RH – Page 2 – In The States

Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced several appointments to the Pharmacy (TSBP). Stacy Hightower, who works at the Las Colinas Pharmacy, Compounding and Wellness in Irving, has been appointed to fill the pharmacy technician slot. Reappointed to the Board are pharmacists Donnie Lewis and Donna Montemayor and public member Rick Tisch. Their terms will expire on August 31, 2031.

Also in Texas, the state will receive $1.4 billion in federal funding from CMS over five years to improve rural health care across the state. Texas will receive approximately $281 million annually during fiscal years 2026-2030. The Health and Humans Services Commission (HHSC) is currently hiring attorneys and procurement staff for this program and expects the initial flow of funds to arrive in early February. HHSC will develop processes for projects involving direct distribution to local entities via direct awards, with those entities then distributing funds to others. HHSC will also determine procedures for projects that will be managed through its own procurement efforts. More information is available on the Provider Finance Department's website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T15:10:33-04:00February 6, 2026|RH, Texas|

California

The state has been awarded $233.6 million for Federal Fiscal Year 2026 through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program to support rural and frontier communities across the state. Through this funding, the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) and its partners will begin implementing a shared vision of a connected and resilient rural health system where rural and frontier Californians can access timely, person-centered care closer to home. 

Recently HCAI posted the project narrative (Revised 12/12/2025) providing additional insights into the state's plans. To learn more about the program, visit the RHTP webpage. For questions contact, CalRHT@hcai.ca.gov.

Please register for the Rural Health Listserv to ensure you receive updates.

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Service posted the following on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:

Reminder: Requirement for Provider Enrollment in Medi-Cal

Temporary VFC Reimbursement Rate Changes in Case of VFC Vaccine Supply Shortages

Vaccines For Children Program: Medi-Cal Reference Guide

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted a corrected version of the Special Edition of The Script newsletter . This January 2026 issue is dedicated to Assembly Bill 1503, the Sunset Measure for the California State Board of Pharmacy. This Special Edition focuses on:

Standard of Care

Nonresident Pharmacies

Inspection of Nonresident Pharmacies

Establishing Pharmacy Technician Advisory Committee

Self-Assessment Process

Define Pharmacy Technician Trainee

Define Pharmacist

Title Change to Advanced Pharmacist Practitioners

Enforcing Pharmacy Law

Pharmacist-in-Charge, Staffing

COVID-19 Oral Therapeutics

Emergency Refill Provisions

Pharmacy Records and Digital Conversion

Ownership Prohibition

Reporting to CAMER

Chain Community Pharmacy Employee Notice

Pharmacy Technician Duties

High Risk Patients

Retired Pharmacists License

Mail Order Pharmacies

Fees: Medically Underserved Area

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T14:49:09-04:00January 30, 2026|California, RH|

Montana

Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) and the Department of Public Health and Human Services announced the state will receive $233 million dedicated to rural healthcare in 2026. Montana received the fourth-most money of any state. Only Texas, Alaska, and California received more. The state health department will now submit a revised budget to CMS. 

Also in Montana, NACDS encourages interested members to review the information and updates on the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) website.

Highlights include the following:

In the upper right corner of the website under “Stay Engaged”, please consider signing up for email updates.

Review “Next Steps”. For questions about this project, please email HHSRuralHealthTransformation@mt.gov”.

Review “Frequently Asked Questions”, particularly questions related to funding and stakeholder engagement.

Review “Stakeholder Advisory Meetings”. Below are the agenda and presentation from the January 22, 2026 meeting.

- Meeting Agenda

- Rural Health Transformation Stakeholder Advisory Committee presentation: Please note RHTP governance overview (slide #5), procurement (slides #6 and #7), and program initiatives (slides #13 through #29)

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T15:01:56-04:00January 30, 2026|Montana, RH|

Vermont

NACDS is providing the following information regarding updates and opportunities in the state.

A news article that announced the state's Rural Health Transformation (RHT) award mentioned a project manager for the program. The job has been posted and the application deadline is February 1.

Please visit the Vermont Agency of Human Services (AHS) H.R. 1/Rural Health Transformation Fund webpage for updates and information.

For questions and comments, email  ahs.rht@vermont.gov.

Also in Vermont, the state posted its application online. Please note specific mention of pharmacy related to expanded pharmacists' scope to include test-to-treat in more scenarios (i.e., COVID-19, flu, strep throat) on page 40. Additionally, on page 40, it is noted that changes are required to current statute to support and accommodate broad expansion of test-to-treat in pharmacies.

Also in Vermont, Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program Provider and Community Partner Online Listening Session will be held on February 2 at 1:00 pm-2:00 pm EST. Please register online in advance.

Finally in Vermont, the AHS RHT Program team has created a listserv for interested parties to enroll for information about the program. NACDS encourages interested members to join this listserv to gain access to important insights and information. Please note once you subscribe to the listserv, you will receive an email asking you to "confirm" your registration. You must complete this two-step process to be added to the listserv.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T15:11:37-04:00January 30, 2026|RH, Vermont|

Wyoming

The state will receive $205 million in federal funding as part of CMS’ Rural Healthcare Transformation Program. The state’s funds will help cover chronic disease prevention and behavioral health; sustain Critical Care Access hospitals; sustain access to labor and delivery services in rural communities; innovative approaches to care delivery and payment models; workforce development and training; technological and consumer health solutions; and IT advances and technical assistance. To address concerns regarding sustainability, the state proposed the establishment of the “Wyoming Health Transformation Perpetuity”, designed to generate long-term revenue and establish auditing and reporting requirements. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T15:13:21-04:00January 30, 2026|RH, Wyoming|

Arizona

On December 29, 2025, Arizona received its official Notice of Award for $166,988,956.00 for Fiscal Year 2026 from CMS which was lower than the state requested. The state is actively engaging with CMS to advance the next steps and will submit a revised budget by January 30.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T14:45:45-04:00January 15, 2026|Arizona, RH|

Colorado

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPA) issued a press release announcing it will receive just over $200 million in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grant funds for the first year of the 5-year program. HCPF is now focused on responding to the CMS Request for Applications (RFA) materials and will soon provide details on establishing the RHTP Committee’s structure, membership and meeting schedules. NACDS will continue to closely monitor the state’s RHTP website and provide details as they become available.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T14:51:17-04:00January 15, 2026|Colorado, RH|

Idaho

On December 30, 2025, the state was awarded $185,974,368 in annual grants to be distributed over five years to implement the plan outlined in its grant application, which focuses on five initiatives: “improve rural access to care through technology; ensure accessible quality care through innovative models; sustain rural workforce with training, recruitment, and retention; implement population-specific, evidence-based projects to make rural America healthy again; and invest in rural health infrastructure and partnerships.” The state will use the funds to provide subgrants to support the goals and projects outlined in its application. For more information about the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) application, visit the Department of Health and Welfare’s RHTP website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T14:52:24-04:00January 15, 2026|Idaho, RH|

Minnesota

The Rural Health Transformation webpage includes all current information available on the various programs the state is seeking to implement. The full program project narrative includes details on each program, eligible participants and the stakeholders and/or entities who will help develop each initiative. Members can:

Track RFPs the state may issue related to the programs that are posted. In addition, major contracts (estimated value over $50,000) are advertised each Monday in the State Register .

Also in Minnesota, the Department of Health (MDH) issued an announcement RE: MDH Endorses AAP [American Academy of Pediatrics] Schedule, RSV-mAb on Regular Order Form, Educate Staff on Program.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

Michael Silber2026-03-10T15:00:26-04:00January 15, 2026|Minnesota, RH|