Several projects that reach Garrett and Allegany counties are among $16.4 million in Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program workforce grants announced Oct. 14 by Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Department of Labor, according to a press release from the Governor’s office.
The grants target health care worker shortages in rural Maryland. They fund two programs. Pathways to Health Careers trains people quickly for entry-level and peer-support health jobs such as community health workers and certified peer recovery specialists. Rural Incentives for Strengthening Employment in Healthcare (RISE) aims to train, recruit and keep registered nurses, physician assistants, physicians, dentists and other professionals in rural areas.
The Department of Labor’s list of grantees includes these awards serving Western Maryland:
- Frostburg State University, $499,531, for an advanced provider program that includes transition-to-practice support for new graduates, serving rural counties including Allegany and Garrett.
- Blossom Maternal Wellness, $181,315, to train and employ community health workers and patient navigators serving pregnant women, new mothers and families in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.
- Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Center, $195,250 to help unemployed and underemployed people train as certified nursing assistants, and $445,500 to expand career advancement for current health care workers in Western Maryland and other rural areas.
- Argentum, $500,000 to develop an apprenticeship-based senior living professional certification in Allegany, Carroll, Cecil and Garrett counties, and $400,000 to sponsor a statewide registered apprenticeship in assisted living in counties that include Garrett.
- Hagerstown Community College, $289,529, for an EMT certification program to prepare people for rural emergency medical services.
- Meritus Health Foundation, $500,000, for an advanced simulation training program.
Several statewide grantees, including the Mental Health Association of Maryland, MedChi and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, also list Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties among the areas they serve.
Maryland received $168 million in federal funding in December 2025 for the first budget period of the Rural Health Transformation Program, according to the release. The funding is renewable over five years.
