Kiel named vice chair of advisory group
MONTGOMERY — District 18 Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, will serve as vice chair of the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Advisory Group.
Kiel said Tuesday the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs will administer the program.
The advisory group, which held its first meeting Feb. 4, will lead the state’s effort to strengthen and modernize rural health care using more than $203 million in federal funding.
“We applied for $200 million and the funded $203 million,” Kiel said. “So that’s kind of unique. We got a little extra.
“Obviously, rural health is the largest focus for my district,” he said.
Kiel pointed specifically to the importance of funding for mental health services in northwest Alabama, including Shoals Hospital, which serves as a regional mental health facility.
The $203 million in federal funding comes with strict federal oversight and limited flexibility for the state.
“The federal government gives us very little leeway to vary from guidelines,” Kiel said. “Before we fund any actual grants, they will have to be authorized by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. So, it will be highly accountable to the federal government.”
As vice chair, Kiel said his role will include acting as chair when needed and serving as a liaison between the advisory group, ADECA and the Alabama House of Representatives.
“My job is to make sure that our districts are all adequately served. We don’t want all of the money to go to one central part of the state,” he said.
Sen. Donnie Chesteen was selected to serve as chair of the advisory group, which was created by executive order and includes legislative leaders from both chambers.
Members received an overview of the program during last week’s meeting and discussed implementation timelines, administrative processes and potential legislative action.
“Our goal is to make sure that number one, there’s accountability for the funding,” Kiel said, “and number two, that the money is evenly distributed throughout the state, and, probably most importantly, that we identify and fund true needs in the rural parts of the state as far as health care is concerned.”
State officials have described the initiative as a long-term strategy aimed at improving access to care, stabilizing rural hospitals, and addressing longstanding workforce and infrastructure challenges across Alabama’s rural communities.
