Florida

Florida AHCA was awarded $209 million through the Federal Rural Health Transformation Program for fiscal year 2026. The agency has subsequently announced $188 million in funding opportunities and procurement activities, furthering statewide efforts to improve and transform rural health care. Strategic goals emphasize statewide access and sustainability for rural health. Event schedule: - Procurement Opportunities Announced - 04/14/2026 - Funding Opportunities Announced - 04/22/2026

Florida was awarded more than $209 million through the federal RHTP to support workforce development, clinical training expansions, mobile health units, and telehealth initiatives. This funding addresses challenges facing rural communities including provider shortages and access barriers to high-quality care.

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) offers states the opportunity for supplemental awards to strengthen and expand rural EMS workforce capacity, focusing on recruitment and retention in high-need rural areas. Awards are approximately $250,000/year for up to five years, with up to 8 states funded. The program does not fund direct patient care or purchase of vehicles/equipment.

This resource guide gives Florida rural health applicants curated links for data, templates, and planning tools. It emphasizes needs assessment, SMART objectives, partnership agreements, and budgeting basics relevant for RHTP. State-specific links, such as Florida CHARTS and AHCA facility data, are included to help applicants contextualize local need.

This document outlines expanded eligibility criteria for the Rural Health Transformation Program in Florida, ensuring rural designation is applied at the ZIP-code level using RUCA codes. Regional maps and lists provide geographic guidance for applicants. AHCA's vision emphasizes equitable access to high-quality care for all rural Floridians.

In November 2025, Florida applied for the federal Rural Health Transformation Program grant, focusing on rural workforce development, access to primary/preventive care, and expanding specialty telemedicine. No award or subrecipient funding has been made yet, but priority areas include maternal, behavioral, and chronic disease health. Florida engaged rural communities with town halls and proposed the use of satellite clinics and technology to advance care.

This plan outlines yearly recurring recruitment and retention activities for EMS providers through FY2028. It tracks outcomes like workforce composition, billing practices, and job satisfaction at the agency level, supporting workforce and system capacity in rural EMS. Goals and measures are monitored annually.

AHCA extended all 6 RHTP Request for Application (RFA) deadlines to August 1, 2026 (originally June 10). All six RFAs — Preventive Care & Care-at-Home, Rural Satellite Clinics, Specialty & Acute Care, Value-Based Purchasing, Workforce Development, and Health & Lifestyle — remain OPEN on MyFloridaMarketPlace (search GO-15709 through GO-15726). AHCA has entered a statutory blackout period under s.287.057(25) F.S.: no communication with applicants or their representatives is permitted until 72 hours after the agency posts its notice of intended award.

Florida submitted an application for the federal Rural Health Transformation Program on November 3, 2025, aiming to strengthen workforce development, innovation, and access in rural communities. The proposal focuses on workforce training, expanding primary and specialty care access via technology, and cost-effective community health strategies.

The program supports small rural hospitals via Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) and Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) funding to improve quality and transition to value-based care. It also enhances rural EMS training and coordinates activities with rural health networks and local health councils across the state.

The program includes the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program providing quality and financial improvement support to Critical Access Hospitals, the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program assisting rural hospitals with value-based care transitions, and enhanced training for rural EMS personnel to reduce turnover. The Office of Rural Health also works with rural health networks and local health councils to coordinate statewide rural health efforts.