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Connecticut receives CMS notice of award and aims to stand up 30 rural health projects with $154 million
Summary
State RHTP leaders said CMS issued a notice of award that allows Connecticut to proceed with the Rural Health Transformation Program, which plans 30 projects across 11 state agencies, a staff expansion and an August target to have projects under way; organizers opened Q&A and scheduled town halls on June 30.
Connecticut officials announced that the state has received a Notice of Award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the Rural Health Transformation Program, enabling the state to proceed with implementation of 30 projects across 11 state agencies.
"Connecticut received its official green light, called our notice of our award or NOAA, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services," said Dan Sinclair, project director for Connecticut's RHTP program, adding that the award allows the team "to proceed at full velocity with our rural health transformation program." He told webinar attendees the team aims to stand up 30 projects by August.
The program leaders said they have expanded public engagement and staffing to support implementation. Since the first webinar in April, the RHTP team added five staff members named on the call, including assistant directors Tracy Norman and Megan La Dolce, PACE director Carrie Amero, RHTP attorney David Voice and principal healthcare analyst Peter Dean. Team members described an inaugural site visit to Torrington in late May and said they held a town hall with community leaders and met with local health providers to gather input.
Panelists emphasized outreach to stakeholders and planned public events: a first Rural Health Advisory Council meeting scheduled for the 25th of the month to advise on strategic grant issues, and two town halls planned for Putnam and Windham on June 30 to solicit community input on regional collaboratives. Organizers said they are expanding an email distribution list and posting regular updates on the program website.
During Q&A, participants were directed to the Connecticut Department of Social Services website and the Department of Administrative Services postings for current funding opportunities. When asked about the size of the RHTP team within DSS, speakers said the internal team working directly on rural health had grown to about nine staff members and continues to draw on procurement, finance and general counsel as needed.
The state noted that the $154,000,000 award is for the budget period and that amounts may change across project years depending on progress toward objectives. Organizers closed the webinar by reiterating that additional webinars, public engagements and posting of opportunities will follow as the program moves from planning to implementation.
