MONTGOMERY, AL — Kay Ivey on Thursday signed Executive Order No. 741 establishing the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Advisory Group, a body created to advise the governor on the progress, policy development, and implementation of Alabama’s Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP). The program is anticipated to launch in January, pending federal approval.
“The creation of the Rural Health Transformation Advisory Group enables Alabama to hit the ground running once the state’s new comprehensive rural healthcare strategy is greenlighted by the Trump Administration,” Ivey said. “The members of this group will help ensure our programs initiate positive transformations to the way Alabamians receive quality healthcare and that those transformative investments and policies are sustainable.”
According to the executive order, the advisory group will include five members of the Alabama Senate and five members of the Alabama House of Representatives selected by the governor. The director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) will also serve as a member, along with the division chief of ADECA’s Federal Initiatives and Recreation Division—or the division administering ARHTP—who will serve as secretary.
Governor Ivey selected the following lawmakers to serve on the advisory group: Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, Senators Greg Albritton, Clyde Chambliss, Donnie Chesteen, and Bobby Singleton, along with Representatives Anthony Daniels, Jamie Kiel, Rex Reynolds, and Pebblin Warren.
The advisory group’s work is tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, supported by Donald Trump and passed by Congress in July. The legislation includes a multi-year, $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program designed to help states strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes through changes to healthcare delivery systems.
In accordance with federal law, Governor Ivey announced that Alabama’s Rural Health Transformation Program plan has been submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for approval. The plan was developed by a core team that included the Governor’s Office, ADECA, the Alabama Department of Finance, the Alabama Medicaid Agency, and the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency. Input was also gathered from stakeholders across the state, and a 20-member workgroup of healthcare experts and lawmakers was formed to help inform the process.
Funding awards from CMS are expected to be announced by the end of the year.
