Northwell Health's Sharon Hospital will receive $13.1 million in federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to expand access and enhance services and facilities for the rural Connecticut community.
The RHTP is a $50 billion federal initiative authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Under Governor Ned Lamont and the Department of Social Services, Connecticut will receive $154,249,105.53 in Year 1 of the five-year grant, part of a program distributing approximately $10 billion annually to all 50 states to modernize rural healthcare delivery, address workforce shortages, and expand preventative and digital health innovations.
Sharon Hospital, together with planned investments from Northwell Health, will use the funds to establish a Healthy Aging Program, a Virtual Health Office, and an offsite outpatient rehabilitation facility. The Healthy Aging Program will deliver blood pressure checks, glucose monitoring, and cholesterol screenings in community settings where seniors already gather, offering both wellness check-ins and socialization opportunities.
The Virtual Health Office will create a dedicated, staffed space at Sharon Hospital where patients can connect remotely with specialists while having clinical support nearby, supporting seniors, working families, and patients managing conditions that make travel difficult. The offsite outpatient rehabilitation facility will expand access to physical therapy and rehabilitation services outside the hospital campus, in addition to services currently offered on-site.
Christina McCulloch, president of Sharon Hospital, Northwell, said, "We are deeply grateful for this much-needed funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as part of the Rural Health Transformation Project and for the generous collaboration of Governor Lamont's administration and the Department of Social Services and other state agencies. These resources will help us strengthen access to care, invest in services that meet the unique needs of our rural community and continue building a healthier future for the patients and families we are privileged to serve."
