31 Oct New York ACEP Submits Proposal on NYS Rural Healthcare Transformation Application
In September 2025, CMS announced a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, an initiative to strengthen rural health care across the nation. The funding will be distributed over five years beginning in 2026, with $25 billion allocated equally among States with approved applications and an additional $25 billion distributed based on rurality factors.
Learn more about the funding opportunity here.
New York ACEP was proud to provide the New York State Department of Health with a proposal, requesting a portion of these funds be allocated specifically to Rural Emergency Medicine across NYS.
Building a Comprehensive Proposal:
To ensure the proposal was all encompassing and properly representative of the diverse needs of rural EM in New York State, New York ACEP formed a work group tasked with gathering input, data and recommendations from across the state.
Together, this group surveyed members through the practice management committee, met with rural health care leaders from the Board of Directors and associated health systems, as well as reviewed the appropriate guidelines from NYSDOH and CMS to ensure the application met all requirements and was properly aligned with the funding priorities.
Their work underscored an important truth: there is no one-size-fits-all solution for rural Emergency Medicine in New York. Every region, and often every department, faces unique challenges that require flexible, locally driven solutions.
A Tailored Approach for Rural EDs
New York ACEP proposed that NYSDOH establish a grant program that allows individual ED’s to apply directly for funding. Each applicant will first complete a needs assessment survey to demonstrate how a proposed project would enhance the capacity to deliver high-quality patient care. Based on the needs assessment results, the applicant can then apply for funding through one or more of the available priority categories:
- Pre-Hospital Care and Patient Transport Mechanism
- Equipment to Increase Patient Care Quality and Delivery
- DOH/OMH Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Support
- Mobile Health Units
- Rural-Urban Collaborative Education and Resource Sharing
- Loan Repayment for Emergency Medicine Providers
Looking Ahead
As we await the State Application and Federal Decision, we remain optimistic that funds that are made available to NYS will help address the many needs of our Rural Healthcare Providers, and specifically the needs of Rural Emergency Medicine.