The Health Resources and Services Administration will dedicate $135 million in new funding to expand nutrition services and address ongoing rural health workforce shortages across the country.
“Preventative care cuts costs, improves outcomes, and drives our mission to Make America Healthy Again,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an April 7 news release. “These investments expand access to high-quality, affordable care — especially in rural communities that need it most.”
A total of $125 million of the funds will go toward expanding nutrition services at more than 350 HRSA-funded health centers. The goal is to help integrate food-based interventions and dietary care into primary care settings to help prevent and manage chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
An additional $11.25 million will support the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program, and will fund up to 15 new rural residency programs in high-need specialties such as family medicine, psychiatry, OB-GYN, general surgery and preventive medicine. Each grant can reach up to $750,000 over three years. The program is backed by research that shows physicians who train in rural areas are significantly more likely to stay and practice there, the release said.
HRSA-funded health centers serve more than 32.4 million patients at more than 16,000 sites across the U.S., which includes 1 in 5 rural residents. Since the RRPD program launched in 2019, HRSA has awarded 103 grants across 36 states and one territory. It supports more than 660 resident physicians and more than 750 residency positions in rural communities.
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