Emergency services take the largest share
Wyoming has allocated $205 million in first-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding across every county. Emergency care accounts for 44.8% of the money, supporting hospitals and first responders in isolated areas as well as labor and delivery and trauma services. The programme is backed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is scheduled to continue for another four years.
The Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is receiving about $5.7 million, partly for emergency response. Chief executive Kerry Ashment said Carbon County covers about 8,000 square miles and described emergency services as the first link in a patient’s chain of survival. Wyoming Department of Health Director Stefan Johansson said small hospitals and ambulance services face difficulty maintaining operations in sparsely populated areas.
Workforce, prevention and technology
Another 27.5% is designated for Wyoming’s rural healthcare workforce, including nurses and therapists. Primary care, diet and exercise initiatives grouped under “Make Wyoming Healthy Again” are set to receive 18.8%, while 8.3% is assigned to health technology upgrades. Hospital leaders also identified recruitment, data systems and administrative efficiency as areas that could benefit.
About $11 million has been allocated to the Wyoming Hospital Association, but the final destinations for at least some of that money have not been decided. Johansson said the association would determine the distribution, with some funding expected to support maternal health.
Hospitals look to preserve maternity care
A 2024 state health department report found that about half of Wyoming’s counties had no obstetrician-gynaecologist, and Wyoming Public Media reported that at least nine counties lacked basic labor and delivery units. Johansson said annual programme payments could help critical access hospitals retain existing maternity services or restore units that have closed.
Memorial Hospital of Converse County was awarded more than $5 million. Chief executive Matt Dammeyer said anticipation of federal support gave the hospital confidence to adopt a more flexible maternity staffing model and intensify recruitment. He said the model costs more but helped the hospital increase annual patient volume from an average of 121 to 243 last year.
Hot Springs County Hospital chief executive Scott Alwin said the funding could help preserve obstetric and emergency services and allow more patients to recover nearer home. James Byrd, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Wyoming, questioned whether the funding would arrive soon enough or be large enough to make a significant difference.