What is Nevada’s Plan for RHT Funding?
Nevada’s RHT Program priorities were defined based on broad rural healthcare stakeholder involvement and in close collaboration with the Governor’s Office. From August 20 to September 22, 2025, the Nevada Health Authority gathered public comment and feedback on how best to prioritize RHT funds in the state’s application. A second opportunity to provide public feedback began with a follow-up survey, open from October 6–10, 2025.
Nevada’s application reflects feedback and direct involvement from hundreds of stakeholders, including our rural healthcare experts (EMS, tribal leadership, medical education, hospitals, primary care, critical access hospitals, behavioral health professionals, and rural and frontier Nevada residents) and alignment with the Governor’s strategic plan objectives. The Nevada Health Authority worked to prioritize initiatives avoiding state or local fiscal cliffs at the end of the 5-year RHT grant and resulting in sustainable solutions to longstanding challenges affecting access to care in rural Nevada.
To guide this important work, the Nevada Health Authority will form a Rural Health Transformation Steering Committee (RHTSC) with members appointed by the Director of NVHA with approval from the Governor of Nevada. The committee will be comprised of a broad array of representatives from rural health systems and communities in addition to state, local and tribal health representatives. The steering committee will track progress on all RHT initiatives and recommend adjustments to ensure alignment with federal goals.
NVHA intends to deploy the following 4 initiatives, as further described in Nevada’s RHT grant application:
- Make Rural Nevada Healthy Again – Through implementing the Rural Health Outcomes Accelerator Program (RHOAP), Nevada plans to invest 15% of the annual award in efforts that promote value-based and innovative care models that prevent and manage chronic disease. This includes (but not limited to) new online collaborative care strategies, remote and/or hybrid approaches to care, online patient health management tools, and virtual provider mentorship programs.
- Strengthen Rural Health Systems – The Nevada Health Authority will introduce the Flex Fund for Nevada’s Rural Providers, planning to bolster and modernize the state’s rural health care infrastructure with 20% of the annual award in new investments in items like technology, equipment, supplies, mobile units, emergency services, etc. The State will encourage rural providers to leverage their regional buying power through regional purchasing strategies and sharing arrangements.
- Create a Robust Network of Health Providers in Rural Nevada – Through establishment of the Workforce Recruitment and Rural Access Program, Nevada plans to address historic gaps in the state’s rural workforce. Multiple strategies will be employed with the proposed support of 40% of the annual award to address immediate and long-term provider gaps, including new incentives for providers to live and serve in rural areas of the state, tuition aid with commitments to serve rural Nevada, and a rural physician residency program.
- Fill the “Unfillable” Gaps with Innovative Technology Solutions – The Nevada Health Authority plans to implement the Rural Health Innovation and Technology Grant with 15% of the annual award toward innovative technologies and modernization of health data and records systems with a focus on alignment with the CMS Digital Health Ecosystem and addressing cybersecurity needs for rural health systems. These funds may also be used to bolster the state’s rural telehealth infrastructure.