Texas Health and Human Services says some West Texas patients travel up to 109 miles to reach the nearest referral center. In many Texas counties, pregnant women drive 70 miles or more to a hospital that delivers babies.
The grants go after that gap in several ways. They fund chronic disease prevention, wellness and nutrition programs, consumer-facing health technology, telehealth and AI services, and cybersecurity upgrades to protect patient data. Money also goes to new equipment at rural hospitals and clinics.
Staffing gets money too. The program will recruit rural healthcare workers through career development, scholarships, relocation payments and training programs.
For folks in rural West Texas, the target is the long drive.
The catch is a single condition: the federal government awards the money only if all program requirements are met.