MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews) — Several Wiregrass healthcare providers and programs are receiving funding as part of nearly $55 million in new rural healthcare grants announced by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The 34 grants are part of the second round of Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program funding for 2026. The projects are aimed at improving healthcare access, quality and outcomes in rural communities across Alabama.
“Every Alabamian deserves access to quality care, and through the Rural Health Transformation Program, we are helping many providers and institutions improve healthcare for Alabamians throughout the state,” Ivey said.
One of the largest local awards is going to Flowers Hospital in Dothan.
Triad of Alabama LLC, doing business as Flowers Hospital, will receive $1.45 million to establish a regional maternal-fetal medicine telehealth hub. The program will connect Medical Center Enterprise with specialty services through telerobotic ultrasound.
The project will serve Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
QHG of Enterprise Inc. will receive $70,000 to upgrade clinical training equipment. The equipment will be used to train hospital employees in heart and lung assessments, premature newborn resuscitation, childbirth emergencies, emergency response and infant lifesaving resuscitation.
That project will serve Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva and Pike counties.
South Central Alabama Mental Health Board Inc. will receive $840,000 to establish a coordinated rural healthcare network connecting primary care, behavioral health, hospitals, emergency medical systems, schools, public agencies and community organizations.
The network will serve Butler, Coffee, Covington and Crenshaw counties.
Haynes Ambulance of Alabama Inc. will receive $1.4 million for a physician-directed regional EMS Treat-in-Place program. Specially trained paramedics will be able to assess and treat qualifying patients at their location when transportation to a hospital is not necessary.
The program will serve Bullock, Covington, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon and Pike counties.
Andalusia Health will also receive $305,428 to replace two outdated portable X-ray machines with newer units capable of producing high-resolution bedside imaging. The equipment will serve Butler, Conecuh, Covington and Crenshaw counties.
The latest grants also include projects focused on maternal and fetal health, emergency medical services, trauma and stroke care, cancer screening, simulation training and the rural healthcare workforce.
The first round of funding was announced in August and included more than $144 million through 138 grants. The latest awards complete the first year of funding under the program.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the program. Funding is supported through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
