Nearly $188 million in grant funds will be used to strengthen health care in Florida’s rural communities by expanding access to care, supporting rural hospitals and clinics, and growing the state’s rural health care workforce.
The funds announced Tuesday will support more than 80 grants serving communities across 31 rural counties. Those areas are home to nearly 1.2 million people.
Awardees include hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health clinics, and other health care providers and community organizations working to meet the unique needs of rural Floridians.
The awards are part of Florida’s Rural Health Transformation Program, administered by the Agency for Health Care Administration. Florida received $209 million through the federal-state initiative to strengthen rural health care systems, modernize infrastructure, expand access to services, and build the health care workforce.
"Every awardee in this round went through a competitive, merit-based review, and it shows in the caliber of the partners we are announcing today," said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun L. Harris. "These organizations know their communities, and they have shown us concrete plans to put this funding to work. This is what it looks like to close the gap between rural and urban health care access, one community at a time."
Local recipients include:
* Lee Health Systems — $1,950,000 fir it's satellite clinics.
*Glades County Board of County Commissioners — $316,680 to support workforce development.
*Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida — $250,318 to support health and lifestyle.
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