A Clear Path to Rural Health Transformation across West Virginia
West Virginia is making a historic investment in the health of its rural communities, and the programs, resources, and innovations that investment has unlocked deserve to be found.
RuralWVHealth.com is being built as a trusted digital front door that makes the state's $707 million Rural Health Transformation commitment easier to understand, more local, and more actionable for residents across all 55 counties.
The West Virginia Rural Health Transformation Program aligns public leadership, federal investment, and practical implementation around seven initiatives designed to strengthen access, prevention, and community health across all 55 counties.
West Virginia’s leadership is committed to transformation.
A statewide strategy shaped by leadership and built for readability.
These statements frame the urgency and ambition behind West Virginia's push to turn rural health improvement into stronger opportunity for people, families, and local communities.
The resilience, work ethic, and determination of West Virginians have carried our state through every hardship. Today, that same strength will power a new era of health and prosperity. The state's success depends on turning illness into employability, and dependency into self-sufficiency.
We are not just spending money in the same old way but rather supporting transformative models that approach rural healthcare in a new, more effective way: focusing on healthy lifestyles, prevention, and access to care when needed. This is what will make West Virginia a leader in rural innovation and a model for the nation.
By the Numbers
The case for action is visible across access, outcomes, and workforce strain.
These figures provide a snapshot of the challenges shaping rural health priorities in West Virginia today.
WV workforce participation rate — lowest in the US (62.4% nationally)
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025)
Adult obesity rate — highest in the nation
Trust for America's Health (2025)
Rural WV drug overdose rate vs. national average
County Health Rankings (2024)
Annual economic burden of chronic disease in rural West Virginia
CDC/National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022)
Of WV counties are maternity care deserts (vs. 32.6% nationally)
March of Dimes (2024)
Life expectancy gap in McDowell County vs. national average
County Health Rankings (2024)
Of WV adults not working cite ill health or disability as the reason
U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey
West Virginia broadband availability rank nationally
West Virginia University / CHP (2024)
The Challenge
Rural health barriers continue to limit opportunity across West Virginia.
Geography, poverty, and decades of underinvestment have left many rural communities with limited access to care and poorer health outcomes. In too many places, illness becomes a barrier to work, family stability, and long-term self-sufficiency.
Key pressures shaping the challenge
- Rural communities often face long travel distances, limited provider availability, and fewer options for timely care.
- West Virginia continues to experience serious health burdens, including chronic disease, addiction, and workforce participation challenges.
- Without stronger infrastructure, outreach, and care coordination, these barriers can reinforce one another and deepen disparities across counties.
The response must be practical, statewide, and coordinated across agencies, communities, and implementation partners.
Statewide context
100%
of rural West Virginia counties are designated healthcare shortage areas.
The CMS Rural Health Transformation Program brings a $707M federal investment to West Virginia, supporting seven state initiatives designed to serve all 55 counties.
The seven initiatives below represent West Virginia's statewide response under the Governor's direction, while the federal CMS strategic goals provide the broader national framework around access, prevention, workforce, innovation, and long-term system capacity.
Federal Framework
CMS Defines Five Nationwide Strategic Goals For Rural Health Transformation
These five goals come from CMS at the federal level and shape how rural health transformation is prioritized nationwide. West Virginia's seven initiatives align to this framework, but they are the state's own implementation agenda.
Why this matters
This section clarifies the distinction between the federal strategic goals from CMS and the Governor-led West Virginia initiatives funded through the $707M federal investment.
Make Rural America Healthy Again
Address the foundational barriers affecting rural communities nationwide, including chronic disease, addiction, behavioral health, and nutrition, so more people can live healthier and more stable lives.
Sustainable Access to Care
Build infrastructure, transportation pathways, and telehealth systems that bring care to rural residents wherever they are, reducing distance, mobility, and connectivity barriers.
Workforce Development
Strengthen the rural healthcare workforce by training the next generation of providers, supporting recruitment, and building career pathways that keep clinicians in underserved communities.
Innovative Care Models
Help rural providers modernize care delivery, reduce administrative burden, and move toward models that reward better outcomes instead of procedure volume alone.
Technology Innovation
Encourage scalable health technologies, from digital tools to remote monitoring, that can expand access, improve coordination, and make rural systems more resilient.
Governor Alignment
The Governor's seven initiatives turn West Virginia's strategy into action.
Backed by the $707M federal investment through CMS, these seven West Virginia initiatives are the state-specific push to improve access, strengthen the workforce, modernize care, and build long-term rural health capacity across all 55 counties.
Initiative 1
Care ModelsConnected Care Grid
Build the infrastructure to bring virtual and in-person care to people — both at home and through community hubs — bridging access gaps between rural and urban communities across all 55 WV counties.
Lead agencies
WV Department of Health + WV Health Information Network (WVHIN)
Initiative 2
Care ModelsRural Health Link
Unify medical and community transportation into a one-stop system so distance and mobility are never barriers to care — connecting NEMT, public transit, rideshare, and volunteer drivers on a single platform.
Lead agencies
WV Department of Health + WV Department of Transportation
Initiative 3
WorkforceMountain State Care Force
Recruit, train, and retain the healthcare workforce of the future — developing homegrown talent, attracting providers to rural WV, and building career pathways that keep clinicians in the communities they serve.
Lead agencies
WV Higher Education Policy Commission + WV Department of Health
Initiative 4
Payment ModelsSmart Care Catalyst
Support transformative tech-enabled innovation, streamlined operations, and paying for healthcare value — modernizing rural providers and transitioning them from fee-for-service to value-based care.
Lead agencies
WV Department of Health + WV Center for Rural Health Development + WV PEIA
Initiative 5
CommunityHealth to Prosperity Pipeline
Help West Virginians rebuild health, rejoin the workforce, and thrive in their communities — connecting adults facing chronic disease, pain, or behavioral-health challenges to coordinated care and job placement.
Lead agencies
WV Department of Human Services + WV Department of Commerce
Initiative 6
Disease PreventionPersonal Health Accelerator
Empower healthy living through food-is-medicine programs, education, and rewards for wellness activities — building a statewide prevention infrastructure to reduce the chronic diseases driving WV's health crisis.
Lead agencies
WV Department of Health + WVHIN + WV PEIA + WV Department of Agriculture
Initiative 7
TechnologyHealthTech Appalachia
Incubate leap-frog innovations that unlock healthcare outcomes and economic growth — seeding a health tech ecosystem in WV that attracts private co-investment and becomes a national model for rural health innovation.
Lead agencies
WV Jobs Investment Trust (WV JIT) + WV Department of Health
How It Works
A simple model for turning strategy into statewide implementation.
The program is designed to connect high-level rural health priorities with practical, coordinated action across West Virginia.
01
Set statewide priorities
West Virginia defines a clear rural health strategy centered on prevention, access, workforce capacity, and practical innovation.
02
Coordinate seven initiatives
The program organizes that strategy into seven initiatives led across agencies and partners, each focused on a distinct operational need.
03
Strengthen delivery over time
As infrastructure, workforce, and care models improve, communities gain a stronger foundation for access, continuity, and long-term sustainability.
Stay Informed
Follow program updates as implementation moves forward.
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