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Rural Health and Primary Care

Mission and Priorities

The Rural Health and Primary Care Program's mission is to promote and assure access to quality health care for Maine's residents living in rural and medically underserved areas. The Program accomplishes this through the administration of federal grants by dedicated program staff.

The Program's priorities provide a bridge between the mission and activities to fulfill it.

  • Strengthen and improve Maine's health care safety net.
  • Provide leadership and facilitate communication and coordination among the health care sector, government entities, academics, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
  • Assure access to expertise and resources that address public health care services, with a focus on rural and underserved areas.
  • Build capacity by fostering local workforce solutions.

Upcoming Events and Announcements

  • Spring Newsletter (PDF)
  • Applications for the J-1 Conrad Visa Program were open in October 2025 for the State of Maine. Please review this guide (PDF) for instructions on the application process. If you have questions, email rhpc.dhhs@maine.gov.
  • Join the New England Rural Health Association for a day at the Rural Health Student Summit. This event provides tools, connections, and inspiration to help students shape the future of rural health. September 12, 2026 in Lebanon, NH.

Accepting NHSC New Site Applications 

Apply now to become a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) approved site and use your status to recruit, hire, and retain clinicians.

As an NHSC-approved site, eligible clinicians can apply for NHSC Loan Repayment Programs, and you can hire NHSC Scholars or Students to Service participants. Sites can also post job opportunities on the Health Workforce Connector and participate in HRSA Virtual Job Fairs.

To apply, your site must: 

  • Be an eligible health care facility
  • Provide comprehensive primary health care services (medical, oral, or behavioral health)
  • Be located in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)
  • Meet all requirements in the NHSC Site Reference Guide and NHSC Site Agreement
  • Have never been NHSC-approved
  • Are under new ownership
  • Were previously approved, but are now inactive or expired

The NHSC New Site Application only is for sites that:

The application is open now through Tuesday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Apply to become an NHSC site here.

2026 HRSA Healthy Grants Workshop Registration 

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 Healthy Grants Workshop presented as a web series.

There is no cost to attend. You can attend as many sessions as you like. A 2026 Healthy Grants Workshop Schedule is available.

The first session takes place on May 13, followed by a new session every month through August. Each session includes two topics, such as grants administration, grants budgeting, allowable costs, and more.

More details, including a registration link, will be added to the Manage Your Grants Workshop Web page as they are available. You'll also find links to previous Healthy Grants Workshop recordings.

 What’s in it for you?

The 2026 Healthy Grants Workshop offers multiple sessions that will help you successfully manage your HRSA award.

This year we are again organizing the workshop into two tracks:

  1. There will be a “New Recipients/Refresher” track with presentations to support the learning and application of concepts for individuals and organizations new to managing HRSA grant awards.
  2. There will be an “Advanced” track with presentations that will benefit individuals and organizations significantly experienced with managing HRSA grant awards and looking for information and practices more in line with their seasoned level of expertise.

Although we are offering two tracks, you can still sign up for any, and as many, sessions as you would like, regardless of your proficiency with HRSA grants management.

All HRSA award recipients are encouraged to attend the workshop.

For more information, contact the Healthy Grants Workshop team​​.

Register today!

Rural Medical Access Program (RMAP)

The RMAP is accepting applications until May 5, 2026 for financial assistance with insurance premiums for eligible obstetricians and family or general practice physicians who provide obstetrical and prenatal care. To be considered for RMAP, physicians must:

  1. Provide complete obstetrical care for patients, including prenatal care and delivery. A physician in an underserved area without a facility for obstetrical delivery may qualify if the physician provides all services except delivery services but has a referral agreement for delivery with a licensed physician who accepts and serves MaineCare patients;
  2. Practice in a designated Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area, Medically Underserved Area/Population, or other qualifying rural area and maintains a caseload that includes a certain percentage of MaineCare Patients; and
  3. Subscribed to appropriate obstetrical malpractice insurance coverage for at least the period of July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025.

To learn more, view this brochure or contact the Rural Health and Primary Care Program.

RMAP is administered by the Rural Health and Primary Care Program and the Bureau of Insurance. The program promotes obstetrical and prenatal care in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas/Populations and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas of Maine.

Successes

Maine has made encouraging progress in rural health care.

  • The Rural Health and Primary Care Program provides grant support for all 19 rural hospitals in Maine.
  • The percentage of Mainers reporting poor general health is among the lowest in the nation.
  • Maine ranks 2nd in the U.S. for the number of primary care physicians practicing in rural counties (99.5 per 100,000). The national average for rural counties is 54.5 per 100,000.
  • Maine ranks 8th in the U.S. for the number of psychiatrists practicing in rural counties. Maine has 6.2 per 100,000 residents. The U.S. rural average is 3.4.
  • The State Loan Repayment Program has assisted more than 80 Mainers in health care professions.
  • Since its inception in 1997, the Conrad J-1 Visa Program has brought nearly 700 health care providers to Maine.

Geography and Demographics

  • Maine is considered the most rural state in the nation and the oldest by median age.
  • Half of Maine's land is almost completely uninhabited.
  • 40% of the population lives in one of Maine's 11 rural counties.

Use the Am I rural? tool to learn more about where you live or work.

Challenges to Health Care Access

Access to health care can be complex and often becomes more of a challenge in rural and underserved areas of Maine.

  • People who have low income and are uninsured have more trouble finding a health care provider, are less likely to seek medical services, and have greater difficulty paying their medical bills.
  • Lack of transportation is the most frequent, non-cost reason people with low income delay medical care.
  • Almost 20% of adults without a high school diploma do not have a regular health care provider, compared with 14% of high school graduates, 11% of those with some college, and 8% with a bachelor's degree or higher.
  • Compared to white adults, members of racial or ethnic minority groups are more likely not to have a regular health care provider (21% vs. 12%) and more likely to have gone without care in the prior year because of cost (17% vs. 10%).

The Health Care Safety Net

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flex Program enables certain rural hospitals to be classified as CAH. A CAH is able to improve its financial stability through enhanced Medicare reimbursement and reduced operating costs.

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

The Rural Health Clinic Services Act was enacted to address an inadequate supply of physicians serving Medicare patients in rural areas and to increase the use of non-physician practitioners, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants in rural areas. RHCs receive special Medicare and Medicaid rates, depending on the services the clinic provides and the payer mix of the patient population. RHCs may operate as public, private, or non-profit entities.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-Alikes

FQHCs are safety net providers that provide services typically furnished in an outpatient clinic. FQHCs include community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless health centers, public housing primary care centers, and health center program "lookalikes." They also include outpatient health programs or facilities operated by a tribe or tribal organization or by an urban Indian organization.

Safety Net Dental Sites

Safety net dental clinics ensure access to essential oral health care for individuals and families who are uninsured, underinsured, or face other barriers to care. By offering preventative and restorative services through sliding-fee scales, public insurance, or reduced-cost programs, these clinics support healthier communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Rural Health Transformation Program

The Rural Health Transformation Program is a federal initiative designed to help rural communities improve health outcomes by strengthening care delivery, expanding access, and supporting value-based payment models. It focuses on aligning funding, data, and technical assistance so rural providers can better coordinate care, address workforce challenges, and meet the unique needs of rural populations.

Resources

Contact Us

Call: (207) 287-5524
Fax: (207) 287-5431