Aviva Health, Douglas ESD Selected for $5.67 Million in Rural Health Funding

Two Douglas County organizations have been selected for up to $5.67 million in federal funding aimed at improving health care in rural Oregon.

The Oregon Health Authority announced Tuesday that approximately $97.1 million will be distributed to support 136 new projects across every county in the state. The latest announcement brings Oregon’s rural health awards for the year to approximately $175.3 million.

Douglas County Organizations Selected

Aviva Health and Douglas Education Service District were both included among the organizations selected for Catalyst Awards.

The potential awards include:

• Aviva Health: Up to $3,212,719 for one project
• Aviva Health: Up to $1,823,519 for a second project
• Douglas Education Service District: Up to $637,937

Together, the three projects could receive approximately $5.67 million over two funding periods.

The amounts currently listed are maximum potential awards. Exact funding totals, project details and timelines will be finalized as the organizations complete negotiations with the state this summer.

Additional information about the recipients is available on OHA’s Rural Health Transformation Program awards page.

Roseburg Transportation Project Under Consideration

Roseburg could also benefit from a separate project being developed by OHA and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The project would fund up to three infrastructure improvements designed to make it safer and easier for people to walk or use mobility devices when traveling to health care facilities.

Possible improvements include:

• Sidewalks
• Multi-use paths
• Lighting
• Signs
• Curb ramps

Projects are being considered in Roseburg, Prineville, Sisters and Hermiston. OHA has not announced which three projects will ultimately move forward.

Funding Split Between Two Programs

The latest awards are being distributed through two funding pools.

Approximately $80.1 million will go to 85 organizations leading 103 Catalyst Award projects. Those projects will focus on maternal and child health, mental health and substance use disorders, aging in place and chronic disease.

Another $17 million will fund 33 Immediate Impact Award projects that are ready to begin this year. Those awards follow an April announcement of $6.5 million for 12 other projects.

Projects selected across Oregon include mobile health services, rural workforce training, food access programs and efforts to improve care in communities with limited health care infrastructure.

Competition for the Catalyst Awards was significant. OHA received 583 proposed projects from 353 organizations requesting more than $830 million over two funding periods. Less than 17 percent of the requested funding was available.

Federal Rural Health Program

The funding comes through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, which is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The program will distribute $50 billion nationwide between 2026 and 2031 to support rural health systems.

Oregon is receiving approximately $197.3 million in 2026. The state could receive additional funding during the following four years, depending partly on its progress and continued federal approval.

OHA said the funding is intended to improve access to care, increase the number of health professionals working in rural communities, expand the use of technology and help rural organizations build partnerships that can continue after the federal funding ends.

More information is available through OHA’s Rural Health Transformation Program website.