S. 1282 — Rural Development Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act of 2025

This section establishes the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program in the Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance and training—directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement—to eligible rural hospital facilities (i.e., critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, rural health clinics, rural emergency hospitals, and certain other hospitals and facilities). The program helps such facilities identify development needs (i.e., constructing or modernizing facilities, increasing telehealth capabilities, acquiring electronic health records, or other critical needs); develop action plans for financial, operational, and quality improvements; better manage business strategies; and apply for Department of Agriculture loans and grants. Program goals include improving long-term financial positions and operational efficiency of eligible facilities, preventing closures, strengthening rural health care delivery, and enhancing access to Department programs; the Secretary must conduct outreach for participation, prioritize borrowers and grantees of Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service programs, and consider factors such as facility age and condition, financial vulnerability, electronic health record needs, and location in health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas or populations. Not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, the Secretary must report to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on program progress, including project descriptions, outcomes, costs, and effectiveness assessments.