FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2026

Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS Media Inquiries

Trump Administration Announces $11.7 Million to Expand Access, Improve Patient Care Facilities, and Strengthen Workforce Capacity in Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care System Across Rural Vermont

This federal investment will increase the number of healthcare professionals and reinforce long-term care serving rural Vermonters  

The Trump Administration announced today that an $11.7 million investment is being delivered to support rural nursing care facilities and strengthen the healthcare workforce across rural communities in Vermont through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). Of this, Vermont is committing $9 million of those funds to provide tuition benefits to healthcare professionals in underserved or hard-to-fill positions who commit to serving rural communities within the state for at least five years after graduation. The remaining $2.7 million provides funding for three rural nursing homes to increase their capacity to serve residents with complex medical issues and four community partners to increase training of Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNA) to serve in rural healthcare and long-term care settings across the state.

These investments help to address workforce shortages and increase access to health professionals in nursing, dentistry, mental health, and emergency medical services throughout rural Vermont. Investments in the recruitment and retention of LNAs will help strengthen the sustainability of Vermont’s long-term care system, which currently relies on expensive traveler/agency staffing.

“President Trump understands that every American deserves high-quality healthcare, no matter where they live,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We are putting resources directly into rural communities to strengthen the health workforce, modernize infrastructure, expand access, and bring care closer to home. We are giving states the flexibility to build solutions around the people they serve, while demanding accountability for results. That is how we strengthen rural health, improve the lives of patients and families, and Make America Healthy Again.”

“President Trump made a historic commitment to rural America, and these investments are turning that commitment into better care for patients in communities across Vermont,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “This is what rural health transformation should look like: federal investment that is putting patients first, driving lasting improvements and expanding healthcare for the hardworking Americans who call these communities home.”

Today’s investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats — delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America.

“As a small state, our workforce shortage makes it difficult to expand healthcare services in rural communities,” said Governor Phil Scott. “This $11.7 million investment will help us strengthen Vermont’s rural healthcare workforce by helping more Vermonters get into good paying jobs in the healthcare field, expanding nursing home capacity for those with greater needs, and giving more Vermonters the opportunity to pursue careers as Licensed Nursing Assistants. I appreciate the working relationship we’ve had with the Trump Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as we put these investments to work to improve access to care and career opportunities in our rural communities.”

Through the RHTP, Vermont’s program is designed to promote bold, innovative ideas that make care more accessible, higher in quality, and better tailored to meet the needs of rural communities. Today’s announcement is just one part of the larger overall funding amount awarded to Vermont for fiscal year 2026.

Projects supported by this funding include:

• Increasing access to high-quality medical care in nursing homes: Funds will be used to purchase ventilators to further increase rural Vermont’s ability to provide this care in nursing homes.
  
  
• Expanding rural care innovation: Funding will be used to open a “dialysis den” in a Vermont nursing home, helping residents and community members receive dialysis in their own community, instead of having to travel long distances for treatment.
  
  
• Strengthening the rural health workforce: Increasing recruitment and retention of LNAs and expanding training opportunities within the field to strengthen student readiness and career success.

The Trump Administration is delivering on its commitment to strengthen rural America by investing in solutions that modernize technology to promote health and well-being for rural communities. Led by CMS, the RHTP is moving beyond the failed one-size-fits-all approach and giving rural communities the tools to build stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable health systems that deliver better care and better outcomes for the Americans they serve.

For more information about the RHTP, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/rural-health.

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