North Carolina RFA, North Dakota budget approval, Idaho initiative details, Oregon vendor interest form, Montana approved budget, & new RHTGT product to come

Rural Health Transformation Program Daily Brief, March 03, 2026

North Carolina publishes NC ROOTS RFA

Here’s a document published this morning: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/rfa-2026-nc-rural-organizations-orchestrating-transformation-sustainability/download?attachment

North Carolina Rural Organizations Orchestrating Transformation for Sustainability (“NC ROOTS”) Hubs

Also: there’s been an acronym change. NC ROOTS is now “Rural Organizations Orchestrating Transformation for Sustainability”.

Old acronyn, as per yesterday’s crawl:

North Dakota states that that CMS approved “most of year-one RHTP budget”

Source: email from North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS)

March 2, 2026

On Feb. 25, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved $194,807,869.55 for North Dakota’s year-one RHTP budget. The remaining $4,129,100 is still under review with CMS. This was a required step that aligned CMS’s Notice of Award amount with the budget request North Dakota submitted as part of its RHTP application in early November 2025.

This approval allows North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS) to move forward with program implementation and begin releasing funding opportunities in phases.

Funding Information

We have a short window to put the first year of funding to work. ND HHS is prioritizing funding opportunities that build on existing infrastructure, partnerships and systems already in place, so we can move quickly and maximize impact.

The year-one funding must be obligated by Oct. 30, 2026, and fully spent by Sept. 30, 2027.

ND HHS expects to release one of the first funding opportunities to support the retention of rural and tribal providers as soon as possible. We anticipate this to be announced in early to mid-March. Additional opportunities will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Idaho added more detail on initaitives

• Initiative 1: Improving rural access to care through technology.

  • Facility technology assessments and shared infrastructure​

  • Telehealth expansion​

  • Digital health​

  • Cybersecurity modernization and AI tools​

  • Emergency communication systems implementation and enrollment​

  • Health management and data analytics tools​

  • EHR software and upgrades

• Initiative 2: Ensuring accessible, quality care through innovative models.

  • Diagnostic and care access innovations​

  • Health extenders​

  • EMS expansion and workforce stabilization​

  • Understand opportunities to leverage health extenders and optimize service delivery

• Initiative 3: Sustaining rural workforce with training, recruitment, and retention.

  • Ladder payments based on priority positions and rural presence​

  • Healthcare career exploration and advancement programs​

  • Work-based learning​

  • Graduate medical education programs

• Initiative 4: Implementing population-specific, evidence-based projects to make rural America healthy again.

  • Chronic disease prevention and treatment​

  • Behavioral health prevention and treatment​

  • Maternal and child health efforts

• Initiative 5: Investing in rural health infrastructure and partnerships.

  • Healthcare facility renovations​

  • Pharmacy solutions​

  • Clinical equipment purchases​

  • Vehicles for patient transport and rural mobile health units​

  • Bring all healthcare facilities into compliance with current federal, state, and local safety code​

  • Tribal rural health transformation support

Oregon vendor interest form

I think I posted a note about this over the weekend, but here’s more:

Vendor Interest Form Now Available

Vendors interested in partnering with local entities through the upcoming Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP) process are invited to complete the Vendor Interest Form.

We invite vendors who are interested in partnering with local organizations applying for RHTP funding to add their information to our vendor interest list. This form will be used to develop a publicly accessible directory of vendors who are open to collaboration on Catalyst Award projects. Local organizations may use this directory to identify potential partners as they prepare proposals and implement funded activities.

If you would like to be included, please complete the form at the following link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019c8c4dc64574cc8d9c0507aaba0e98

Montana approved budget, vendor webinar & resources, and approved budget

Published info via email yesterday:

DPHHS and DOA are hosting a live Zoom webinar on Wednesday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to noon for vendors interested in upcoming RHTP Request for Proposals (RFPs).

During the webinar, state officials will detail the five core RHTP initiatives and anticipated procurements, followed by a Question-and-Answer session.

To register for the webinar in advance, registration here.

• Also contained details on vendor portal, Step-by-step guide for registering, and a guide to responding to events

• And a note on budget

DPHHS Final Budget Approved by CMS

Following CMS requirements, DPHHS submitted a revised budget in January 2026 that was adjusted to prioritize scalable, high-impact programs. CMS issued final approval of the DPHHS budget for the first year of funding on Feb. 19, 2026, clearing the way for the agency to begin awarding funds.

With the first-year budget finalized, funds will be awarded to vendors to support implementation of RHTP initiatives through competitive bidding at bids.mt.gov. Other funding avenues will include grant applications for providers and community organizations and inter-agency agreements (e.g., between DPHHS and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry). Future opportunities for communities and providers will be posted at ruralhealth.mt.gov on a rolling basis.

Here’s a quick look at their numbers:

Montaa RHT budget breakdown

To come: complete year-one budgets for all states

I’m testing out a set of processes that allow for tracking all state budgets and spending in real time. That means real data in addition to the narrative around opportunities and progress at the program level. More soon. In the meantime, please complete this form if you are interested.