LINCOLN — Nebraska has been awarded $218.5 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, marking one of the largest allocations nationwide and providing a major boost to efforts aimed at strengthening health care access in rural parts of the state. The initiative, championed by Gov. Jim Pillen and scheduled to begin in 2026, is designed to modernize rural health care delivery and address long-standing challenges such as provider shortages, geographic barriers and limited access to emergency and preventive services.

The program will allow the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to implement coordinated strategies including regional hub-and-spoke health networks, expanded mobile health units, enhanced pharmacy services and broader use of eHealth technologies. State leaders say the investment is intended to bring care closer to home for residents in rural and frontier counties while also helping recruit and retain health care workers as demand increases, particularly among aging populations.

In her “Capitol Conversations: From Pasture to Policy” commentary, State Sen. Tanya Storer highlighted the funding as a significant step toward aligning state policy with the needs of Nebraska’s agricultural and rural communities. She described the program’s emphasis on prevention, innovation and local access as a long-term opportunity to improve health outcomes and infrastructure, even as lawmakers continue broader discussions on rural development and sustainability during the legislative session.

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