California

Core Initiatives

1. Improve rural maternity care access
2. Enhance health services for rural populations

California received a $233.6 million cooperative agreement from CMS under the Rural Health Transformation Program, with the program aiming to fund innovative solutions for rural and frontier health care. The cooperative agreement funds will mainly flow to contracts and personnel supporting rural health systems transformation. As of this award, all contractual fund restrictions have been lifted for the program. Key contacts: Hovik Khosrovian hovik.khosrovian@hcai.ca.gov; Chris Clark christopher.clark@cms.hhs.gov; Stephanie Magill stephanie.magill1@cms.hhs.gov; Shamia Cunningham Event schedule: - Federal Award Date - 03/31/2026 - Budget Period Start - 12/29/2025 - Budget Period End - 10/30/2026 - Period of Performance End - 10/30/2030

1. Ensure financial stability of rural and community hospitals
2. Prevent hospital closures through financial support
3. Maintain access to quality and affordable health care

This guide describes California's CalRHT Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention (WDRR) grant program, which provides $54,170,000 in 2026 for organizational recruitment and retention of rural health professionals. Eligible organizations include rural hospitals, clinics, Tribal health entities, and regional collaboratives. Bonuses of up to $150,000 per provider are available for a five-year service commitment; a total of up to 40 organizations and 400 health professionals may be awarded. Key contacts: info@calruralhealth.org; info@calruralhealth.org Event schedule: - Application opens - July 31, 2026 - Application closes - August 31, 2026 - Required authority verification deadline - September 30, 2027 - RFA release date - 2026-07-31 - America/Los_Angeles - Application window opens - 2026-07-31 - America/Los_Angeles - Application window closes - 2026-08-31 - America/Los_Angeles - Completeness review complete - 2026-09-30 - America/Los_Angeles - Award notifications issued - 2026-09-30 - America/Los_Angeles

The CalRHT EHR Modernization Grant makes $11.65 million available for rural hospitals, clinics, and other eligible organizations in California to modernize their electronic health record systems in Budget Period 1. Applicants may request up to $2 million per award, with a strong emphasis on co-funding for projects above that ceiling. The program aims to expand rural health system connectivity, workforce sustainability, and care quality by supporting EHR adoption, interoperability, and cybersecurity. Key contacts: Jennifer Hernandez info@calruralhealth.org; Lemeneh Tefera, MD, MSc info@calruralhealth.org; Jacob Parkinson info@calruralhealth.org Event schedule: - Application closes - 08/21/2026 - 3:00 PM PT - Online portal - Completeness and scoring review - August/September 2026 - Award notifications issued - September 2026 - Grant agreements executed - September/October 2026

The California CalRHT Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention Program, fully funded by CMS/HHS, offers organizational grants for rural-serving entities to recruit and retain health professionals. Bonuses are capped at $150,000 per health professional and support five-year rural service commitments. Application opens July 31, 2026, and closes August 31, 2026. Key contacts: info@calruralhealth.org; info@calruralhealth.org Event schedule: - Application Window Opens - 07/31/2026 - Application Deadline - 08/31/2026 - Expected Award Announcement - Grant Agreement Expiration - 11/30/2032

California's RHTP subrecipient agreement template governs the flow-down of federal CMS cooperative agreements for rural health transformation. It covers guidance on eligible activities — including Transformative Care Model, workforce development, technology upgrades, operational sustainability, and rural access gaps — and details compliance, budget, and monitoring requirements customized per subrecipient. No agreement funds may be obligated until all key fields are completed and approved. Key contacts: [HCAI Authorized Representative Name] [HCAI Authorized Representative Email]; [Subrecipient Authorized Representative Name] [Subrecipient Authorized Representative Email] Event schedule: - Federal Award Start - 12/29/2025 - Federal Award End - 10/30/2030 - RHTP Agreement Version Date - 2026-07-30 - Final invoice for each CMS budget period due date - June 30 - Quarterly progress report due dates - October 30, January 30, April 30

California was awarded over $233 million by CMS for the Rural Health Transformation Program’s first budget period (2026). Hundreds of stakeholders were engaged to set key priorities including workforce, telehealth, and hospital stability. The CalRHT vision is a patient-centered, connected rural health system supported by workforce, technology, and care model innovation. Key contacts: CalRHT@hcai.ca.gov Event schedule: - CalRHT Application Submitted - 11/04/2025 - California Awarded RHTP Funds - 12/29/2025 - HCAI Submits Budget Revision - 01/30/2026 - CMS Approves/Amends Budget - 03/20/2026 - RHPC Council Members Announced - CalRHT Webinars - Program FAQs Published; Website Updated - 03/2026 - Release of RFA / Application Window Opens

California received $233.6M in CMS RHTP Year 1 funding for rural health transformation. The CalRHT will launch infrastructure, technology, workforce, and care delivery initiatives throughout the state, including grant subawards for collaboratives, EHR modernization, and workforce development. A Rural Health Policy Council, including diverse stakeholders, will advise on strategy, progress, and feedback. Key contacts: Jennifer Hernandez CalRHT@hcai.ca.gov Event schedule: - CalRHT Program Grants - Transformative Care Model: Accelerator Partners Application Opens - 07/15/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Transformative Care Model: Accelerator Partners Application Deadline - 08/14/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Transformative Care Model: Expand and Support Rural Workforce Capacity Application Opens - 07/15/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Transformative Care Model: Expand and Support Rural Workforce Capacity Application Deadline - 08/14/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Technology & Tools: EHR Modernization Application Opens - 07/20/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Technology & Tools: EHR Modernization Application Deadline - 08/21/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Workforce Development Recruitment & Retention Application Opens - 07/31/2026 - CalRHT Program Grants - Workforce Development Recruitment & Retention Application Deadline - 08/31/2026

California was awarded $233.6 million for Federal Fiscal Year 2026 to support rural healthcare transformation through initiatives led by the Department of Health Care Access and Information with CMS oversight. The program focuses on creating a connected and resilient rural health system to enable timely, person-centered care closer to home. CalRHT includes workforce development, health record modernization, and grant programs. Key contacts: info@calruralhealth.org; CalRHT@hcai.ca.gov Event schedule: - Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention Grant Webinar - August 4, 2026 - Webinar - Rural Health Policy Council (RHPC) Meeting #1 - July 28, 2026 - Webinar - Electronic Health Record (EHR) Modernization Grant Webinar - July 27, 2026 - Webinar - Accelerator Partners Grant Webinar - July 20, 2026 - Webinar - Information Session CalRHT 2026 Grants (pre-recorded) - July 1, 2026 - Webinar - CalRHT Program Spring Webinar - April 21, 2026 - Webinar - Make Rural America Healthy Again - October 3, 2025 - Webinar - Sustainable Access - October 2, 2025 - Webinar

California is launching multiple new grant opportunities under its Rural Health Transformation Program, focusing on new care models, rural workforce expansion, and EHR adoption. Three grant initiatives are either open or imminent: support for regional hospital collaboratives, expansion of family medicine obstetrics fellowships, and modernization of health IT systems in rural hospitals. A workforce recruitment and retention funding round is scheduled for July, with webinars on program guidance posted. Key contacts: info@calruralhealth.org Event schedule: - WDRR Grant Funding Webinar - 08/04/2026 - Register Now! - EHR Modernization Webinar - 07/27/2026 - Register Now!