Community Health Centers of Arkansas Awarded More Than $2 Million in Rural Health Transformation Funds

Aug. 27, 2026 | LITTLE ROCK, AR – Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Inc. (CHCA) has been selected as a recipient of two prestigious Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants totaling $2,041,804.00, announced today by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The awards recognize CHCA's innovative approach to modernizing rural healthcare delivery across Arkansas's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Out of more than 700 applications nationwide, CHCA was among only 51 projects selected to receive funding in this highly competitive first round.

The two Transformative Initiatives Funded include the following.

1. Arkansas Community Health Intelligence Platform ($1,911,394.00)

This would establish a shared technology platform uniting Arkansas's 13 federally qualified health centers. The initiative will create health information exchange connections, deploy population health analytics, implement interoperability tools, enhance cybersecurity services, and provide comprehensive implementation support across 66 Arkansas counties.

2. Arkansas FQHC Clinical Decision Support & Specialty Access Initiative ($130,410.00)

This initiative implements VisualDx software and specialized training to enhance diagnostic capabilities for FQHC clinicians. The program will help participating clinicians more effectively diagnose and manage complex conditions that often require specialty care input, improving patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary referrals.

"This funding represents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen healthcare access for rural Arkansans," said CHCA’s Chief Executive Officer Lanita S. Shaverd, PharmD. "We are proud that our patient-centered approach was recognized among hundreds of competitive proposals. These investments will enable our health centers to better serve our members and the broader rural communities we support."

CHCA's projects will serve patients across Arkansas's rural and underserved regions, improving access to specialty care, preventive screening, and telehealth services. By connecting clinical networks and enabling data sharing, these initiatives strengthen the entire rural healthcare ecosystem.

The awards are part of Arkansas's first round of RHTP funding, totaling $149.2 million across more than 50 recipient projects. The state anticipates receiving approximately $1 billion in RHTP funding over the next five years. Governor Sanders said additional funding for year 1 projects will be announced at a later date.

For more information about CHCA and its rural health initiatives, visit https://arkansasrhtp.com.

About Community Health Centers of ArkansasCHCA, the Primary Care Association for Arkansas, is a nonprofit organization established in 1985. CHCA works to expand access to affordable, quality health care while serving as a unified voice for the state’s 12 Community Health Centers (CHCs) and their patients. Together, CHCs operate more than 250 locations across Arkansas. CHCA collaborates with local, state and federal partners, organizations, and policy makers to advocate for policies and regulations that strengthen the CHCs’ ability to provide affordable, accessible, and comprehensive, quality health care services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Learn more at chc-ar.org.