The Centers for Medicare Medicare Services will award $193 million to the Minnesota Department of Health to be used on bolstering rural health care, the state agency announced Tuesday. It’s the state’s first year of funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year funding pr ogram that President Donald Trump signed into law in July. MDH applied for the funding in November, asking for $1 billion over five years. “With rural Minnesota facing unprecedented access and funding challenges, this award comes at a crucial time,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. “It is an important investment in our rural communities, and we are excited to begin working with our partners to advance access to high-quality care, improve outcomes and ensure sustainable services in Greater Minnesota for years to come.” The funding “will support strategic investments” in technology-enabled care delivery, growing the rural health care workforce and improving outcomes for those who have or are at risk of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, MDH said in a news release. “Minnesota’s approved plan,” MDH said, “was built on extensive collaboration with rural community stakeholders, hospitals and health systems, safety net clinics, Tribes and local public health agencies.” Related Articles With new variant, flu season picking up. Here’s what to know. A family is trying to raise millions to test gene therapy that could help kids trapped in bodies they can’t move SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in five states Jan. 1 In a tumultuous year, US health policy has been dramatically reshaped under RFK Jr. Foods with healthy-sounding buzzwords could be hiding added sugar in plain sight ...read more read less