GRH Awards more than $4.67 million through rural health transformation program
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, August 21st, 2026 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
LA GRANDE – (Press release from Grande Ronde Hospital) Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics (GRH) has been awarded more than $4.67 million through Oregon’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to support seven projects designed to expand access to health care and strengthen rural health services across Northeast Oregon.
GRH received a $3,208,988 Catalyst Award for its Northeast Oregon Maternal and Surgical Services Access Project, as well as six Transformation Awards totaling $1,463,000. The Transformation Awards include a $963,000 award for Grande Ronde Hospital and five separate $100,000 awards for GRH’s Rural Health Clinics.
Together, the awards represent $4,671,988 in new investment in rural health care infrastructure, technology, access, and workforce development.
“We are incredibly grateful for this investment in Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics and, more importantly, in the people and communities we serve,” said GRH President and CEO Jeremy Davis. “These projects address very real challenges facing rural health care, from maintaining access to specialized surgical services to giving patients in our smaller communities better access to diagnostic tools and care close to home. This funding allows us to make investments that will benefit Northeast Oregon for years to come.”
Catalyst Award: Expanding Maternal and Surgical Access
GRH’s $3.2 million Catalyst Award will support the Northeast Oregon Maternal and Surgical Services Access Project, centered on the acquisition and implementation of a da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system.
The project is designed to expand access to safe, minimally invasive surgery in Northeast Oregon, particularly for maternal health and general surgical procedures. It also supports GRH’s ability to recruit and retain physicians who are trained in advanced robotic surgery.
The project aligns with the RHTP Healthy Communities and Prevention initiative and its goal of increasing the number of rural residents served by new or expanded health care services.
For rural patients, expanded robotic surgery capabilities can mean receiving advanced surgical care closer to home rather than traveling significant distances to larger communities.
Six Transformation Awards Strengthen Care Across GRH
GRH also received six Transformation Awards supporting projects throughout the hospital and its Rural Health Clinics.
Grande Ronde Hospital – $963,000
The Technology-Enabled Rural Care Access and Resilience Project will make investments across several areas of the hospital. Projects include enhancements to Family Birthing Center monitoring capabilities, completion and modernization of operating room technology, and improvements to critical information technology infrastructure and system resiliency.
Elgin Clinic – $100,000
The Rural Pediatric and Maternal Access Toolkit will add diagnostic technology designed to strengthen pediatric and maternal care available in the Elgin community.
Union Clinic – $100,000
A separately funded Rural Pediatric and Maternal Access Toolkit will bring similar diagnostic capabilities to GRH’s Union Clinic, helping providers evaluate and care for patients locally.
Women & Children’s Clinic – $100,000
Funding will expand ultrasound capabilities within the clinic, improving access to diagnostic services for women and families.
Urgent Care Clinic – $100,000
The Imaging Distance Education and Training Center project will establish an environment for distance education and training, helping strengthen imaging workforce development and clinical capabilities in rural Northeast Oregon.
Regional Medical Clinic – $100,000
The Emergency Notification and Rapid Staff Coordination Platform will support implementation of an organization-wide communication system designed to improve rapid notification and coordination among GRH’s hospital and clinic workforce.
Although several of the projects include new equipment and technology, Davis said their impact extends well beyond the individual purchases.
“This is really about access,” Davis said. “In rural health care, the right technology in the right place can determine whether a patient can receive care in their own community, whether we can recruit the provider we need, or whether our staff has the tools necessary to respond quickly and effectively. Each of these projects helps us strengthen that foundation.”
GRH will begin implementing the projects as funding becomes available and required contracting, purchasing, infrastructure, and project planning processes are completed.
The Rural Health Transformation Program is intended to strengthen rural health care systems, improve access to care, and support innovative approaches to meeting the needs of rural communities.
