Sharon Hospital to receive $13.1 million to support rural health programs

Northwell's Sharon Hospital announced that it is to receive $13.1 million in federal funding thanks to the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), allowing the hospital to improve access and enhance service and facility offerings to the community. The Rural Health Transformation Program is a $50 billion federal initiative authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21) and administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Under the direction of Governor Ned Lamontand the Department of Social Services, the State of Connecticut will receive $154,249,105.53, in Year 1 of the five-year grant from the fund in support of rural health programming. This five (5) year RHTP grant will distribute approximately $10 billion annually to all 50 states in order to modernize rural healthcare delivery, tackle workforce shortages and expand preventative and digital health innovations.

How Sharon Hospital plans to use the federal funding

For its part, the hospital, together with planned investments from Northwell Health, plans to utilize the funds by enhancing services and facilities at Sharon Hospital including a Healthy Aging Program, a Virtual Health Officeand an offsite outpatient rehabilitation facility.

The Healthy Aging Program will deliver care into familiar community settings where seniors already gather through services such as blood pressure checks, glucose monitoring and cholesterol. These events offer not only a wellness check-in but also a chance for much needed socialization, which is so important in the rural environment.

Investment in the Virtual Health Office will create an enhanced dedicated, staffed space at Sharon Hospital where patients can connect remotely with specialists while having clinical support nearby. The office will support seniors, working families and patients managing conditions that make travel difficult.

The offsite outpatient rehabilitation facility will expand access to one of the highest-demand services in the area. In addition to maintaining the current services located on the hospital campus, the hospital plans on offering additional rehabilitation services outside the hospital campus creating a convenient community-based access point for physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Sharon Hospital leadership responds to federal funding award

“We are deeply grateful for this much-needed funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as part of the Rural Health Transformation Project and for the generous collaboration of Governor Lamont’s administration and the Department of Social Services and other state agencies” says Christina McCulloch, president of Sharon Hospital, Northwell. “These resources will help us strengthen access to care, invest in services that meet the unique needs of our rural community and continue building a healthier future for the patients and families we are privileged to serve.”