Virginia is rolling out $122 million to improve rural healthcare, funded through the Rural Health Transformation Program created by the federal budget law known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill." The money will go to nearly a dozen state agencies and community organizations, which will issue their own grants for initiatives such as expanding the healthcare workforce, improving maternal care, and boosting access to healthy food and wellness resources. Virginia's total allocation under the program is $189 million.
State health officials and Republican members of Virginia's congressional delegation praised the funding as a needed investment in rural care access and infrastructure. Democratic senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner criticized the rollout, arguing it does little to offset broader Medicaid cuts in the same law, which they say have already contributed to clinic and hospital service closures across the state and put dozens of rural hospitals at risk.
