CHARLESTON, W.Va. (The Hinton News) – Governor Patrick Morrisey announced nearly $17 million across seven West Virginia Rural Health Transformation Program (WV RHTP) awards to strengthen diabetes and chronic-disease care, expand access to technology-enabled healthcare, improve care coordination, and build the rural healthcare workforce. The announcement comes ahead of World Diabetes Day and brings together investments across four WV RHTP initiatives: Personal Health Accelerator, Connected Care Grid, SmartCare Catalyst, and Mountain State Care Force.
“Diabetes affects families and communities across West Virginia, and there is no single solution to improving outcomes,” Governor Morrisey said. “We need to help people make healthier choices, give patients and providers better tools to manage chronic disease, identify complications earlier, and make sure our rural communities have the healthcare workforce they need. These investments put resources behind West Virginia organizations that know our communities and are ready to put them to work for our people.”
The awards support Cabell Huntington Hospital under Marshall Health Network, Marshall University Research Corporation, ROAM West Virginia, and the West Virginia Primary Care Association. Together, the projects span nutrition and lifestyle interventions, remote patient monitoring, care coordination, diabetic foot monitoring, rural healthcare apprenticeships, and rural clinical training.
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$5,043,333 to Marshall University Research Corporation to support nutrition- and lifestyle-based programs combining diabetes management, nutrition therapy, medication support, coaching, and behavioral and recovery services.
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$4,640,188 to Marshall University Research Corporation to expand remote patient monitoring for West Virginians with diabetes and hypertension, helping patients and care teams stay connected between office visits.
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$2,795,000 to the West Virginia Primary Care Association to expand diabetes management through community health centers, including nutrition coaching, food-as-medicine approaches, continuous glucose monitoring, and remote monitoring.
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$1,753,646 to Marshall University Research Corporation to develop and expand rural training programs in emergency medicine, physician assistant practice, and pharmacy, strengthening the pipeline of healthcare professionals serving rural West Virginia.
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$1,544,313 to Cabell Huntington Hospital, under Marshall Health Network, to expand patient care coordination, helping rural patients with referrals, specialist scheduling, follow-up, and other care needs.
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$700,000 to ROAM West Virginia to recruit and train licensed practical nurse apprentices who will support remote patient monitoring and chronic-disease care in rural communities.
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$500,000 to ROAM West Virginia to expand in-home foot scanning and nursing review for high-risk patients with diabetes or neuropathy in Barbour, Braxton, and Doddridge counties.
“These awards show what rural health transformation looks like when we bring prevention, clinical care, technology, and workforce development together,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh. “We are investing in organizations with strong connections to West Virginia and different capabilities to contribute to this work. Whether it is helping someone better manage diabetes at home, strengthening care coordination, or preparing the next generation of rural healthcare professionals, each investment supports our larger goal of building healthier communities across the state.”
These investments reflect West Virginia’s comprehensive approach to rural health, connecting prevention and chronic-disease management with technology, access to care, and workforce development to help more West Virginians get the care they need closer to home.
“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program is giving states the resources to build stronger rural health systems and better serve the families who depend on them,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “These investments will expand access to high-quality care and help rural West Virginians live longer, healthier lives.”
Additional awards will be announced as West Virginia continues implementing its RHTP to improve healthcare outcomes, expand access to care, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and help more West Virginians get healthy and return to work.
This press release is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $401,557,453.35 in combined Year 1 and Year 2 funding, with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.
