Millions of dollars in new funding will support healthcare access, workforce development, behavioral health and technology improvements in Baldwin County as part of Alabama's Rural Health Transformation Program.

Gov. Kay Ivey announced Aug. 24 that the state had awarded 138 grants totaling more than $144 million to healthcare providers and institutions across Alabama. According to a news release from Ivey's office, the projects are intended to improve healthcare access, quality and outcomes in rural communities.

Several of the grants include Baldwin County among the areas served.

Infirmary Health received more than $5.3 million through the program for projects across southwest Alabama. That includes $1.12 million for its Women's Access to Care Close to Home Initiative, which will expand preventive, prenatal, postpartum and specialty-connected care in Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh and Escambia counties. Plans include a mobile, telehealth-enabled program through North Baldwin Infirmary.

“Investing in rural healthcare means investing in the future of our communities. Southwest Alabama has a strong healthcare foundation, and this funding allows Infirmary Health to build on it by expanding services and meeting the growing needs of the communities we serve,” Scott Fenn, Senior Vice President - Strategy and Government Relations, Infirmary Health, said in the release from the health system.

Infirmary Health also received $342,147 to establish rural clinical rotations for internal medicine residents in Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile and Washington counties. The program is intended to strengthen the physician pipeline in rural communities.

A $386,000 award will establish the Rural Women's Health Hub of Southwest Alabama in Clarke and Washington counties, while a $3.5 million grant will create a regional referral and technology network connecting rural hospitals and clinics in Clarke, Mobile and Washington counties.

Other Baldwin County-related awards include $867,102 for the Alabama Primary Health Care Association to establish a shared rural health technology and care coordination framework serving 43 counties, including Baldwin.

AltaPointe Health Systems received $457,073 to strengthen cybersecurity across its rural behavioral health network in seven counties, including Baldwin.

Franklin Primary Health Center received $574,091 to establish a rural behavioral health telehealth program serving Baldwin, Choctaw, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. The organization also received $1.1 million to develop a rural training track within its family medicine residency program to strengthen the pipeline of primary care physicians in Baldwin County.

The Alabama Community College System received $319,540 to establish a registered earn-and-learn apprenticeship designed to expand the nursing faculty workforce in 21 counties, including Baldwin. A separate $464,000 award will create accelerated healthcare credential pathways for veterans.

Faulkner University received $975,000 for a rural healthcare workforce program that will provide tuition assistance to eligible health profession students who commit to five years of employment in rural Alabama. The program includes clinical rotations in 58 counties, including Baldwin.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham received $7 million to strengthen the rural primary care workforce through physician recruitment, training and retention efforts serving 35 counties, including Baldwin.

“Alabama is serious about creating systematic changes through the ARHTP to ensure every citizen has access to quality care. This program is enabling institutions covering every part of the state to improve healthcare for Alabamians through projects that are both innovative and sustainable,” Ivey said in the release. “From the federal policymakers and state administrators to our professional healthcare leaders, I commend all the thoughtful work dedicated to ensuring the success of this program.”

The initial round of funding covers five of the program's 11 initiatives: Rural Health, Rural Workforce, Mental Health, Rural Health Practice and Collaborative Electronic Health Record, IT and Cybersecurity. Additional grants are expected to be announced later.

The program is administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with 100% of funding provided by CMS/HHS.