The funding is part of more than $9.6 million awarded to 11 healthcare facilities across Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional District. The money comes from Pennsylvania's share of a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, established through the Working Families Tax Cuts and administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
According to Meuser, the program is designed to strengthen healthcare access in rural communities through investments in infrastructure, technology, workforce development and modernized medical services.
"When Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts, we made an explicit choice to create the Rural Health Transformation Program to confront the challenges unique to rural communities like those in Pennsylvania's 9th District," Meuser said. "This investment will expand access to quality healthcare across our district and reverse years of decline in rural communities. The Working Families Tax Cuts are delivering historic results for the American people by strengthening rural healthcare, investing in critical infrastructure, and ensuring that communities across Pennsylvania have access to the quality care they deserve."
Funding for Schuylkill County Hospitals
Three healthcare facilities in Schuylkill County are included in the funding announcement:
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill in Pottsville will receive $997,428 to purchase new medical equipment, including telehealth technology, smart hospital beds, retinal scanners, ultrasound equipment and emergency department stretchers. The upgrades are intended to expand access to specialty and emergency care.
- Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital in Orwigsburg will receive $948,927 to fully equip a fourth operating room. Hospital officials estimate the expansion will allow the facility to perform approximately 1,700 additional surgical procedures annually.
- St. Luke's Hospital–Miners Campus in Coaldale will receive $909,231 to replace an aging fluoroscopy system and upgrade operating room technology, improving both diagnostic imaging and surgical care.
Combined, the three projects will bring $2,855,586 in federal investment to hospitals serving Schuylkill County residents.
Supporting Rural Healthcare
The Rural Health Transformation Fund represents what lawmakers describe as the largest direct federal investment in rural healthcare in U.S. history. The program will distribute funding to states between 2026 and 2030 to improve healthcare access and outcomes in rural communities.
The initiative supports projects that expand preventive care, strengthen the rural healthcare workforce, improve access to essential medical services, promote innovative care models and invest in technology that enhances patient care, coordination and healthcare system resilience.
In addition to the three Schuylkill County hospitals, funding was awarded to healthcare facilities in Sayre, Forksville, Montrose, Susquehanna, Danville, Tunkhannock and Bloomsburg for projects ranging from operating room improvements and pharmacy modernization to electrical infrastructure upgrades and rehabilitation facility renovations.