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Lakeland Community Hospital receives grant to expand rural healthcare access

The funding targeted telehealth and transportation services to ease long drives and healthcare barriers for patients across Winston County.

Lakeland Community Hospital

U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, joined Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Tom Engels at Lakeland Community Hospital in Haleyville for a Rural Healthcare Champions Recognition Event highlighting a nearly $491,000 investment to expand telehealth services and establish a nonemergency transportation program for patients in Winston County and surrounding communities.

Lakeland Community Hospital will receive the grant through the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding will target improved access to medical care for rural residents who can face long distances and transportation barriers when seeking treatment.

“Rural families deserve the same access to care as those living in larger cities,” Aderholt said in announcing the investment.

The announcement comes as federal and state officials place greater emphasis on the financial stability of rural hospitals, many of which operate with smaller patient populations and fewer resources than hospitals in metropolitan areas.

Aderholt, who represents Alabama’s 4th Congressional District and chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing health funding, said he helped advance the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program through the fiscal 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The program is designed specifically for small rural hospitals. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, eligible hospitals must have no more than 50 acute care inpatient beds, a wage index below 0.90 and be located in a federally designated rural area.

The program helps hospitals maintain physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers while continuing essential services in their communities.

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For fiscal 2026, HRSA awarded 132 grants totaling nearly $25 million across 13 states through the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program.

Alabama recipients include hospitals in Atmore, Centreville, Union Springs, Ashland, Tallassee, Brewton, Valley, Fayette, Grove Hill, Scottsboro, York, Jackson, Camden, Hamilton, Monroeville, Bay Minette, Winfield, Alexander City, Russellville, Clanton, Troy, Demopolis and Geneva, in addition to Lakeland Community Hospital.

Rural hospitals continue to face challenges related to staffing, reimbursement and maintaining access to services close to home. For communities such as Haleyville and surrounding areas of Winston County, the investments can have an impact beyond the hospital itself.

Expanded telehealth can allow patients to connect with providers without traveling as far, while transportation assistance can help residents reach appointments and other nonemergency medical services when they lack reliable transportation.

Aderholt said the federal commitment to rural healthcare also needs to continue. He pointed to the fiscal 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill advanced by his subcommittee, which he said would increase funding for the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program from $25 million to $100 million.

“Rural hospitals are essential to the health and well-being of our communities, and I look forward to seeing this investment help ensure Alabamians, and rural citizens across the country, can continue to receive quality healthcare close to home,” Aderholt said.

Mary Claire is a reporter. You can reach her at [email protected].

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