The Rural Health Initiative will expand access to specialty and emergent care through a network of telehealth hubs linking EMS, first responders, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities to regional referral centers. Bring advanced services such as tele-stroke, tele-behavioral health, and remote patient monitoring directly into rural communities.

• Regional hubs to serve as primary support centers to local rural providers by providing telehealth and tele-consult services for specialties not currently offered at rural locations.
• Funding healthcare facilities to integrate with a regional hub to receive and offer telehealth/tele-consult services to patients.
• Funding for local hospitals to serve as secondary support center for primary care services to local clinics if required and for local clinics to integrate with local hospitals to receive the services.
• Equipment upgrades and minor building renovations to prepare rural healthcare facilities to provide care and ensure costs are commensurate with patient volume.
• Creation or expansion of non-emergency transportation systems/entities.
• Creation of “Rural Health Network” pilot program utilizing a shared services, including combined billing, linen, shredding, medical waste, laboratory, management etc.

The Maternal and Fetal Health Initiative uses digital tools to connect rural facilities with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, provides access to telerobotic ultrasound, addresses shortages of obstetric services, and reduces high-risk maternal and infant morbidity in underserved communities. Expansion of an existing pilot program to provide emergency L&D carts to rural hospitals, offering lifesaving care and stabilization for mothers and newborns.

• Establish regional referral hubs focused on maternal and fetal health.
• Provide funding for healthcare facilities, including but not limited to, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, REHs, rural health clinics, FQHCs, to connect with regional referral hubs.
• Acquire and install telerobotic ultrasound devices at regional hubs and, through the regional hubs, to smaller rural hubs to optimize maternal and fetal health services.
• Deploy emergency L&D carts to rural healthcare facilities without L&D units.

The Collaborative Electronic Health Record (EHR), IT, and Cybersecurity Initiative establishing regional "hubs" for IT and cybersecurity support and assist with EHR integration for rural hospitals and clinics.

• Establishment of regional IT provider-based hubs to assist/advise rural providers in upgrading IT and cybersecurity platforms; provide monitoring and response to incidents; provide infrastructure and regulatory compliance; assessments; provide incident response and recovery support; provide infrastructure and advise on EHR upgrades/conversions.
• Procurement and deployment of updated IT and cybersecurity platforms.
• Procurement and deployment of new/upgraded/updated EHR platforms.

Mental Health Initiative aims to expand two distinct phases of mental health access in rural Alabama, 1. a school-based tele-mental health services; and 2. funding for CMHCs to convert to CCBHCs.

The Community Medicine Initiative provides preventative health screenings, connections to appropriate healthcare, food access and healthy food and lifestyle choices, and disseminates educational materials.

• Support planning, development, and implementation of school-based tele-mental health programs in rural areas.
• Support planning, development, and implementation for CMHCs to convert to CCBHCs.
• Procurement of equipment to allow for mobile wellness screening.
• Procurement of equipment for mobile grocery units, food pantries, and food banks.
• Provide new or expanded mobile screening and grocery services.

The Rural Workforce Initiative training and recruitment for all healthcare professionals, including but not limited to, physicians, nurses, EMS, certified nurse midwives, dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. Provider incentives and expansion of Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs.

• Funding to the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences for curriculum development and equipment procurement.
• Funding to develop and implement remote training opportunities for EMTs and paramedics.
• Healthcare workforce program between K-12 education, community colleges, institutions of higher education, the Alabama Department of Workforce, and rural providers to develop and expand accelerated professional training.
• Establish new or expand existing GME programs in rural areas.
• Fund new or expand training programs for Certified Nurse Midwives.
• Incentives for practitioners, dentists, and dental hygienists to relocate to rural areas.
• Free or reduced-cost education for commitment to five years in rural Alabama.

The Cancer Digital Regionalization Initiative, the Simulation Training Initiative, the Statewide EMS Trauma and Stroke Initiative, and the EMS Treat-In-Place Initiative will advance preventative care, provider readiness and interconnectivity, and emergency response.

• Expand capabilities of a proven, effective cancer detection system.
• Regional hubs to provide cancer detection services to local rural healthcare facilities.
• Funding for local mobile screening offered in conjunction and consultation with local providers.
• Community partnerships to establish community activation teams to provide social mobilization and education.
• Expand or replicate simulation-based training programs to increase the amount of simulation training offered each year.
• Create or expand existing simulation-based training programs.
• Expand EMS diversion system statewide to all EMS and hospitals.
• Establish a pilot program to institute "treat-in-place" for EMS providers.
• Fund protocol development, telehealth consulting equipment, software, cellular connectivity, training, and other needs as identified.

The Rural Health Practice Initiative establishes or expands networked rural health clinics in underserved areas to promote patient-centered hubs with physical and behavioral health services, emphasizing preventative care and chronic disease management. Telehealth services, remote patient monitoring and virtual consultation. K-12 dental and health clinics to provide primary care services to students, parents, teachers, staff and their families.

• Establish or upgrade existing clinics to offer networked services in rural areas.
• Expand recruitment, training and pipeline initiatives to expand clinical capacity.
• Develop and implement shared services with clinics to reduce administrative overhead, cost, and improve efficiency.
• Community engagement efforts and collaboration with other rural clinics.
• Equipment for telehealth and remote patient monitoring services.
• Establish dental and healthcare clinics in rural educational facilities to serve students, teachers, staff and families.