Trump Administration Announces New Funding to Support Rural Healthcare Workers and Expand Maternal Care Across Missouri

Federal investment will expand childcare support for rural healthcare workers and launch nurse midwife training to help address maternal care gaps across Missouri

Today, the Trump Administration announced more than $2.3 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding to strengthen Missouri’s rural healthcare workforce and expand access to maternal care. This investment supports two targeted workforce initiatives in Missouri: expanding affordable, dependable childcare for rural healthcare professionals and delivering funding to establish a certified nurse midwife training program.

This transformational funding will deliver $1.46 million to tackle healthcare recruitment and retention challenges across rural Missouri. The funding will expand a cost-sharing childcare program that brings the state, rural health employers, and families together to make dependable childcare more affordable for healthcare workers, providing peace of mind that their loved ones are cared for while they care for their patients. In addition, $879,000 will support initial work to establish Missouri’s first certified nurse midwife training program, with rural clinical rotations designed to build a pipeline of maternal care providers for underserved communities.

The Rural Health Transformation Program is expanding access to quality healthcare, regardless of a patient’s zip code, and equipping rural health systems with the workforce and infrastructure needed to deliver timely care. This funding will make critical investments to strengthen rural healthcare, expand access to lifesaving services, and bring modern technology to communities across Missouri.

“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.”

“Every state knows best what its rural communities need, and thanks to President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program, they now have the resources to meet those needs,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “As states put these resources to work, we’re focused on turning these investments into meaningful, sustainable improvements for the health systems that serve rural Missourians.”