Three Key Takeaways
- FAMU will receive $10.25 million to expand preventive care, clinics, workforce training and nutrition programs across rural North Florida.
- The funding comes at a critical moment for rural health. Congress created the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as rural hospitals face the prospect of significant Medicaid cuts.
- FAMU is betting on a broad approach to rural health. The university will combine health care, public health, nursing, pharmacy and agriculture to bring services closer to rural communities and train the workers those communities need.
FAMU will receive $10.25 million through Florida’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a federally funded program created amid concerns that major federal Medicaid cuts could put additional pressure on rural hospitals and health care providers.
Congress created the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as part of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which is expected to significantly reduce federal Medicaid spending over the next decade.
The program was included after lawmakers and rural health leaders warned that Medicaid reductions could threaten hospitals and providers that serve communities with high numbers of low-income and uninsured patients. The federal money is intended to strengthen rural health systems and expand access rather than simply replace lost Medicaid funding.
FAMU’s award is part of nearly $188 million in grants that the State of Florida doled out this week targeting communities that are home to roughly 1.2 million rural residents.
“These investments in rural Florida will strengthen hospitals and clinics, expand the rural health care workforce, and help ensure Floridians can access high-quality care in their own communities,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in announcing the grants.
Florida has 31 counties classified as rural under state law. The 2020 Census counted about 1.18 million residents living in those areas.
FAMU will use the funding through 2030 for four initiatives:
The FAMU-Gadsden HELPS Rural Health Network will serve communities including Quincy, Havana, Midway, Chattahoochee, Greensboro and Gretna.
The program will expand preventive services and care closer to residents’ homes, addressing transportation and other barriers to access.
FAMU will used $2,857,290 to create a pathways program to train health care professionals prepared to work in rural areas such as Gadsden, Jefferson, Madison, Wakulla, Taylor and Liberty counties.
The Food as Medicine Initiative will initially focus on Madison and Jefferson counties, with plans to expand into Gadsden, Wakulla, Taylor and Gulf counties.
FAMU's interdisplinary approach will bring together the School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences/Institute of Public Health, School of Nursing and College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, along with community and health care partners.
The timing is significant for rural health providers. Medicaid is an important source of coverage and revenue in rural communities, and the prospect of substantial federal reductions has raised concerns about the ability of hospitals and clinics to maintain services.
For FAMU, the award also expands the university’s role in addressing the health needs of North Florida communities — while creating new opportunities for its students and graduates to become part of the rural health workforce.
The federal program runs through 2030. FAMU’s challenge will be to turn the temporary federal investment into lasting improvements in access to care, the health workforce and health outcomes across rural North Florida.