San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center Awarded $7,889,560.51 Through Colorado Rural Health Transformation Program

Funding will support workforce development, behavioral health, healthcare innovation, and improved care coordination throughout the San Luis Valley.

San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center has been awarded $7,889,560.51 through Colorado’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to strengthen healthcare services, expand access to care, support workforce development, and improve long-term healthcare sustainability throughout the San Luis Valley.

The funding is part of nearly $170 million in RHTP grants directed by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) to rural healthcare providers across Colorado. Funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), these investments will help protect access to care and support better health outcomes in Colorado's rural and frontier communities.

San Luis Valley Health will use its RHTP award to support initiatives that strengthen healthcare services throughout the San Luis Valley, including workforce development, behavioral health stabilization, technology and healthcare innovation, whole-person health initiatives, and enhanced care coordination. These efforts will benefit patients served through Regional Medical Center and San Luis Valley Health's network of clinics and healthcare services across Alamosa, Conejos, and Rio Grande counties.

Residents of the San Luis Valley often face unique challenges in accessing healthcare, including long travel distances, workforce shortages, and limited access to specialty services. These investments will help ensure patients throughout the San Luis Valley can continue to receive high-quality care close to home while helping preserve and strengthen rural healthcare services for future generations.

Funded projects will support healthcare workforce recruitment and development, expansion of innovative care delivery models, enhanced behavioral health services, improved access to technology-enabled care, and community-based health initiatives.

"This investment represents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen healthcare services across the San Luis Valley and ensure our communities continue to have access to high-quality care close to home," saidKonnie Martin, CEO of San Luis Valley Health. "The Rural Health Transformation Program will allow us to invest in our workforce, expand access to innovative healthcare solutions, strengthen behavioral health services, and build upon the partnerships that help us meet the needs of the communities we serve."

Through this award, San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center will:

• Strengthen the healthcare workforce — Support recruitment, retention, training, and professional development initiatives to address workforce shortages and improve access to care.
• Expand healthcare technology and innovation — Invest in innovative technologies that improve patient care, increase efficiency, and strengthen healthcare delivery in rural communities.
• Enhance behavioral health services — Improve access to behavioral health resources and support long-term service sustainability.
• Advance whole-person health and preventive care — Support programs designed to address social drivers of health and improve overall community wellness.
• Improve population health and care coordination — Enhance care management capabilities, improve health outcomes, and better connect patients with needed services and resources.

Colorado is directing $169,587,181 in RHTP grants to rural healthcare providers across the state. Through a highly competitive application process, 91 applicants and approximately 250 projects were selected to receive funding across 52 rural or frontier counties and three rural census tract counties.

A complete list of Colorado Rural Health Transformation Program awardees and additional information about RHTP is available on theRHTP website.

About San Luis Valley Health

San Luis Valley Health is a comprehensive, integrated healthcare system serving residents throughout the San Luis Valley. With a commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves, San Luis Valley Health provides a wide range of hospital, clinic, specialty, emergency, home health, and community health services across the region.

About the Rural Health Transformation Program

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a five-year federal initiative administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to strengthen healthcare access and improve health outcomes in rural and frontier communities. The program supports investments in workforce development, innovative care models, technology-enabled services, and health system sustainability. The program was authorized underSection 71401 of H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) to provide grants totaling $50 billion in federal funding nationwide from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 through FFY 2030.

From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Colorado’s award totals $200,105,604.17 for the first year of the program to support rural health transformation efforts across the state and is 100% funded by CMS. The contents of this release are those of San Luis Valley Health and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.