CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced more than $3.2 million in West Virginia Rural Health Transformation Program (WV RHTP) investments during a visit to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, supporting healthcare innovation, provider productivity, workforce development, and care coordination initiatives that will benefit communities across West Virginia.
“These investments are about delivering results for patients and communities across West Virginia,” Governor Morrisey said. “When healthcare providers have the tools, workforce, and support they need to succeed, patients receive better care, access improves, and communities become stronger. Today's awards are another step toward building a healthier West Virginia and creating more opportunities for our people to thrive.”
Award highlights include:
- Five rural hospitals (Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital, Preston Memorial Hospital, Plateau Medical Center, and Webster Memorial Hospital) received funding to deploy artificial intelligence (AI)-powered ambient clinical listening technology that can reduce documentation burden and allow providers to spend more time with patients.
- Broaddus Hospital received funding to establish the Mansfield Place TeleHub Pilot, expanding access to specialty care, behavioral health services, and urgent clinical consultation for rural skilled nursing residents through telemedicine technology.
- Vandalia Health received an additional award to help rural hospitals and clinics fill critical staffing shortages, support more than 100 healthcare staffing placements, and strengthen long-term recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals across West Virginia.
Collectively, today's investments address several of the most significant challenges facing rural healthcare providers, including workforce shortages, provider burnout, administrative burden, limited access to specialty care, fragmented care coordination, and barriers to healthcare access in rural communities.
“These projects demonstrate how innovation, workforce development, and strategic partnerships can work together to improve healthcare delivery across West Virginia,” said Secretary of Health Arvin Singh. “From reducing paperwork for providers to strengthening care coordination and expanding workforce capacity, these investments are designed to improve outcomes for patients and communities throughout our state.”
“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program is based on one simple idea: your access to quality health care shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Funding new approaches to improve care coordination and strengthen the healthcare workforce is an important step toward achieving that vision for rural West Virginians, and I look forward to seeing equally transformative innovations in rural communities nationwide.”
The awards were made through the SmartCare Catalyst Provider Productivity Support Fund and Mountain State Care Force initiatives of the West Virginia Rural Health Transformation Program. Additional awards will be announced as implementation continues across the state.
This press release is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the financial assistance award totaling $199,476,098.72 with 100% funded by CMS HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.