) and bring the first year of the program’s grants to more than $199 million, the release said. The funding supports projects focused on healthcare access, workforce development, behavioral health, cancer care, emergency services and technology.

Several of the latest awards will benefit Baldwin County through regional projects focused on maternal and fetal health and cancer prevention and treatment.

The University of South Alabama received $1.63 million to establish a connected maternity care network linking its obstetric and maternal-fetal medicine hub in Mobile with rural access locations across southwest Alabama. The network will serve Baldwin, Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties.

Infirmary Health System Inc. received $1.37 million to establish the Southwest Alabama Breast Cancer Detection Network, expanding access to breast cancer screening, early detection, diagnostic follow-up and coordinated specialty care in Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe and Washington counties.

USA also received $164,450 to expand cervical cancer prevention and screening through mobile teams serving Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties.

Franklin Primary Health Center Inc. received $534,937 to expand its mobile cancer screening unit, with Baldwin among the five counties served.

“Every Alabamian deserves access to quality care, and through the Rural Health Transformation Program, we are helping many providers and institutions improve healthcare for Alabamians throughout the state,” Ivey said in the release. “I commend all the thoughtful efforts, from the federal policymakers and state administrators to our professional healthcare leaders, who are working hard to ensure the long-term success of this program. Once again, the Trump Administration is delivering meaningful results for real Americans.”

The latest funding covers five primary initiatives: Cancer Digital Regionalization, Statewide EMS Trauma and Stroke, EMS Treat in Place, Maternal and Fetal Health and Simulation Training. Additional grants were awarded through the Rural Health and Rural Workforce initiatives.

The first round, announced in late August, provided more than $144 million through 138 grants for projects involving rural health, rural workforce development, mental health, rural health practices, electronic health records, information technology and cybersecurity.

Among the largest new awards is $20.6 million for the Alabama Community College System to establish a statewide rural healthcare workforce pipeline. The project will expand training in nursing, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, radiologic technology, medical laboratory technology and other healthcare fields while creating pathways to advanced nursing careers.

The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences received $7.27 million to support the residential high school in Demopolis, which prepares students from rural communities for healthcare careers.

Other major awards include $3.44 million to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to strengthen statewide emergency care coordination for trauma, stroke, cardiac emergencies and other time-sensitive conditions and $2.28 million to Greene County Health System for a rural cancer detection and early diagnosis network.

“The goal of improving rural healthcare in Alabama is of utmost importance, and we are grateful to Governor Ivey and the Legislature for their confidence in ADECA to administer this program,” said Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director Kenneth Boswell in the release. “The projects announced today as well as those announced earlier hold great potential for improving healthcare in a wide range of areas, and we look forward to seeing the progress as these projects move forward.”

The ARHTP plan was developed by the Governor’s Office, ADECA, the Alabama Department of Finance, the Alabama Medicaid Agency and the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency. ADECA administers the program.

The projects are supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a financial assistance award totaling $203,404,326.54, with 100% funded by CMS/HHS.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the federal program is intended to help states develop locally driven approaches to improving rural healthcare.

“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program is helping states like Alabama develop innovative, locally driven solutions to improve rural Americans’ access to high-quality care,” Oz said. “Today’s grant awards demonstrate how this historic investment is empowering rural communities to strengthen their health systems, put patients first, and bring better care closer to home.”