The funding is part of nearly $170 million in RHTP grants directed by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) to rural healthcare providers across Colorado. Funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), these investments will help protect access to care and support better health outcomes in Colorado’s rural and frontier communities.
High Plains will use its RHTP award to improve access to integrated medical, behavioral health, dental, urgent care, and chronic disease management services throughout Southeast Colorado. The project focuses on serving residents of Prowers, Bent, Baca, and Kiowa counties, where provider shortages, long travel distances, and limited healthcare and specialist resources create significant barriers to care.
Funding will support workforce expansion, including additional medical providers, behavioral health providers, pediatric dental services, and nursing staff dedicated to chronic care management. High Plains will expand behavioral health integration, expand substance abuse treatments, expand care coordination services, and implement remote patient monitoring technologies to assist our patients manage conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
The investment from HCPF comes at a critical time as access to care is becoming more critical. Recent provider losses in our community have increased demand for care and as High Plain’s CEO has mentioned several times on the radio, High Plains doesn’t have enough openings right now to provide the access patients need. Through this project, High Plains WILL improve appointment availability, reduce wait times, increase our capacity, and ensure residents can access our high-quality care by adding more primary care providers, behavioral health providers and pediatric providers.
“Access to healthcare should not depend on your zip code, or if you live in a rural or frontier community,” said Jeremy Carroll, Chief Executive Officer of High Plains. “This investment allows us to strengthen our workforce, expand services, improve access to care, and continue building an integrated model that addresses medical, dental, behavioral health, pediatrics, and chronic disease needs. . . all under one coordinated system. Most importantly, it helps ensure that rural residents can receive the right care, at the right time, right here, close to home.
Through this award, High Plains Community Health Center will:
- Expand Healthcare Access – recruit additional providers and increase patient capacity. We will start right away by bringing in a Locum while we are recruiting our permanent providers.
- Strengthen Behavioral Health & Substance Abuse — recruit additional providers to increase access to both behavioral health and substance abuse programs.
- Create Pediatric Dental Care — High Plains has never had a pediatric dentist. We are building 3 new ped’s dental operatories so we can keep our care local.
- Improve Chronic Disease Management — Implement Chronic Care Management and Remote Patient Monitoring programs for patients with diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions.
Colorado is directing $169,587,181 in RHTP grants to rural healthcare providers across the state. Through a highly competitive application process, 91 applicants and approximately 250 projects were selected to receive funding across 52 rural or frontier counties and three rural census tract counties.
A complete list of Colorado Rural Health Transformation Program awardees and additional information about RHTP is available on the RHTP website.
ABOUT HIGH PLAINS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
High Plains Community Health Center (HPCHC) has served rural and frontier communities in Southeast Colorado since 1995. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Migrant Health Center, HPCHC provides integrated primary care, oral health, and behavioral health services through clinic locations in Lamar and Holly, and coming soon, our Wiley clinic is planned to open on October 12th, 2026 and the Lamar Community College clinic reopening in October as well (final date TBD). HPCHC serves residents of Prowers, Bent, Baca, and Kiowa Counties, as well as surrounding communities in southeastern Colorado and western Kansas, and is a critical healthcare safety-net provider for medically underserved populations throughout the region.
The communities served by HPCHC face economic barriers that directly affect healthcare access and health outcomes. Many residents experience poverty, lower household incomes, transportation challenges, and delayed care, increasing reliance on affordable local services. HPCHC addresses these barriers through its Sliding Fee Discount Program, bilingual services, and an integrated care delivery model for uninsured, underinsured, and low-income residents.
ABOUT THE RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a five-year federal initiative administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to strengthen healthcare access and improve health outcomes in rural and frontier communities. The program supports investments in workforce development, innovative care models, technology-enabled services, and health system sustainability. The program was authorized under Section 71401 of H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) to provide grants totaling $50 billion in federal funding nationwide from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 through FFY 2030.
FROM THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES
Colorado’s award totals $200,105,604.17 for the first year of the program to support rural health transformation efforts across the state, and is 100% funded by CMS. The contents of this release are those of High Plains Community Health Center and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.
