BATON ROUGE — Louisiana completed its first year of Rural Health Transformation Program awards and directed all available funding to rural health initiatives, according to the state health department.

On Nov. 7, the Louisiana Department of Health said the state received about $208 million in first-year funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. LDH said it received more than $498 million in requests across 551 applications and obligated 100 percent of the available money across five initiatives.

The funding supports workforce development, technology innovation, innovative care models, Make Rural America Healthy Again, and sustainable access for rural health care facilities. Federal rules limit direct provider payments and eligible infrastructure spending and require broader work on workforce development, technology modernization, preventive care and care delivery models.

The department also said Louisiana provided about $245.9 million in state-directed payments to rural health care hospitals separate from the federal program. That was a $19.1 million increase from 2025.

Funding in the first budget period will add 235 new health care professional seats across five universities. LDH said students in those programs will complete a rotation or fellowship at a rural health care facility.

“Success will not be measured simply by how much money we distribute,” Bruce D. Greenstein said. “It will be measured by what changes because of it: more health care professionals in our communities, better access to care, stronger hospitals and healthier people.”

The federally funded program was created through legislation in 2025 and provides $50 billion nationally over five budget periods.