Another $10+ million awarded to support health care in Newton, Boone counties
Published 1:34 pm Wednesday, September 30, 2026
LITTLE ROCK — In the second round of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced $54.6 million in awards. When added to the first round of funding, the total amount awarded was $208 million across all of Arkansas.
According to the press release, in addition to the approximate $8.8 million in funding for statewide initiatives, slightly more than $10 million was awarded to projects that explicitly include Newton (2 projects) and Boone (3 projects). This makes the 2026 awards that cover these counties more than $35 million.
This round was for projects in the HEART and RISE AR initiatives.
The HEART (Healthy Eating, Active Recreation & Transformation) initiative focuses on improving health outcomes and access to preventative care through community-based nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease management. These projects will help address food insecurity, reduce chronic disease, and give more Arkansans the resources and opportunities to live healthier lives.
Projects whose coverage specifically includes Newton and/or Boone County are: Heartland Whole Health Institute: Arkansas Health Care Transformation Demonstration Project: Heartland Whole Health Connect (Newton and Boone, and 27 other counties) will coordinate providers and pharmacists to expand telehealth, disease management, preventative care, and value-based care. Funds will support partner implementation, while Heartland independently funds curriculum development and program administration to promote sustainability. That project was awarded $8,420,000.
Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries: The Arkansas Family Wellness Initiative (Craighead and Boone counties) will equip rural churches to strengthen families through marriage, parenting, life-skills, foster-parent, and leadership programming. A statewide resource library and continued development of the Arkansas Baptist Ranch as a wellness hub will support sustained education, nutrition, recreation, and family resilience. That project was awarded $394,343.
Statewide HEART projects
Arkansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics Foundation: Equipping Rural Pediatricians with Prevention of Obesity and Well-being Support (Pediatrician POWS) will equip rural clinicians to prevent and treat childhood obesity through two new HealthySteps sites, targeted media, education, a rural pediatric health conference, an eight-month webinar series, clinic staff training, and 80 breast pumps for rural clinics. A total of $228,525 was awarded.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: Mobile Faith Rural Health Outreach Program (Mobile Faith) will deliver preventative screenings, health education, referral coordination, and chronic disease support through mobile outreach relying on trusted faith-based partnerships and community health workers to reach rural residents. More than $1,100,000 will be used here.
ARFuture Foundation: Rural Outreach, Obstetrics & Traditional Skills Initiative (R.O.O.T.S) will develop a faith-based network of churches, pregnancy help organizations, and community partners offering maternal health, fatherhood, lifestyle, and food-skills education, including 25 community classrooms in high-need rural areas and mobile screening services. – $805,375
Division of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas: Cooperative Extension: The ROOT of Rural Health (Rural Outreach, Opportunity, and Transformation) will use Cooperative Extension’s statewide presence to deliver coordinated child wellness, physical activity, faith-based outreach, health literacy, and chronic disease initiatives. – $2,645,425
Arkansas Rural Health Partnership: ARHP: Rural Youth Mental Health Capacity Building Project 2026 will use Youth Mental Health First Aid to train trusted rural adults to recognize warning signs, provide initial support, and connect youth and families to care. A train-the-trainer approach will build durable local capacity across healthcare, education, faith, emergency response, and youth-serving organizations. – $339,797
The RISE AR (Recruitment, Innovation Skills, and Education for Arkansas) initiative strengthens rural health care workforce by expanding physician residencies and other clinical training programs, recruiting and retaining rural health care professionals, and providing specialized training for rural hospitals and clinics. These projects will strengthen the pipeline of health care professionals serving rural communities and help build a skilled, sustainable talent force to meet Arkansas’ long-term needs.
There was one regional project awarded
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center: NARMC Rural Health Workforce Transformation Initiative (Boone, Newton, and Carroll counties) will implement four coordinated initiatives supporting paramedic advancement, employee retention, leadership development, and certifications for new oncology, emergency, and behavioral health services. The strategy targets high turnover, contract-labor expense, and EMS overtime while building the workforce needed for NARMC’s broader transformation plan. – $1,629,128.00
Statewide projects awarded were:
Arkansas Rural Health Partnership: Arkansas Rural Healthcare Leadership Institute (ARHLI) will establish the Arkansas Rural Healthcare Leadership Institute as a permanent statewide platform for governance education, executive development, fellowships, technical assistance, and peer collaboration to strengthen rural healthcare leadership, succession planning, retention, and organizational capacity to sustain transformation investments. – $1,598,008.00
Arkansas Doulas, LLC.: Arkansas Rural Doula Workforce Investment Model (statewide) will create a statewide pipeline of apprentices, fellows, and clinical supervisors serving medically underserved communities, providing certification support, paid training, mentorship, and regional partnerships to expand access to culturally responsive prenatal, birth, and postpartum services in rural Arkansas. – $850,000.00
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: Bridges to Care: Arkansas Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Collaborative will provide free, evidence-based behavioral health and substance-use training to rural clinicians, peers, school professionals, court teams, and faith leaders. Statewide in-person, virtual, and on-demand training will strengthen local capacity to address youth substance use, trauma, mental illness, and team-based care. – $1,230,685.00
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: Cultivating Arkansas’ Pathways (CAP) to Nursing Excellence will expand rural nursing education from entry-level preparation through advanced practice. The project will develop accelerated and streamlined degree pathways, create mentorship tracks in high-need specialties, and recruit students likely to remain in rural practice. – $817,684.00
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: Certificate in Rural Healthcare Management Program will create a fully online, five-course certificate in rural healthcare management for current and aspiring rural health leaders. Funding will support program development, recruitment, advising, tuition, books, supplies, and professional membership to reduce participation barriers for rural organizations and trainees. – $590,369.00
