FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 13, 2026

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Trump Administration Announces New Funding to Support Rural Healthcare Workers and Expand Maternal Care Across Missouri

Federal investment will expand childcare support for rural healthcare workers and launch nurse midwife training to help address maternal care gaps across Missouri

Today, the Trump Administration announced more than $2.3 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding to strengthen Missouri’s rural healthcare workforce and expand access to maternal care. This investment supports two targeted workforce initiatives in Missouri: expanding affordable, dependable childcare for rural healthcare professionals and delivering funding to establish a certified nurse midwife training program.

This transformational funding will deliver $1.46 million to tackle healthcare recruitment and retention challenges across rural Missouri. The funding will expand a cost-sharing childcare program that brings the state, rural health employers, and families together to make dependable childcare more affordable for healthcare workers, providing peace of mind that their loved ones are cared for while they care for their patients. In addition, $879,000 will support initial work to establish Missouri’s first certified nurse midwife training program, with rural clinical rotations designed to build a pipeline of maternal care providers for underserved communities.

The Rural Health Transformation Program is expanding access to quality healthcare, regardless of a patient’s zip code, and equipping rural health systems with the workforce and infrastructure needed to deliver timely care. This funding will make critical investments to strengthen rural healthcare, expand access to lifesaving services, and bring modern technology to communities across Missouri.

“President Trump understands that every American deserves high-quality healthcare, no matter where they live,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We are putting resources directly into rural communities to strengthen the health workforce, modernize infrastructure, expand access, and bring care closer to home. We are giving states the flexibility to build solutions around the people they serve, while demanding accountability for results. That is how we strengthen rural health, improve the lives of patients and families, and Make America Healthy Again.”

“Every state knows best what its rural communities need, and thanks to President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program, they now have the resources to meet those needs,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “As states put these resources to work, we’re focused on turning these investments into meaningful, sustainable improvements for the health systems that serve rural Missourians.”

Today’s investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats — delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America.

“As Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Program continues to make strides in strengthening rural healthcare access with community-driven solutions, this funding brings much-needed childcare support for rural healthcare workers and expands access to critical maternal care across our state,” said Gov. Mike Kehoe. “We appreciate the Trump Administration’s continued focus and partnership in working to create stronger, healthier rural communities.”

"Rural hospitals across Missouri have been struggling for decades. Thanks to the Trump Administration, this $2.3 million award will expand access to maternal care and childcare support for rural healthcare workers. This investment will not only support our healthcare workers but also help ensure families in rural Missouri can access the quality care they deserve. I’m proud to have supported this program through the Working Families Tax Cut Act, and I’ll continue fighting to ensure rural Missourians get the care they need," said Sen. Eric Schmitt.

“Supporting rural healthcare workers and the community that relies on them is incredibly important.  This funding will directly strengthen and expand access to maternal health care here in Missouri so moms and children have access to the care they need and deserve, and I was proud to vote for this funding in the Working Families Tax Cut legislation.  I will always work to support families in Missouri and across the country, and I thank the Administration for joining me in prioritizing parents and their children,” said Rep. Ann Wagner.

“This Administration has demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening rural healthcare across Missouri, and this additional investment will build on those efforts to address critical workforce shortages and expand access to maternal care in our rural communities,” said Rep. Bob Onder. “As a physician, I know how important it is for patients to have access to quality care when they need it most. This funding will help ensure Missouri families can receive the care they need and that qualified healthcare professionals are there to provide it.”

“Rural Missouri families deserve quality care close to home, and that starts with the people who deliver it. This Rural Health Transformation Program funding is part of the largest ever single investment in rural health care through Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts. It will expand access to childcare for rural healthcare workers and stand up a certified nurse midwife training program so we can recruit and keep more caregivers in our communities. That’s real help for mothers and for the workforce that keeps rural hospitals and clinics open. I’m grateful the Trump Administration is putting these dollars to work in Missouri,” said Rep. Mark Alford.

"The future of rural healthcare depends on having a trained workforce," said Rep. Sam Graves. "This funding from the Working Families Tax Cuts law will help recruit and retain healthcare professionals, while expanding the availability of maternal care, which is critically needed in North Missouri. These types of investments are why we created the Rural Health Transformation Program, and I’m pleased to see the Trump Administration continue to direct this money to Missouri.”

“A rural mom shouldn’t have to drive an hour or more to find someone to deliver her baby. That’s exactly why I authored and fought for the Rural Health Transformation Program in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. This funding will help Missouri recruit and retain the nurses and healthcare workers our rural communities depend on, and it will bring maternal care closer to home for families across southeast Missouri and the entire state. I’ll keep fighting to make sure rural Missouri is a place where moms can raise a family and get the care they need right where they live,” said Rep. Jason Smith.

Today’s announcement is one part of the larger overall funding amount awarded to Missouri for fiscal year 2026.

Key initiatives the overall RHTP funding will focus on include: 

• Building the rural healthcare workforce: Supporting recruitment, training, and retention strategies to strengthen the pipeline of healthcare professionals serving rural communities.
  
  
• Strengthening rural facilities and access: Supporting partnerships, operational improvements, and care-delivery changes that help rural providers maintain essential services and improve access.
  
  
• Advancing innovative care and payment models: Supporting new approaches to delivery and financing designed to improve quality, strengthen primary care, and support sustainable rural healthcare.
  
  
• Expanding community-based and preventive care: Investing in school-based care, mobile services, and other community strategies that improve prevention, address chronic disease, and expand access to care.
  
  
• Modernizing rural healthcare technology: Expanding remote care and data-driven tools to improve coordination and extend healthcare services to rural communities.

The Trump Administration is delivering on its commitment to strengthen rural America by investing in solutions that modernize technology to promote health and well-being for rural communities. Led by CMS, the RHTP is moving beyond the failed one-size-fits-all approach and giving rural communities the tools to build stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable health systems that deliver better care and better outcomes for the Americans they serve.

For more information about the RHTP, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/rural-health.

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