08/06/2026
An UPDATE on Mississippi’s Rural Health Transformation Program that includes resources and the impact on MS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
“We also made a commitment that this program would be open, transparent, and accessible. We launched a WEBSITE– MississippiRHTP.com – so providers and communities would have one place to find information about the program.”
“MSDH has released a REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for Proposals for a comprehensive statewide EMS, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES assessment. That assessment will help us identify opportunities to strengthen emergency medical services, improve regional coordination, support our EMS workforce, and develop a practical roadmap for the future of emergency care across rural MS.”
“The Department of Mental Health is moving just as aggressively. A new TELEHEALTH program will expand behavioral healthcare for veterans and FIRST RESPONDERS in rural Mississippi, making it easier to receive care privately, conveniently, and without unnecessary barriers.”
“The Department is expanding Crisis Diversion Centers that provide a safe, therapeutic alternative to emergency departments or jail for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis.”
“When you look at everything happening through the Mississippi Rural Health Transformation Program, one thing becomes clear. This isn’t a collection of separate projects — it’s one coordinated effort to improve health outcomes across rural Mississippi.”
An update on Mississippi’s Rural Health Transformation Program:
After an extensive review of our plan, implementation strategy, and budget, the Trump Administration approved a first-year investment of $205.9 million for Mississippi – nearly $6 million more than we anticipated. That reflects the confidence the Trump Administration and CMS placed in Mississippi’s plan and our ability to deliver.
From the very beginning, I issued a directive to my team: that every decision will be based around implementing transformational change that will lead to a stronger healthcare system that improves health outcomes for rural Mississippians.
We also made a commitment that this program would be open, transparent, and accessible. We launched a website – MississippiRHTP.com – so providers and communities would have one place to find information about the program.
We held five community outreach meetings across the state.
We hosted application-specific webinars that reached more than 1,000 stakeholders, with additional webinars already planned as new funding opportunities become available.
We’ve sent a total of over 33,700 emails to providers and community organizations to keep them informed every step of the way.
I’m proud to announce that in this first round, we made $81.7 million available through three grant opportunities. These opportunities help organizations serving rural Mississippians address healthcare gaps, strengthen healthcare technology, and expand telehealth services.
We received a tremendous response from organizations across our state. We received applications from 236 organizations serving rural Mississippians, requesting more than $676 million in funding.
It also tells us something else: the need is greater than the funding available in this first round. That’s exactly why getting these decisions right matters. Our job now is to implement this program the right way, deliver lasting results, and continue being good stewards of these dollars. If we do that, Mississippi will be well positioned to continue making these investments over the next four years.
Recently, we introduced the Workforce Expansion Initiative — one of the most important parts of this program. We’ve partnered with Accelerate Mississippi, healthcare leaders, educators, and workforce experts to design a program that will identify and support the best ideas for recruiting, training, and retaining the healthcare professionals rural Mississippi needs. Applications opened July 15th.
Additionally, applications for Psychiatric Emergency Service locations also opened on July 15th. Behavioral and mental health are two of the greatest healthcare challenges facing our state, especially in rural communities. And that’s why we’re using this opportunity to address it. Through this initiative, we’ll support the development of Psychiatric Emergency Service locations using the nationally recognized EmPATH model — an approach that helps people experiencing a behavioral health crisis receive the right care more quickly in the right setting.
We are also taking an important step toward modernizing how healthcare providers across Mississippi share information. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has released a Request for Proposals to bring specialized expertise as we begin designing Mississippi’s statewide Health Information Exchange.
MSDH has also released a Request for Proposals for a comprehensive statewide Emergency Medical Services assessment. That assessment will help us identify opportunities to strengthen emergency medical services, improve regional coordination, support our EMS workforce, and develop a practical roadmap for the future of emergency care across rural Mississippi.
Today, I’m also pleased to announce that we’ve executed interagency agreements with the MSDH and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to launch several innovative pilot programs designed to improve health outcomes across rural Mississippi.
One initiative I’m especially excited about addresses one of Mississippi’s greatest health challenges: obesity. This initiative takes a comprehensive approach built around the principles of Making America Healthy Again. It combines nutrition, behavioral health, coordinated medical care, and long-term support to help people achieve healthier lives.
MSDH is also launching a remote patient monitoring pilot that will allow providers to better manage chronic diseases while reducing unnecessary travel for patients who live miles away from specialty care.
Another pilot is designed to eliminate obstetric deserts by deploying fully staffed mobile clinics into communities where women currently have limited or no access to prenatal and obstetric care.
The Department of Mental Health is moving just as aggressively. A new telehealth program will expand behavioral healthcare for veterans and first responders in rural Mississippi, making it easier to receive care privately, conveniently, and without unnecessary barriers.
The Department is expanding Crisis Diversion Centers that provide a safe, therapeutic alternative to emergency departments or jail for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
And we’re investing in the people who provide behavioral healthcare by expanding access to nationally recognized, evidence-based training programs that will strengthen Mississippi’s behavioral health workforce and improve care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across rural communities.
When you look at everything happening through the Mississippi Rural Health Transformation Program, one thing becomes clear. This isn’t a collection of separate projects — it’s one coordinated effort to improve health outcomes across rural Mississippi.
Thank you to President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz for helping make this possible. Mississippi is grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are excited to partner with you.
