BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health is investing $37.7 million into strengthening its rural healthcare workforce.

The initiative, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), connects public universities and technical colleges with rural hospitals and clinics to recruit, train and retain essential healthcare professionals.

Three key programs will receive funding. Rural Hero connects Louisiana’s public postsecondary college systems directly with rural healthcare providers to align training programs with real-world local staffing needs through September 2029; they are set to receive up to $20M.

Rural Clinician Credit Bank is being awarded up to $12.7M, which will match funds to 53 selected rural providers for recruitment purposes through sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance and professional training.

The Grow Your Own initiative is receiving up to $5M; they will work on growing career pathways through multiple stages, like high school dual-enrollment opportunities and training pathways for practicing healthcare professionals to advance toward higher-level credentials.

"Access to health care starts with having the right people in the right places,” LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein said. “We are building a workforce that can support better access to care in rural Louisiana for years to come."

This $37.7 million rollout represents Year 1 of Louisiana’s broader $208 million Rural Health Transformation Program. Applications for Year 2 funding opportunities are set to open in November 2026.