On April 7, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced more than $135 million in new funding opportunities to expand nutrition services and strengthen the rural health workforce. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., alongside HRSA Administrator Tom Engels and Representative Juan Ciscomani (AZ-R), announced this investment during a Preventative Care Roundtable.

Expanded Nutrition Services (ENS) would receive $125 million in funding. According to the press release, the funding will support more than 350 HRSA-funded health centers in expanding access to nutrition services and food-based interventions within primary care settings. These efforts aim to prevent and manage chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

The Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program would receive $11.25 million in funding. HRSA plans to award up to 15 grants of up to $750,000 each over three years to support new rural residency programs in high-need specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, OB-GYN, general surgery, and preventive medicine.

HRSA-funded health centers serve more than 32.4 million patients at over 16,000 sites nationwide, including one in five rural residents.

The RRPD program provides start-up funding to establish sustainable rural residency programs supported by long-term funding sources like Medicare and Medicaid. Since 2019, HRSA has awarded 103 grants across 36 states and one territory, supporting 62 accredited programs, more than 660 resident physicians, and over 750 residency positions in rural communities.