Open Applications for $160 Million to Reduce Healthcare Costs and Improve Access to Healthcare in Rural Colorado
Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Open Applications for $160 Million to Reduce Healthcare Costs and Improve Access to Healthcare in Rural Colorado
Funding will address significant health care needs and gaps in Colorado’s rural and frontier counties
DENVER - The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) on Thursday, June 18. This new opportunity allows eligible organizations to apply for $160 million in funding for innovative initiatives that strengthen health care access and improve health outcomes in Colorado’s rural and frontier communities.
“By taking advantage of every opportunity to reduce healthcare costs and support rural communities Colorado can increase access to the care we need to thrive, in urban and rural communities. I look forward to seeing providers and organizations around the state take advantage of these funds to improve Coloradans access to healthcare,” said Governor Jared Polis.
The RHTP advances sustainable, community-driven solutions that address the unique healthcare challenges facing rural Coloradans. HCPF is looking to award this funding to organizations committed to improving access to care, enhancing health equity, and strengthening rural health systems.
The initiative is designed to serve Colorado’s 52 rural and frontier counties and the two federally recognized tribes. Across all provider types, approximately 13% of healthcare facilities are located in rural and frontier counties. Priorities of the program include:
- 23 frontier counties that lack critical specialty care access, including behavioral health, obstetric and gynecology services
- 29 rural counties with the highest rates of chronic disease or preventable hospitalizations
- 3 rural census tract counties that include rural zip codes inside counties which are not otherwise considered rural or frontier.
- Providers who will benefit from investments and strategic partnerships that promote resource sharing to improve administrative efficiencies, affordability, and health outcomes. These providers include critical access hospitals and other rural hospitals, rural providers affiliated with Native American and Alaskan Native tribes, Rural Health Clinics, behavioral health providers such as community mental health centers, behavioral health clinics, rural Federally Qualified Health Centers and look-alikes, opioid treatment programs, and emergency medical service providers.
- The needs of Colorado’s two federally recognized tribes. Tribal members experience many of the same barriers to care and environmental factors as their geographical counterparts, as well as their own unique health care dynamics. Preventing and managing chronic health conditions and addressing behavioral health needs, including access to crisis care and substance use treatment, are two areas that have been emphasized by Colorado’s Tribes.
“Rural and frontier communities have to be innovative and creative to support one another in the face of limited providers and aging systems that need to be upgraded. These public funds are there to build on those strong foundations and support changes needed to make sure patients and families can get care in their communities for a very long time,” said Cristen Bates, Deputy Medicaid Director at HCPF.
Additional information is available on the RFA Applicant Guidance section on the program website. Interested applicants are encouraged to review RFA materials and begin planning their proposals early. Applicants should carefully review eligibility requirements, application instructions, and submission deadlines before submitting an application.
The RFA is now available on the Rural Health Transformation Program website. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on August 3, 2026.
About the Rural Health Transformation Program
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a five-year federal initiative administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to strengthen health care access, improve health outcomes in rural and frontier communities. The program supports investments in workforce development, innovative care models, technology-enabled services, and health system sustainability. The program was authorized under Section 71401 of H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21), to provide grants totaling $50 billion in federal funding nationwide from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 through FFY 2030. Colorado’s award totals $200,105,604.17 for the first year of the program to support rural health transformation efforts across the state.