Photo Courtesy/WV Governor's Office West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey held a press conference on March 10 urging quick passage of SB 570, authorizing the state to spend the federal Rural Health Transformation award. Morrisey held a ceremonial signing for SB 570 Thursday in Mercer County.

CHARLESTON – West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey celebrated the bill giving state health officials spending authority to use the $199 million federal Rural Health Transformation award in a ceremonial bill signing Thursday.

Morrisey traveled to Princeton Community Hospital in Mercer County Thursday morning to hold a ceremonial signing for Senate Bill 570, a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Health for the Rural Health Transformation award.

“This is really exciting to be here, because very limited times when you’re in public office do you have a chance to do something that’s so big that it could have such a transformational effect on a state,” Morrisey said.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced at the end of last year that all 50 states would receive awards through the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation program made possible through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, now called the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

West Virginia submitted its Rural Health Transformation application at the beginning of November. States were guaranteed at least $100 million for each year of the five-year program. The remaining funding is awarded through a competitive process.

“At its core, the Rural Health Transformation grants that we have provide us with a unique opportunity, because it allows the State of West Virginia and all the states to be proactive in trying to address and attack the disease-state outcomes that are hurting our state,” Morrisey said.

The state’s application outlined seven core initiatives, including establishing a connected care grid by expanding access to in-person and telehealth options and an EMS “treatment-in-place” program to reduce emergency room visits; creating a unified health mobility platform to increase transportation options for residents needing access to care; forming a Mountaineer Care Force to attract and train clinical talent; and implementing Smart Care Catalyst to modernize technology and shift to value-based care.

SB 570’s companion bill, House Bill 4740, sets statutory commitments for the Rural Health Transformation Program. The bill exempts the Department of Health from state purchasing restrictions as it manages the program, allowing the department to make rapid fund deployment decisions to meet strict federal requirements and protect against future funding clawbacks.

The Department of Health has engaged an outside contractor to assist with the program’s design and launch. The Governor’s Office contracted last fall with Washington, D.C.-based McKinsey and Company for consulting services for the Rural Health Transformation program. Funds will be distributed through various mechanisms, including requests for proposals, direct awards and subrecipient grant processes. Morrisey said the specific design of these processes will be announced soon.

“I want to thank everyone who supported this initiative, and I know that we have some really big things that we’re going to be doing over the course of the next few weeks,” he said. “You’ll be seeing, probably within the next day to next week, we’re going to start to publish availability for funding, because we know that that first $199 million we have to spend.”