Alabama, Mississippi receive millions to improve rural health care; here’s how they’ll spend it

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In a move to address health care challenges in some of the most underserved areas of the country, the Biden-Harris administration announced a major investment of $75 million to support rural health care services.

Alabama and Mississippi are two of a handful of U.S. states to receive a piece of that funding and plan to use the initiative, spearheaded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to expand access to both maternal health care and substance use disorder treatment — both critical issues that have long plagued rural communities in the region.

“We focus on getting health care services to communities that have struggled to access them, especially rural and underserved communities,” Carole Johnson, administrator of HRSA, said. “The Biden-Harris administration has made it a priority to address these disparities, and the investments we’re making in Mississippi and Alabama reflect that commitment.”

Targeted investments for critical needs

Johnson noted that Alabama’s and Mississippi’s distinct needs helped shape their funding allocations. They also led the HRSA to partner with local organizations and health providers who could best address them.

By working directly with community-based entities, HRSA aims to create sustainable, community-driven solutions that can evolve with each area.

Mississippi, with its high maternal mortality rates, will use the $3.6 million it received to primarily focus on improving prenatal and postpartum care. The investment includes expanding services like prenatal care, lactation support and workforce development for healthcare professionals.

“In Mississippi… Black women, in particular, face a maternal mortality rate 2 to 3 times higher than white women,” Johnson said. “We’re working to address the unacceptable disparities in maternal health outcomes by building partnerships between local health providers, community organizations and primary care practices.”

Delta Health Center, one of the local grantees in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, is expected to use the funding to ensure that women in rural areas can access prenatal care earlier and are connected to services like home visitations from health care providers. It also plans to address broader social determinants of health through nutrition education, lactation support, and postpartum care.

“They’re focusing on the whole picture,” Johnson said. “It’s not just about getting to a prenatal visit, it’s about making sure people are getting the nutrition they need, lactation support after birth, and access to community resources.”

In Alabama, where substance use disorder remains a persistent issue, the focus will be on expanding services for those struggling with opioid use disorder. HRSA is allocating $3 million specifically for substance use treatment in rural areas, where opioid overdoses have risen sharply over the past decade.

The Carver Medical Care Foundation, a recipient of the funding, plans to increase its reach into more rural counties by hiring and training additional staff to provide addiction treatment services. It will also help patients reintegrate into their communities after treatment, addressing issues like continuing care, transportation, employment opportunities — a critical need for long-term recovery — and prioritizing vulnerable populations, like those recently released from jail, who are at high risk for overdose.

“Alabama’s proposal is exciting because it not only focuses on treatment but also supports recovery,” Johnson said. “It’s not enough to treat someone’s addiction; we have to support their journey through recovery and help them sustain that recovery. That’s where we see the greatest long-term success.”

Tackling health care workforce shortages

Both Mississippi and Alabama, like many rural areas across the U.S., suffer from a shortage of health care providers. To address this, the administration is making investments in training primary care providers in both states.

HRSA’s funding will help create more residency programs and provide medical school loan repayment options to doctors who commit to working in high-need, underserved rural areas.

“Where you train has a huge impact on where you practice,” Johnson said. “We’re working to create more training opportunities in rural communities so that doctors and nurses are more likely to stay in those communities.”

A recent success story comes from a maternal health provider who moved from New Jersey to train at a rural health center in Alabama. Thanks to the loan repayment program and community-based training, she now plans to stay and practice in Alabama.

“We’re investing in people who want to be part of the solution,” Johnson said. “We’re growing our own health care workforce in these communities.”

Long-term impact and measuring success

Johnson believes the programs implemented in Mississippi and Alabama can serve as models for other rural states facing similar health care challenges.

“We try to create learning communities so that rural health care providers can share what’s working and learn from each other,” she said. “We think that these programs in Mississippi and Alabama will show real promise for how we can address maternal health and the opioid crisis in rural areas across the country.”

While these initiatives have some ambitious goals ahead of them, Johnson said the HRSA plans to measure its success by focusing on a few key metrics, like increased appointments, earlier prenatal care and more people getting into substance-use disorder treatment, to show that the funds are being put to good use.

“It’s about making sure these investments translate into real, measurable improvements in health care access,” she said. “We want to be able to show that these programs are making a difference so that we can continue to grow them.”

She added that HRSA works closely with bipartisan leaders in Congress to report on the progress of these programs, which could help secure additional funding in the future. This could help states like neighboring Louisiana, which has not yet received funding on the same scale as Mississippi and Alabama.

“Our hope is that as Congress continues to grow this pot of money, we’ll be able to expand into more areas, including Louisiana,” she said.

This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR. Support for health equity coverage comes from The Commonwealth Fund.