In this issue:
Alabama closes all Year 1 initiative application periods and points applicants to Year 2
Oklahoma posts the August 2026 Touchpoint deck: 29 programs launched, 15 funding opportunities, and three Budget Period 2 questions it does not answer
West Virginia adds Rural Health Link — Establish Regional Hubs & Mobility Coordinators, up to $7.1 million and closing September 8
Kentucky routed $10.5M through a foundation for its Rural Community Hubs Hub Leadership Opportunity, and nobody has been named
Kansas posts its approved Year 1 Budget Narrative — $221.9 million, and it names the vendors
Alabama closes all Year 1 initiative application periods and says applications reopen for Year 2
Year 1 initiative application periods are now closed. Applications will reopen for Year 2 and interested applicants will have a chance to apply or reapply.
Oklahoma posts the August 2026 Touchpoint Webinar deck, and leaves the three Budget Period 2 questions unanswered on the slide
Thirteen slides, posted with the recording the same day. The Budget Period 1 recap:
29 RHTP programs launched, across six initiatives, 100% of Oklahoma’s programs 15 Funding opportunities launched, or expected to launch by the end of this year 11 Program partners selected, from peer state agencies to academic institutions 75 Rural counties represented in currently launched programs, 100% of Oklahoma’s rural counties
The timeline graphic on slide 8 puts seven procurements launched at over $46 million, which the deck does not reconcile against the 15. Microgrants reached 68 rural counties, 11 entity types and 8 project types. South Western Oklahoma Development Authority, an OSDH subrecipient, issued 1,036 trip-reimbursement vouchers in April–June 2026 totaling $27,121.36. OSU Center for Rural Health has trained 40 community paramedics across twelve rural counties. Rural Regional Reorientation has run 5 virtual kickoffs and 16 in-person county cluster meetings for 386 attendees, with five named facilitators, all of them contractors on .CTR addresses.
Slide 10 poses three questions and prints no answers: whether Year 1 awardees need to reapply for Budget Period 2, whether their funding is guaranteed, and when BP2 funding information will be available. The answers, if they came, are in the recording.
The dates that matter: the BP2 report and funding request are due to CMS August 30. BP1 funds must be obligated by October 30. Budget Period 2 runs October 31, 2026 through October 30, 2027, and Year 2 funding opportunities begin to open in January 2027 — which is also when the next engagement sessions resume. Several slides still carry the “Confidential draft for discussion only - Pre-decisional” watermark.
