Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 RHTP podcast. In this episode we undertake a deep dive into the comprehensive profile for Oklahoma’s Lung Cancer Screening Program — a $10.5 million, six‑year initiative (FY2026–FY2031) positioned inside the RHTP "moving upstream" pillar to prioritize prevention, early detection, and sustainable rural access.

Topics covered: why lung cancer is an urgent priority in Oklahoma (state incidence 63.7/100,000 vs. national 53.6), the state’s low early diagnosis rate (23.4%) and screening gap (only ~9% of eligible high‑risk people screened), and the program’s dual focus on evidence‑based LDCT screening and integrated tobacco cessation.

Key program design features explained: a multi‑site rollout across 11 rural and regional health systems; embedded clinical program directors (APPs/PAs/NPs) in each site to run clinical operations, navigation, and billing; one‑time capital purchases for mobile LDCT units; and mandatory linkage to comprehensive tobacco cessation services.

Financial and sustainability approach: RHTP funds are framed as transformation capital to build billable services — with an explicit requirement that built infrastructure, workforce, and billing systems transition to Medicaid, Medicare and commercial reimbursement before RHTP funds sunset. The podcast details personnel, statewide program management, and billing build‑out as central funded components.

Systems dependencies and risk: the episode walks through critical cross‑pillar needs — functioning EHR expansion, HIE interoperability, and data analytics — that are essential for quality tracking, registry reporting, and proving value. Major execution risks discussed include workforce retention, achieving sufficient screening volume, and Medicaid coverage stability, and the mitigation strategies needed to address them.

Timeline and milestones: listener guidance on sequencing — planning and site selection beginning Q2 FY2026, director placement by Q4 FY2026, clinical launch tied to billing readiness in Q4 FY2027, reporting into the Central Cancer Registry starting Q3 FY2028, and the final sustainability transition by FY2031 — with commentary on why early administrative and data work are the decisive early moves.

Equity and partnerships: the episode emphasizes tribal and community engagement, the role of community health workers and consumer technology for outreach and navigation, and the need for culturally competent, sovereignty‑respecting partnerships to ensure access across rural and tribal Oklahoma.

What listeners should expect: a practical, operationally focused conversation about turning a large rural health investment into durable outcomes — how the program will be run, who will lead it locally, what success will look like (measurable improvements in early diagnosis rates), and the precise set of policy, billing, data, and workforce conditions required to make this a permanent, billable rural health service. Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP podcast. This episode takes a deep dive the Community-Led Wellness Hub microgrants. We unpack the program’s purpose, funding structure, eligibility, and how this targeted capital aims to solve a specific market failure in rural Oklahoma.

Topics covered include the initiative’s budget and timeline ($10.75 million total: $10 million in direct microgrants spread as $2 million per year for five years, plus a one-time $750,000 technical assistance investment in FY26), the $50,000 per-grant cap, and the competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) model managed by OSDH. The episode explains who can apply, allowable uses (durable prevention assets such as diagnostic equipment, fitness infrastructure, kitchens for nutrition education, and community garden infrastructure), and the program’s focus on the 59 rural counties and local health departments.

Key program design features and requirements are emphasized: rigorous, data-driven applications demonstrating unmet local need; strict limits to capital purchases (no salaries or ongoing operational costs); mandatory community commitment to ongoing maintenance and sustainability; integration with other RHTP pillars (chronic disease prevention, community health worker expansion, GradesLoop resource listing, and health information exchange/data utility); and the expectation of roughly 40 grants per year (about 200 total over five years).

The hosts discuss critical execution issues and risks — the need for high-quality technical assistance to design the NOFO and outcome-tracking frameworks, the danger of “ghost assets” when communities can’t sustain maintenance costs, outreach and equity challenges across geographically dispersed counties, and the importance of building data and reporting capacity from day one to demonstrate impact by 2031. Practical accountability steps for grantees and OSDH are described, including rigorous documentation, annual usage and outcome reporting, and the 25% reporting threshold as an early program stress test.

Listeners will learn how this initiative is intended to function as the capital engine for upstream prevention work in rural Oklahoma — multiplying the impact of larger service investments by providing permanent local assets — and what community leaders must demonstrate to turn a one-time grant into a long-lasting, measurable improvement in health access and outcomes. Expect a clear explanation of the policy rationale, program mechanics, implementation timeline, cross-pillar dependencies, and the measure of success: whether these assets remain operational, used, and improving health metrics years after deployment. Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 RHTP podcast. In this episode, the hosts lead a focused, operational conversation about the Transportation Expansion Initiative—the $10,818,000, five‑year investment designed to be the foundational enabler of Oklahoma’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

We unpack why transportation is not a logistics afterthought but the access layer that determines whether all other RHTP investments—telehealth, workforce development, data interoperability, and value‑based care—actually reach patients. The episode explains how the initiative is strategically placed under the care‑model innovation pillar and why solving rides to appointments is essential to reducing preventable emergency care and stabilizing fragile rural hospitals.

Key stakeholders discussed include representatives from state and regional partners who will carry the work forward: the Oklahoma Association of Regional Councils and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. The episode also draws on lessons from a successful Southwest Oklahoma pilot model and explains how that pilot will be scaled statewide.

Key program elements are described in detail: a low‑bandwidth ride dispatch and scheduling platform built for rural connectivity; regional mobility navigators (starting with two in year one and expanding to eight by year five) to coordinate complex cases; a volunteer driver program targeted to reach 150 volunteers in year two and 300 by year five (with $350 per volunteer training and a 60%+ retention target); and an up‑front fleet purchase ($2,050,000 for 15 vans and five cutaway vehicles) paired with ongoing platform and operations funding.

The episode walks through timelines and governance milestones listeners need to watch: standing up an interagency working group in Q2 FY26, finishing and refining the Southwest pilot by Q3 FY26, phased regional rollout with statewide coverage aimed for Q3 FY28, and critical legal and funding commitments (the cross‑agency MOU and braided funding plan) that must be secured well before federal grant sunsets.

Listeners will hear the measurable goals and the top risks: the North Star metric of a 20% increase in preventive care visit completions in served communities, and the three execution failure points—volunteer recruitment and retention, low‑bandwidth technology reliability, and the complexity of weaving Medicaid, federal transit, VA, tribal, and hospital dollars into a sustainable braided funding model. The episode also highlights stark local context: 75 of 77 counties are designated health professional shortage areas, rural patients often travel up to 50 miles for care, and many critical access hospitals operate with deeply negative margins.

Finally, the episode closes with an action agenda for leaders: prioritize early governance discipline, invest in volunteer support and tech usability, and get legal funding agreements in place early. This conversation shows how a $10.8M targeted investment in transportation functions as an insurance policy for the hundreds of millions invested across RHTP—turning federal dollars into durable, practical access that improves outcomes and strengthens rural hospital finances. Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.