Little Rock, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Healthcare in Craighead County and Northeast Arkansas is getting a financial boost as the state rolls out nearly $150 million in federal grants aimed at transforming rural healthcare.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday that $149.3 million in awards to recipients of the first round of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants. Established through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the program focuses on upgrading technology, expanding telehealth and bringing specialty care closer to home.

The funds are split into two categories:

  • Telehealth, Health-Monitoring, and Response Innovation for Vital Expansion (THRIVE) – $55.7 million (Focuses on telehealth and remote patient monitoring)
  • Promoting Access Coordination and Transformation (PACT) – $93.6 million (Targets specialty care, preventive screenings, and regional collaboration)

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According to a news release, the awards are part of the $209 million the state expects to award by this fall. Officials anticipate Arkansas will eventually see around $1 billion in rural health funding over the next five years.

Out of the 50 projects being awarded funds, several are in Northeast Arkansas.

St. Bernards Development Foundation

St. Bernards secured two grants to improve care across Northeast Arkansas:

  • $9,551,090 (PACT Grant): To fund the PACT Rural Care Network across Craighead, Cross, Randolph, Lawrence, and Clay counties. The project implements a digital visual-management platform across six facilities to standardize workflows, improve infection prevention, and enhance patient safety.
  • $5,000,000 (THRIVE Grant): Funding the St. Bernards Rural Care Connectivity Network, this grant will expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, smart-room technology, and cybersecurity across eight counties, including Craighead

NYITCOM at A-State

As part of the funding, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University received a $1.52 million PACT grant.

The funds will be used to create the “Mobile Health Unit Maternal Health and Education Access Initiative” through the medical school’s Delta Population Health Institute (DPHI). This includes purchasing a mobile maternal health unit to hold clinics for new and expectant mothers in underserved areas, as well as two passenger vehicles to help Northeast Arkansas residents travel to specialty care appointments.

“We are so grateful to Governor Sanders and her team for entrusting us with these funds that will make a significant impact in our ability to help mothers and children in the most medically underserved portions of our state,” said Dr. Shane Speights, dean of NYITCOM at A-State.

A news release from NYITCOM stated that the medical school previously established a presence in Poinsett and Mississippi counties through a 2023 maternal health program, which helped shape the initiative.

“These women frequently experience limited access to obstetrical providers, have transportation challenges, face long travel distances to specialty care, and there is a shortage of maternal healthcare services,” noted Dr. Brookshield Laurent, NYITCOM’s associate dean for population and public health. “This new initiative will address each of those areas and also help prepare healthcare professionals to better respond to obstetric emergencies.”

This funding also ties into NYITCOM’s previously announced plans to open a family medicine residency program through the Mississippi County Hospital System in Blytheville, which will heavily incorporate obstetrics training.

Methodist Le Bonheur Community Outreach

  • $340,725 (THRIVE Grant): The Le Bonheur Jonesboro Outpatient Center will use the funds to add Level 2 fetal ultrasounds, EEG epileptology screenings, and pediatric subspeciality consultations in Jonesboro

Regional Support Including Craighead County

Several statewide and multi-county organizations also received funding for projects that list Craighead County in their primary service areas:

  • Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas ($1,374,505 PACT Grant): Expanding access to trauma-focused mental health treatment for child-abuse victims and their families.
  • Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. ($369,619 THRIVE Grant): Installing tablet-based telehealth kiosks and offering clinic-supported peer recovery services for substance use in rural clinics and detention centers.

Other Statewide Grant Recipients

While Craighead County facilities saw substantial funding, dozens of other organizations across Arkansas received grants in this initial rollout.

