New Mexico and West Virginia add RFPs, Kentucky publishes info sheets with CMS changes baked in
Tennessee lists a ton of upcoming opportunities. NM and MS webinars
On Monday I published a huge set of data and analysis from RHTP.
2026 Q2 Newsletter Activity Index: state-by state, topic-by-topic deeplinks
Q2 RFP Review / Q3 RFP Watcher: Every procurement from Q2, near-term contracting outlook, and state-by-state analysis
The 50-State RHTP Field Guide: downloadable PDF with RHT personality, program maturity, federal outlays, open procurements, engagement activity, rural geography, and contacts
In this issue:
Legislation Watch: NC, MI
Tennessee posts a list of upcoming opportunities
New Mexico’s RHIF Preproposal Deck Fills in the Numbers and the Calendar
Mississippi to host Workforce Expansion Initiative (WEI) Webinar
Kentucky adds info sheets— here’s the “net new” analysis since the Project Narrative was published
New Mexico Opens an Onsite Clinic RFP with an Optional Rural Mobile Component
West Virginia opens a third Connected Care Grid solicitation in three days — $8.96M for mobile units
Legislation Watch: NC, MI
North Carolina — S257 (2026 Appropriations Act): The state’s $34.4 billion General Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 codifies the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program — defining it in statute as the plan approved and funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21 and setting the reporting cadence requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to report progress to the General Assembly — the vehicle through which the state’s $213 million first-year federal RHTP award is appropriated. Signed by Governor Josh Stein on July 7, 2026 and enacted as Session Law 2026-41 (ratified and presented to the Governor July 2), ending more than 1,000 days without a full spending plan. Now law. WFDD, July 7, 2026
Michigan — SB0878: The omnibus appropriations bill funding multiple departments for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 carries the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services budget, which includes a Rural Health Transformation Program line — transferring 3.0 full-time-equivalent positions to it — to administer Michigan’s roughly $173.1 million first-year federal RHTP award. Both chambers adopted the conference committee report on July 3, 2026 (Senate 27 to 9, House 99 to 7) with immediate effect; the bill now heads to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Michigan Advance, July 3, 2026
Tennessee posts a list of upcoming opportunities
Tennessee prepares to flood the zone with six RHTP solicitations. Between July 6 and July 20, 2026, the Tennessee Department of Health is releasing a wave of Rural Health Transformation Program RFPs through the Department of General Services — the state's most concentrated procurement push yet.
The following Request for Proposals (RFPs) through the Rural Health Transformation Program will be posting between July 6, and July 20, 2026, with application details and submission information posted on the Tennessee Department of General Services RFP webpage.
Statewide eConsult Platform
Community Health Access & Navigation (CHANT) Call Center
HRP: Rural Non-Emergency Transportation
Mobile App for Pregnancy and Post-Partum
Rural Health Innovation Catalyst
Community Health Access and Navigation (CHANT)
Vendors watching Tennessee should have proposals staged now — per the state's webinar, responses are due in late August with Notices of Intent to Award expected in October.
New Mexico’s RHIF Preproposal Deck Fills in the Numbers and the Calendar
New Mexico’s Health Care Authority held its Rural Health Innovation Fund preproposal webinar on July 6, and the slide deck answers the questions the RFA headline left open — the money, the platform, and the path to award.
$47M in Year 1 against roughly $189M over five years, subject to annual CMS approval
Applications run through Submittable, not the State’s usual Euna portal — offerors apply, and see every written question and answer, at nmhca-rhtp.submittable.com. Questions to RFA Manager Nikki Swope were due July 6, answers post July 10, and organizational reference questionnaires are due July 20 ahead of the July 27 application deadline. HCA noted the webinar was not recorded and that any verbal answers are unofficial until confirmed in writing
Evaluation July 28 through August 17, finalist selection around August 14, optional oral presentations August 19, best-and-final offers August 20, contract finalization from August 21 to September 21, and contract awards as soon as October 1, 2026
On scope, HCA widened the frame on who can apply — health care providers, Tribal entities, local public health, community-based organizations, local governments, academic institutions, and regional partnerships — and confirmed that a single organization may submit multiple proposals
Mississippi to host Workforce Expansion Initiative (WEI) Webinar
You are invited to join an informational webinar hosted by the Mississippi Rural Health Transformation Program (MS RHTP) to learn about upcoming funding opportunities available through the Workforce Expansion Initiative (WEI) on July 13th at 10am.
During this webinar, MS RHTP representatives will provide an overview of the WEI grant application process and discuss the following funding opportunities:
Workforce Recruitment & Sustainable Ecosystem Development
Preceptor Expansion Program
Secondary Education Medical Career Outreach
Earn While You Learn
The webinar will cover program objectives, eligibility considerations, application requirements, and key dates to help prospective applicants prepare for submission. Grant applications open July 15, 2026.
Webinar Details
Date: July 13, 2026
Time: 10am
A Q&A session will follow the presentation, providing participants an opportunity to receive clarification on grant opportunities and application requirements.
We encourage all eligible organizations and stakeholders interested in advancing healthcare workforce development across Mississippi to attend.
Kentucky adds info sheets— here’s the “net new” analysis since the Project Narrative was published
This morning Kentucky published six files labeled [APPROVED] (,,,,,) represent the finalized, public-facing versions of Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) and its five specific initiatives:
While the core goals remain consistent with the initial application materials from late 2025, these files contain net new information resulting from mandatory post-award revisions and implementation refinements that occurred in early-to-mid 2026.
The Notice of Award (NoA) issued on December 29, 2025, placed a temporary restriction on funds and explicitly required Kentucky to submit a “Revision (Budget) (Type 6) amendment”. This process required Kentucky to:
Reallocate funding from a general “other” category into appropriate, detailed budget categories.
Submit a revised Project Narrative to reflect the actual activities and project goals for the first budget period.
The [APPROVED] files reflect the outcome of these requirements. Specific areas where they provide information not found in the original 2025 application documents include:
Expanded Eligibility: An amendment issued in May 2026 for the Rural Community Hubs (RCH) initiative modified the eligibility criteria to include for-profit entities as potential Hub Lead Organizations, a change not in the initial plan
Specific Subaward Details: The 2026 Request for Application (RFA) materials for initiatives like Rooted in Health and Crisis to Care introduced detailed scoring rubrics, specific staffing requirements (e.g., alignment with KRS 313), and exact requirements for letters of support and formal resolutions from governing boards
Operational Workflows: The finalized plans for Rapid Response to Recovery include detailed “EmPATH Follow-Up Service Plans” and specific workflows for “warm handoffs” between crisis units and community-based treatment—details that were still “under development” during the initial application phase
Detailed Equipment and Metrics: Implementation guidance from May 2026 for the Crisis to Care initiative contains exhaustive lists of allowable equipment (e.g., manikins, airway trainers, trauma kits) and specific utilization metrics (e.g., student reach by Area Development District) that were not present in the original project summary
The Checkpoint Model: Post-award guidance from April 2026 introduced a new “Checkpoint Model” for assessing initiative progress, which includes specific stages (0.2 to 2.4) for submitting and updating project plans. The [APPROVED] files align with this finalized reporting and oversight framework
