Bill > S1282

This bill establishes the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program within the Department of Agriculture to provide targeted support for rural healthcare facilities. The program aims to help eligible hospitals—which include various types of medical facilities located in rural areas, such as hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and community health centers—identify and address their development needs. These needs can include constructing or renovating facilities, improving telehealth capabilities, upgrading health information systems, and maintaining essential healthcare services. The program will provide technical assistance and training tailored to each facility's specific capacity and needs, with goals of improving financial stability, preventing hospital closures, strengthening rural healthcare delivery, and helping facilities access agricultural department loans and grants. When selecting participants, the Secretary of Agriculture will prioritize current borrowers of rural service loans and grants, and consider factors like facility age, financial vulnerability, electronic health record needs, and service to medically underserved populations. The bill requires annual reporting to congressional agricultural committees and authorizes up to $2 million in funding annually from fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to support the program's implementation.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1282/all-info