North Dakota Gets $199 Million in Federal Grant For Rural Healthcare

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(North Dakota Monitor) – The federal government has awarded $199 million to North Dakota for the first year of a five-year grant program centered on improving rural health care across the nation.

The allocation of the funds, which has to be formally approved by the Legislature in a special session scheduled to begin on Jan. 21, will focus on four areas: Workforce, preventive care and healthy eating, bringing high-quality health care closer to North Dakotans and connecting technology and data with medical providers.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink and reshape how health care is delivered to our rural communities,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.

The Legislature will have limited opportunity to make any changes to how the funds will be used. North Dakota Health and Human Services submitted an application earlier this fall for the state’s share of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, with legislative input, and the state is expected to adhere to the funding plan laid out in the application.