(NMB) Dr. Kevin Harada, MD, CEO and President of Northern Montana Health Care, said his recent appointment to a state advisory board on a new federal health program is a great opportunity to improve rural health care in the state.
Dr. Harada is one of twenty-five members named to the Advisory Council of the state Rural Health Transformation Program Center of Excellence.
The board will advise the state Department of Public Health and Human Services Center of Excellence, which was created with the intent of providing data-driven strategies to modernize and stabilize rural health care in Montana.
“Having a seat at the table to see where things are going on the front lines and having the ability to have a voice and to direct that, I think, is very important,” Dr. Harada said.
The Rural Health Transformation Program was passed by Congress last year with $50 billion to be distributed to all 50 states over 5 years to improve health care access, quality, and outcomes by transforming health care delivery.
In Montana, which received one of the larger allocations for 2026, $233 million, the program was broken into five initiatives. The council Dr. Harada is on will focus on sustainable access.
“Initiative Two is more about delivery of care, asking how we can transform the delivery of care to make it more efficient and better for rural communities,” he said.
Part of that goal is looking to improve outcomes on chronic diseases like diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more.
Dr. Harada said that the money earmarked for Initiative Two is $80 to $100 million, meaning that if it is funded at those levels over the next five years, $400 to $500 million could be coming in to rural health centers.
“It has the ability, if done right, to truly have lasting change, so this is a very big opportunity for Montana,” he said.
Northern Montana Health Care is collaborating with other partners in the region on other initiatives of Montana’s Rural Health Transformation Program, such as in Initiative One, which focuses on health care workforce development and care models.
Dr. Harada said much is yet unknown as to how Initiative Two will be implemented. It will include having a contractor do an analysis of the system to come up with data-driven recommendations on how to improve sustainable access to health care in rural Montana.
With so many unknowns, Dr. Harada said at this point it is impossible to say what kinds of proposals the advisory board will be looking at, but that being there to give input, and to advocate for small health care entities in the region is crucial.
“It’s the best opportunity we have to help direct some of these funds and make sure they go where they need to go,” he said.
Harada noted that Rocky Boy Health Center CEO Joel Rosette was also appointed to the Advisory Council, ensuring north-central Montana will have strong representation as the group helps shape the future of rural health care in the state.
The governor’s appointments also include representatives from rural hospitals, federally qualified health centers, primary care providers, health insurers, state agencies, legislators and community members from across Montana.
