PRINCETON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey on Thursday signed Senate Bill 570, authorizing the state to deploy $199 million in first‑year federal funding to launch the Rural Health Transformation Program, a statewide initiative aimed at modernizing health care delivery and addressing long‑standing rural health challenges.
The funding stems from West Virginia’s successful application to the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. State officials say the investment represents one of the largest per‑capita rural health allocations in the region.
The program is designed to support the administration’s health‑improvement framework, which focuses on expanding access to care, strengthening the workforce pipeline, improving infrastructure, and increasing participation in prevention‑based programs.
“This legislation gives us the tools to transform health in West Virginia,” Morrisey said during the bill signing in Princeton. “With $199 million in Year One, we can begin building a system that improves outcomes in every community.”
Senate Bill 570 establishes the structure for distributing federal funds across several priority areas. According to the Department of Health, the program will focus on:
- Expanding access to care, including in‑person and digital “one‑stop‑shop” service models.
- Workforce development, with efforts to recruit medical professionals and train in‑state students for health‑care careers.
- Infrastructure improvements, including transportation support for patients and tools to increase provider efficiency.
- Prevention and wellness, with community‑based nutrition and lifestyle programs aimed at reducing barriers to employment and long‑term health.
The Department of Health will begin releasing Awards for Funding Availability over the next two weeks. Early rounds will target workforce recruitment, training programs, and community nutrition initiatives.
State officials say additional funding phases will be announced later this year as the program expands into chronic‑disease management, behavioral health coordination, and technology modernization.
