Kansas Department of Health and Environment
TOPEKA—Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) today announced the recipients of $16 million in Emerging Technology Grants at an event hosted by Prairie View, Inc., in Newton. The Emerging Technology Grant, provided through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was awarded to 14 eligible providers across the state to successfully implement or scale technologies with demonstrated ability to improve care delivery.
These rural health care organizations will adopt technologies with demonstrated ability to improve care delivery or scale proven technology solutions to rural Kansas providers with a plan for broader adoption.
“In order to build a sustainable and thriving healthcare system for rural Kansans, we must prioritize investments in cutting-edge technology that meets the needs of the present day while preparing for the future,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Through the Emerging Technology grants, we are empowering Kansas providers across the state to better serve their patients.”
Awardees were selected through a competitive application process that evaluated proposals based on need, approach and project outcomes, impact and populations served, and demonstration of the proposed technology’s effectiveness and scalability.
Applicants were to focus on how technologies would impact care delivery for rural Kansans and build the internal capacity of rural Kansas providers to sustain adopted technologies beyond the grant period.
“The Emerging Technology grant reflects the RHTP’s commitment to strengthening rural health care and improving access by utilizing technology,” Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek said. “The providers who received grant awards demonstrated that their innovative approaches to adopting technologies, from diagnostic and surgical technologies to artificial intelligence tools, are critical investments that will directly improve the healthcare delivery system for rural Kansans.”
KDHE received 72 applications for the Emerging Technology Grant, reflecting a strong desire among rural Kansas healthcare providers to bring cutting-edge technology solutions to the communities they serve.
This grant is one of many RHTP funding opportunities over the next five years that will impact not only rural communities in Kansas, but the entire state.
“New technologies like remote patient monitoring, clinical intelligence and assistive technology expand access to healthcare, allowing care to happen at home and in communities,” Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard said. “For older adults and disabled individuals, these tools give them immediate access to high-quality care and allows their providers to spend more time focused on patients’ health, rather than paperwork.”
The 2026 Emerging Technology grant awardees are below. For project descriptions, please visit www.kdhe.ks.gov/rhtp.
- CommonSpirit Kansas ($2,980,250)
- UKHS Great Bend ($2,960,927)
- Rooks County Health Center ($1,704,066)
- GoodLife Innovations ($1,169,246)
- Via Christi Village Hays ($1,145,446)
- Genesis Family Health ($1,059,190)
- Sumner Mental Health Center ($975,334)
- Prairie View Inc ($729,081)
- NMC Health ($662,642)
- Grisell Memorial Hospital ($350,000)
- Meade Hospital District ($141,098)
- Rice County Hospital District #1 ($1,377,990)
- Attica Hospital District #1, Harper County ($532,045)
- Valley Hope Association ($219,333)
The RHTP is a five-year opportunity created to infuse $50 billion nationwide into state health care systems and bolster rural communities by improving access to and quality of care available to them. Kansas received the sixth-highest award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and has since been implementing its Year 1 RHTP initiatives to direct targeted resources to high-need areas throughout the state, with a focus on sustaining critical, high-quality healthcare access and services for rural Kansas.
To learn more about KDHE’s commitment to protecting and improving the health and environment of all Kansans through the RHTP, visit: Rural Health Transformation Program.