Cullman Regional awarded $3.8M to combat Alabama’s maternity care crisis
Cullman, Ala. – Cullman Regional, Alabama’s largest independent rural hospital, has been awarded $3.8 million by the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP) to improve access to maternity care in rural communities. The hospital will use the award to establish a family medicine residency program with a focused obstetrics track to strengthen the pipeline of physicians prepared to provide maternity care.
“We’re extremely proud that our state leaders have confidence in Cullman Regional’s ability to implement such a high impact project,” said CEO James Clements. “We appreciate the work and leadership of Governor Ivey, Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, the ARHTP Advisory Board including Chairman Sen. Donnie Chesteen and Vice-Chairman Rep. Jamie Kiel, Director Ken Boswell and the entire ADECA team as well as Cullman delegation members Reps. Cindy Myrex, Heath Allbright and Tim Wadsworth.”
In addition to the residency program, Cullman Regional’s grant award includes funding for maternal and fetal health care outreach in the hospital’s seven-county service area. Adding maternity-trained physicians to areas that have little to no obstetric care will be transformative for the region and have lasting impact as the hospital continues to develop as a regional referral hub for maternal and fetal health.
In 2024, Cullman Regional opened a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to provide highly specialized newborn care for ill and premature infants. The NICU team cares for approximately 100 babies each year which helps demonstrate the need for local, comprehensive maternal and fetal health services in central North Alabama.
“This program [ARHTP] is enabling institutions covering every part of the state to improve healthcare for Alabamians through projects that are both innovative and sustainable,” said Governor Kay Ivey in her announcement Monday.
Only 138 grants were awarded in the first round of ARHTP funding which totaled $144 million. Cullman Regional’s project is one of five medical residency projects that were awarded funding and the only medical residency program that specifically seeks to address the maternity care crisis in Alabama.