Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Weekly Intelligence Brief for March 8–14, 2026. Produced by the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 Foundation and directed by Dr. Keeley John Booth, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Director, this episode cuts through the noise to deliver the week’s most consequential signals for Oklahoma’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

This episode covers four material developments and one imminent decision: the Oklahoma House passage of House Bill 3975 (creating the statutory framework for RHTP and a dedicated revolving fund) and House Bill 3976 (establishing the Rural and Small Hospital Grant Program); Oklahoma State University’s public announcement of a $10M+ RHTP-funded Community Paramedicine expansion across 30 counties (the first confirmed flow of RHTP dollars to an implementing partner); CMS’s March 12 update posting the RHT Program Reporting and Rescoring webinar (federal reporting and rescoring guidance for approved states); and the near-term OHCA Rural PACE first-round provider selection announcement scheduled for March 16, 2026.

We walk listeners through the legislative details of HB 3975 and HB 3976 — the revolving fund architecture, mandated interagency Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), reporting requirements, an online transparency dashboard, and an emergency clause — and explain why those provisions create durable statutory oversight and urgency as the bills move to the Oklahoma Senate.

The episode outlines the practical significance of the OSU Community Paramedicine initiative: scope (30 counties over five years), funding (more than $10 million in this announced tranche against a $31.475M five-year allocation), program design (200 additional training hours for certified community paramedics, in-home chronic disease management in ambulance deserts), and pilot context (Delaware County). We highlight this as the first active disbursement channel from OSDH to a subrecipient and a signal that implementation is underway.

On federal alignment, we summarize CMS’s reporting/rescoring guidance posted March 12 and explain why OSDH and legislative staff must reconcile state statutory reporting requirements with federal compliance obligations. We also flag national guidance from advisory firm Forvis Mazars clarifying RHTP spending caps (administration <10%, infrastructure <20%, provider payments <15%) and the reported HRSA withdrawal of a Rural PACE planning grant from grants.gov.

On funding and procurement intelligence, we report no new public RFPs/NOFOs on state pages during the coverage window, note that at least one subaward stream is active via cooperative agreement (OSU), and reiterate the year-one award figures: approximately $223.5M allocated for FY2026 (about $202M currently accessible, ~ $21M under CMS review). We also explain the strategic interplay between RHTP funds and broader Medicaid fiscal pressures facing Oklahoma.

This brief concludes with time-sensitive actions and events to monitor: the March 16 OHCA Rural PACE provider selection announcement; Senate referral and committee activity for HB 3975/3976 (expected by ~March 26); OSDH April roadshows in Woodward (April 15) and Chickasha (April 16) and an April 21 Touchpoint webinar; the Rural Health Association of Oklahoma abstract deadline (March 22); and national forums such as the NPA Spring Policy Forum (March 23–24). We provide a focused watch list for stakeholders and recommended engagement steps.

Key takeaway: Oklahoma’s RHTP moved decisively from planning to implementation this week — legislative architecture is crystallizing, federal compliance guidance requires alignment, RHTP dollars have begun reaching communities, and the PACE provider selections due March 16 will materially shape rural elder-care infrastructure. If you operate in targeted counties or are tracking the bills, this is the moment to engage directly, attend roadshows and webinars, and ensure leadership is execution-ready.

Welcome to the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 RHTP Weekly Intelligence Brief. This episode, produced by the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 Foundation and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth (co‑founder and chief executive director), covers monitoring from February 21st through February 27th, 2026. We distill the key signals from CMS, state agencies, and the field to keep stakeholders informed and execution‑ready.

During this monitoring cycle we observed no material content changes across official RHTP or Rural PACE Expansion channels. For the third consecutive week, the Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program page and the OHCA Rural PACE Expansion page remained substantively unchanged: no new requirements, no procurement guidance, and no newly linked documents. That continued quiet is itself a strategic signal worth unpacking.

The core finding: Oklahoma's RHTP is in a deliberate, sustained pre‑procurement planning phase. The RHTP program page continues to display the February 12th touchpoint webinar links and standing federal award status information, while the OHCA Rural PACE page shows no new application guidance or deadlines. No RFPs, NOFOs, subaward announcements, planning grants, or amendments were posted during the coverage window.

