Community Health Northwest Florida Awarded $8.7 Million Rural Health Grant — $41 Million Coming to the Region

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Community Health Northwest Florida has landed an $8.7 million Rural Health Transformation Program grant — and as the lead applicant for a 15-organization regional coalition the organization will help manage more than $41.5 million flowing to Northwest Florida over the next five years.

The award was announced Tuesday by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It flows from a $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation bill passed last year — with Florida receiving $209 million of that total to improve access to care in rural communities statewide. Year one funding for the full coalition is $16.1 million — with $3.99 million specifically allocated to Community Health Northwest Florida.

What It Means for Century and the Northern Region

The most immediate local impact will be felt in Century and the surrounding communities of northern Escambia County — an area that has long faced barriers to accessing routine health care. Community Health will expand its existing Industrial Boulevard clinic in Century to offer adult primary care and pediatric services. A second Century location will be reopened to provide women's health, behavioral health and psychiatry, and treatment for opioid use disorder. Both locations will also serve residents of nearby Jay in Santa Rosa County.

CEO Chandra Smiley says maternal health and infant mortality are among the first priorities for the northern region — areas where distance from care contributes directly to poor outcomes. She says getting patients access to preventive and chronic care management services closer to home keeps them out of emergency rooms and produces better long-term results at lower cost.

"This is truly a transformational opportunity for every rural patient in Northwest Florida," Smiley said. "We will be able to provide care closer to where our patients live and also help keep them out of emergency rooms. It will improve lives, save lives, and save money in the process."

The Coalition

Community Health Northwest Florida submitted the application on behalf of 15 partner organizations serving rural patients across the 10 westernmost counties in Florida. Partners include Sacred Heart, Bridgeway, Lakeview Services, Point Washington Medical Health and Hope, the Walton County Health Department's federally qualified health center arm, and others. The Northwest Florida Health Council — which supports regional health care access and education across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties — will serve as the administrative oversight body for the grant. Community Health Northwest Florida will serve as the fiscal agent responsible for managing grant funds on behalf of all 15 organizations.

Smiley says the coalition approach was deliberate — pooling the collective reach and expertise of 15 organizations under one application to maximize the impact of available funding across the region.

More information is available at healthcarewithinreach.org or by calling Community Health Northwest Florida at 850-436-4630.