THRIVE Grant Recipients:

  • ARcare: $2,571,095 for remote patient monitoring and network infrastructure across 12 counties.
  • Arkansas Ambulance Association: $10,000,000 for statewide ambulance replacements and telehealth communication.
  • Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries: $423,761 for rural behavioral health access in six counties.
  • Arkansas Children’s (Chronic Disease): $210,000 for statewide remote monitoring of rural children with chronic diseases.
  • Arkansas Children’s (Newborn Alliance): $91,400 for neonatal education and diagnostics in Southeast Arkansas.
  • Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Tele-Consultation): $2,245,031 to equip rural hospitals and EMS for emergency tele-triage across 31 counties.
  • Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Chronic Care): $5,651,924 for technology-enabled chronic disease management in 17 counties.
  • Baptist Health (Cardiology Pilot): $1,139,512 for virtual cardiology rounds in seven counties.
  • Baptist Health (Magnolia Regional): $197,542 for virtual care transition in Columbia County.
  • Baptist Health (South Arkansas Regional): $589,378 for virtual care transition in Union County.
  • Baxter Health: $7,738,729 to expand home-based and virtual care across six counties.
  • Carriage Hill Family Care, PLC: $150,000 for a digital health transformation initiative in Greene County.
  • Community Health Centers of Arkansas (Intelligence Platform): $1,911,394 to build a shared technology platform for 13 health centers across 64 counties.
  • Community Health Centers of Arkansas (Clinical Support): $130,410 to implement diagnostic software across 64 counties.
  • Harbor House Inc. of Fort Smith: $37,230 for tele-counseling in four counties.
  • Johnson Regional Medical Center: $974,455 for network modernization and tele-cardiology in Johnson County.
  • LilyLink & Perinatal Center: $871,736 for a technology-enabled maternal diabetes program in Benton County.
  • Mercy Health Fort Smith Communities: $6,340,043 for rural digital health initiatives in five counties.
  • University of Arkansas (Older Adults): $176,847 for telehealth-readiness training in Dallas County.
  • University of Arkansas (RADAR Platform): $777,351 for a statewide interactive rural health dashboard.
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Virtu-RURAL): $2,337,402 for telehealth upgrades across six counties.
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (SPARK): $5,438,244 for virtual neurology and stroke support in 24 Delta communities.

PACT Grant Recipients

  • Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Emergency Power): $5,000,000 for emergency generators at hospitals in nine counties.
  • Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Behavioral Health): $1,455,689 to expand crisis response and local treatment in 19 counties.
  • Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (Specialty Care): $4,480,877 for portable telemedicine systems across 39 counties.
  • Baptist Health (South Arkansas Regional): $12,000,000 for facility improvements and operational integration in Union County.
  • Baptist Health (Magnolia Regional): $3,000,000 for infrastructure and technology systems in Columbia County.
  • Baxter Health: $12,000,000 to create a regional collaboration hub across 11 counties.
  • Conway Regional Health System: $795,960 for a maternal mobile health unit serving eight counties.
  • Deckmax / North Arkansas Rural Health Consortium: $1,000,000 for a regional hub and mobile specialty care in Baxter County.
  • Delta Memorial Hospital: $24,720 for home health revenue cycle alignment in Desha County.
  • Doula Alliance of Arkansas: $860,500 for statewide rural maternal care coordination and doula support.
  • Jefferson Hospital Association: $3,000,000 for a health care-grade HVAC system in Jefferson County.
  • John Ed Chambers Memorial Hospital: $2,187,999 to improve health care access and infrastructure in Yell County.
  • Mercy Health Fort Smith Communities: $12,716,206 to preserve critical-access services and strengthen the Fort Smith hub across three counties.
  • Mississippi County Hospital System: $9,602,657 to modernize services at hospitals in Blytheville and Osceola.
  • North Arkansas Regional Medical Center: $3,000,000 for emergency department modernization and specialty clinics in Boone County.
  • River Valley Medical Wellness: $3,500,000 for integrated primary care and maternal health mobile systems across five counties.
  • Subiaco Abbey: $268,500 for facility, transportation, and workforce investments in Logan County.
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (STAR): $1,228,624 to create a telehealth hearing-care network across 17 counties.
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Pregnancy Care Connect): $2,986,934 for mobile teams and a 24/7 nurse-led pregnancy line serving 24 high-need counties.
  • White County Medical Center (BRIDGE): $839,314 to expand breast-cancer screening and imaging in six counties.
  • White County Medical Center (CICAP): $600,000 to replace Unity Health Newport’s roof in White and Jackson counties.
  • White County Medical Center (WELL): $466,182 to expand chronic-care and preventive services at Unity Health Newport in White County.

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