Ashley Poole, president of Highlands Medical Center, briefed the Jackson County Commission on Oct. 14 about federal and state funding opportunities and recent local investments in health care infrastructure.

Poole said the federal Rural Health Transformation Program is part of a national package she described as a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals; she reported that Alabama could receive about $300 million and that the application deadline for that program is Nov. 5. Poole said the state-level Alabama Rural Hospital Fund is structured as a three-year tax-credit program, with hospitals eligible to receive $750,000 in the first year, $1,000,000 in the second and $1,200,000 in the third year, and that those funds would flow directly to hospitals.

On capital projects, she said Huntsville Health System has infused $20 million into the hospital since 2021 and that planned projects for fiscal year 2026 include a $1,670,000 generator and a $600,000 boiler replacement at Cumberland Care Center. Poole also said work with Charter and AT&T should remedy frequent phone and network outages by creating a direct connection to Huntsville Health System’s network.

Poole described community outreach events the hospital staff undertook — including a presence at the barbecue festival and first-aid coverage at a fishing tournament — and reported that the system has put a fourth ambulance into service so that each station now has a new ambulance. She said the county’s EMS providers are among a small share of providers nationally able to perform blood transfusions in the field, and she said that capability will improve trauma survival for patients who are an hour from a trauma center.

Poole answered commissioners’ questions about whether the federal funds would be directed toward capital expenses and clarified that current guidance suggests the federal funding will be used primarily for infrastructure rather than for services already underway.

No formal county action was required or taken on the hospital’s projects during the meeting.