Context matters. Oklahoma's RHTP represents approximately $1.1 billion in federal investment (Oklahoma is the fifth‑largest awardee nationally) with a fiscal year 2026 allocation of $223.5 million. Given the scale and complexity of these funds, the observed pause aligns with a structured federal‑state coordination process — specifically the CMS budget revision review, which remains the gating event for public procurement activity.

There are no new application deadlines or short‑term action windows to report this week. That said, stakeholders should not relax monitoring. When the CMS budget revision is finalized and procurement pathways are opened, deadlines may appear with compressed timelines. This quiet period is the time to prepare: review internal capacities for grant and contract responses, confirm data and reporting readiness, strengthen partnership networks, and revisit the February 12th webinar materials.

Strategic signals and implications covered in this episode include: implementation phase stability (the state is maintaining stakeholder resources but not advancing public guidance beyond the February 12th materials); Rural PACE trajectory (OHCA has not published selection or solicitation documents, indicating internal planning continues); and compliance/oversight posture (legislative activity remains relevant even though no new RHTP‑specific bills surfaced this week).

Watch list — items to monitor in the coming weeks: 1) CMS budget revision outcome (the single most consequential gating event); 2) RHTP procurement postings (RFPs, NOFOs, and related documentation); 3) OHCA Rural PACE procurement guidance or provider engagement notices; 4) Oklahoma legislative session developments that could affect timelines or requirements; and 5) announcements of additional stakeholder touchpoints or webinars.

Single takeaway: this is a preparation window, not inaction. The public‑facing quiet reflects process—internal coordination and CMS approvals—not a reduction in program priority. Stakeholders who use this lull to get ready will have a meaningful advantage when procurement activity accelerates. Subscribe for ongoing intelligence from the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 Foundation and stay engaged for the next update.

In this episode of the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 podcast host Dr. Keley John Booth, MD speaks with Dr. Pinky Patel, PharmD — founder of Myri, an AI-enabled women’s and maternal health platform — about the crisis in maternal care in Oklahoma and practical solutions that can be implemented now. They weave Dr. Patel’s lived experience during pregnancy and a narrowly averted C-section with system-level analysis of why outcomes are poor for many Oklahomans.

The conversation covers rising C‑section rates, the ‘‘weekend effect’’ and environmental triggers, gaps in provider practices, and the routinely underfunded recovery and postpartum period. Dr. Patel describes how routine care often stops at a single 6‑week postpartum visit (an average 11‑minute appointment), leaving mothers with untreated pelvic floor dysfunction, scar adhesions, chronic pain and mental health consequences.

Central to the interview is Myri: why it was built, how it moves care upstream, and the concrete services it offers — individualized birth planning and education, pelvic floor prevention and rehab pathways, gamified and VR-enabled exercise feedback, remote patient monitoring (blood pressure, glucose), multilingual AI chatbot support (Maya), nutrition and activity tracking, and aggregation of siloed labs and device data. Dr. Patel explains the emphasis on prevention and scalable digital-first support for rural populations who lack specialized in-person pelvic health resources.

The hosts dig into the user experience: onboarding via app store or QR codes through health departments or payers; integration with RPM devices and EMRs for escalations and provider alerts; care coordination, doula scheduling and documentation; and measurement of engagement, adherence and outcomes. They highlight demonstrated ROI signals (reduced complications, lower claims) and real-world results from state pilots — including improved postpartum outcomes in Kansas and international implementations.

The episode also explains how the Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program presents a rare funding opportunity to fund RPM, telehealth infrastructure, workforce upskilling, doula training and consumer tech pilots — and why Oklahoma needs local implementation partners who have proven user adoption and clinical impact. Dr. Patel and Dr. Booth discuss barriers like vendor pre‑selection, leadership turnover, and the urgency of choosing solutions that actually engage mothers and close the data loop.

Key takeaways: maternal health is a high‑impact upstream lever for population health; prevention (especially pelvic floor and rehabilitation) and continuous, data‑driven support must replace episodic care; technology like Myri can scale culturally tailored, evidence‑based interventions into rural settings; and committed local implementation is required to turn federal funding into lives saved. The episode closes with a call for Oklahoma clinicians, leaders and legislators to prioritize maternal health and to adopt scalable solutions that keep women and families at the center of care. Listeners can learn more about Myri at https://www.myrihealth.com/ Listeners are also invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.