Georgia GREAT Health Program — RFGA Pre-Release Framework

Georgia received $218,862,170 in Year 1 RHTP funding. The lead agency is the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), administering the program under the brand GREAT Health (Georgia Rural Enhancement and Transformation of Health). CMS formally approved Georgia's application on February 26, 2026. DCH has hired 20 dedicated GREAT Health staff and is targeting spring 2026 for the first competitive RFGA release.

Georgia's rural hospital crisis is among the most severe nationally: 18 of 30 CAHs are at risk of closure, 82 of 126 rural counties lack an OB-GYN specialist, and the state did not expand Medicaid under the ACA (though partial expansion under Georgia Pathways is ongoing). RHTP funds arrive into this environment as a near-term stabilization and transformation tool.

DCH invited 93 rural hospitals to participate in the AHEAD model (CMS's value-based care framework), and 57 submitted Letters of Intent by the March 15, 2026 deadline. This AHEAD track appears hospital-centric. Whether FQHCs, RHCs, and behavioral health providers access GREAT Health funds through the main RFGA or through separate sub-grantee agency solicitations is not yet defined.

Three state sub-grantee agencies will co-implement parts of the program and may release separate solicitations: Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), and the Board of Health Care Workforce. Four competitive grant categories are pre-announced on greathealth.georgia.gov/find-funding-opportunities with status "Funding information will be available soon": Telehealth Enhancements, Workforce Retention Technology, Care to Consumer: Telepods (~$17M), and Robotic Surgical Equipment. Application language confirms applicants "will be encouraged or required to demonstrate a consortium or network approach to the work with at least two additional partner agencies or organizations" — minimum 3 organizations total.