| Nebraska Rural Health Transformation Initiatives | Eligible to Respond to RFA | Notes | RFA Release Date |
Initiative 1: Make Rural Nebraska Healthy Through Food as Medicine
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| 1.1 School Kitchen Modernization Grant | Any public or private elementary, middle, or high school in rural or frontier counties. | Interagency agreement with the Department of Education, and they will release the RFA
Project to supply equipment for schools to serve whole fresh food
| TBD – dependent on NDE. |
| 1.2 Regional Food Pantry Development | Non-profit organizations and co-ops | Increase the availability of whole fresh foods. | 3/9/2026 |
| 1.3 Farm-to-School Procurement & TA | Local rural farmers, ranchers, and food suppliers. | Interagency agreement with the Department of Education, and they will release the RFA
Project to enhance kitchen-ready local supply chain for rural schools
| TBD – dependent on NDE. |
| 1.5 Nebraska Kids Fitness & Nutrition | Local Health Department and Tribal Partners - targeted, narrow RFA release to continue work started by the LHD in 2025. | Local activities focusing on health literacy and healthy behaviors. | 3/16/2026 |
Initiative 2: Regionalized Rural Access and Navigation
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| 2.1b EMS Regionalization | Emergency Medical Service agencies who are ready and willing to participate as regional lead agencies. | Assessments will identify regions, then EMS region lead agencies will help identify areas to standardize (medical direction, equipment, protocols, and tiered response structures). | May 2026 (after assessments conducted) |
| 2.2b Rural Jurisdictional Stockpiles | Local Health Departments willing and able to manage inventory | Ensure rapid access to essential medical supplies during emergencies and reduce reliance on federal deployments. | 1/21/2026 |
| 2.3a Community Health Worker Networks | Local and Tribal Health Departments | Represents phase 1. Phase 2 release will target other rural clinic settings. | 1/8/2026 |
Initiative 3: Rural Workforce Acceleration
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| 3.1 Rural Provider Recruitment and Retention Incentives | Individual health care providers | Incentive payments to eligible licensed healthcare providers for 5-year service commitment in a rural facility (eligibility includes license type, serving Medicaid patients). | Ongoing |
| 3.3 Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive & Sustainability | Local and state governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or other eligible organizations in rural Nebraska who can meet the requirements of a SNAP E&T training program. | Start-up grants for new SNAP E&T training sites. | 3/9/2026 |
Initiative 4: eHealth and Mobile Care
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| 4.2a Oral Health (NE Teeth Forever) | Local and Tribal Health Departments | Provide for and expand access to preventive oral health services in rural, frontier, and tribal communities through community-based delivery models. | 1/8/2026 |
| 4.4a Chronic Disease Management | Rural Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), Local Health Departments (LHDs), Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), Rural Hospitals (non-CAH), Tribal Health Facilities | Projects to expand community-based education, care navigation, and self-management support for individuals living with chronic conditions, often through community health workers. | 2/24/2026 |
Initiative 5: Rural Emergency Behavioral Health
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| 5.3 Modification of Existing Clinical Facilities for Crisis Stabilization Centers. | Non-profit organizations rendering BH crisis services. | Provide funding for equipment and enhancements to hospitals and behavioral health providers to expand crisis response, stabilization, and substance use withdrawal services in rural areas. | Mid-March 2026
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