Rural Workforce Initiatives

Rural communities in Tennessee often struggle to access quality healthcare due to factors like limited facilities, long travel distances, workforce shortages, and high costs. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is leading efforts to address workforce shortages across various industries, with healthcare as a priority.

The Program's Purpose

The Rural Healthcare Initiatives grant program aims to leverage existing healthcare training structures and expand apprenticeship and Workforce Development Initiatives to strengthen the pipeline of healthcare professionals in rural communities.

Financial support will be provided to sponsoring entities to offer training, certification, and apprenticeships, while also addressing ancillary costs like transportation, childcare, and examination fees that create barriers for participants. The TDLWD, Rural Workforce Initiatives, is supporting local efforts to increase training and employment through the Rural Healthcare Initiatives grant.

Grant Program Resources

Rural Health Care Workforce Development Initiatives July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 Grantee Awards

Program	County/Counties
Align9	Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, Roane
Baptist Memorial Hospital	Obion, Carroll, Weakley, Lake, Henry, Dyer, Gibson, Crockett, Benton
Bethel University	Carroll, Weakley, Henry
Cleveland State Community College	Bradley, Meigs, Monroe, McMinn, Polk
Covenant Health	Hamblen, Grainger, Jefferson, Claiborne, Union, Loudon, Anderson
Family Scholar House	Grundy, Fentress, Roane, Greene
Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge	Anderson, Campbell, Cumberland, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott
Huntsville Hospital Lincoln Health	Lincoln
Lewis County Schools	Lewis
Lipscomb University	Robertson, Sumner, Cheatham, Montgomery
Macon County Community Hospital	Macon, Clay, Jackson, Trousdale
Meharry Medical College	Robertson, Sumner, Montgomery
Mountain People’s Health Council	Scott
Nashville State Community College	Montgomery, Humphreys, Stewart
Northeast State Community College	Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington
Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Board	Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, Stewart
Roane Medical	Roane
South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance	Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Warren, Wayne, Wiliamson
Signature Healthcare, Inc	Bradley, Carter, Fentress, Greene, Grundy, Hawkins, Houston, Johnson, Lake, Marion, Montgomery, Pickett, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Sumner, Washington
Southeast Tennessee Development District	Bledsoe, Grundy, Meigs, Rhea, Sequatchie, Polk
Southern Middle Workforce Board	Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne
Southern Tennessee Medical Center	Franklin, Grundy, Marion
Sweetwater Hospital	Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Roane, Monroe
Tennessee Board of Regents	Stewart, Montgomery, Robertson, Sumner, Houston, Dickson, Cheatham, Trousdale, Humphreys, Williamson, Rutherford, Perry, Hickman, Lewis, Maury, Marshall, Bedford, Coffee, Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Lincoln, Moore, Franklin, Macon, Clay, Pickett, Smith, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Putnam, DeKalb, White, Cumberland, Cannon, Warren, Van Buren, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Marion, Bradley, Polk, Tipton, Fayette
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Athens	Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Bledsoe, Marion
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson	Stewart, Houston, Humphreys, Hickman, Dickson, Montgomery, Cheatham, Henry, Benton, Carroll, Weakley, Gibson, Lewis, Maury, Wayne, Perry, Lawrence
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Jacksboro	Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Morgan, Roane, Scott
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville	Loudon, Union
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Upper Cumberland	Bledsoe, Clay, Pickett, Jackson
Tennessee Hospital Association	West: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Tipton, Weakley Middle: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Smith, Sumner, Stewart, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson East: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Claiborne, Carter, Cocke, Cumberland, Grainger, Greene, Hancock, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington
Tennessee Wesleyan University	Bradley, Polk, Rhea, Louden, Monroe, Meigs, Roane, McMinn
TriStar Health	Dickson, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner
University of Tennessee Health Science	Giles, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Weakley
Upper Cumberland Local Workforce Development Board	Macon, Clay, Pickett, Dekalb, Smith, Jackson, Overton, Cannon, Warren, Dekalb, Putnam, Fentress, Cumberland, Van Buren
Walters State Community College	Hamblen, Cocke, Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Sevier, Union
West Tennessee Healthcare - Dyersburg	Dyer
Williamson Health	Williamson
Workforce Innovations, Inc	Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley, Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy

Rural Health Care Workforce Development Initiatives July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 Grantee Awards

Program	County/Counties
Align 9	Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Meigs
Baptist Memorial Hospital - Union	Obion
Bethel University	Weakley, Henry, Carroll, Gibson, and Obion
Bledsoe County Schools	Bledsoe
ClearView Healthcare Management	Blount, Tipton, Maury, Loudon, Macon, Smith, Warren
Cleveland State Community College	Bradley, Polk, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe
Columbia State Community College	Maury, Marshall, Hickman, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, and Wayne
Covenant Health - Roane Medical	Roane, Morgan, Cumberland, Loudon, Rhea, Meigs
Covenant Health - Fort Loudon	Loudon
Dickson Community Clinic	Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, Houston, Cheatham
Dyersburg State Community College	Crockett, Dyer, Haywood, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Tipton, Weakley
Erlanger Hospital - Bledsoe	Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, Van Buren, Grundy, Cumberland, Rhea
ETSU Center for Community Outreach	Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Sullivan, Johnson, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins
ETSU College of Nursing	Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington
Family Scholar House	Fentress, Roane, Grundy, Rhea, Marion, Hawkins, Loudon, Blount, Warren, Montgomery
Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge	Anderson, Campbell, Loudon, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Scott
Huntsville Hospital Lincoln Health	Lincoln, Bedford, Franklin
Lewis County Schools	Lewis
Lipscomb University	Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Robertson, Sumner
Macon Hospital	Macon, Clay, Jackson, Trousdale
Maury Regional	Maury, Wayne, Marshall
Meharry Medical College	Sumner, Montgomery, Tipton, Haywood, Lauderdale, Crockett, Lake, Dyer, Fayette
Motlow State Community College	Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Dekalb, Franklin, Lincoln, Moore, Rutherford, Van Buren, Warren, White
Mountain People's Health Councils, INC	Scott
Mountain States Health Alliance	Hawkins
Middle Tennessee State University - Center for Health and Human Services	Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson
Northeast State Community College	Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington
Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Board	Cheatham, Dickson, Humphreys Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson
Prisma Health - Blount Memorial	Blount, Monroe
Roane State Community College	Fentress, Scott, Morgan, Cumberland, Overton, Pickett
Signature Healthcare LLC	Bradley, Carter, Fentress, Greene, Grundy, Hawkins, Houston, Johnson, Lake, Marion, Montgomery, Pickett, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Sumner, Washington
South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance	Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Murray, Moore, Perry, Warren, Wayne, Williamson
South Central Tennessee Development District	Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Maury, Marshall, Moore, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lewis, Parry, Wayne
Southeast Tennessee Development District	Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk
Sweetwater Hospital Association	Monroe, McMinn, Loudon, Meigs, Roane
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson	Benton, Carroll, Dickson, Henry, Hickman, Humphreys, Houston, Jackson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart, Weakley, Williamson
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Jacksboro	Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Morgan, Roane, Scott
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville	Anderson, Blount, Union
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Pulaski	Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maury, Marshall
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Upper Cumberland	Bledsoe, Pickett, Clay, Jackson, Overton, White
TECH4ALL	Anderson, Blount, Cocke, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane
Tennessee Wesleyan University	McMinn, Monroe, Bradley, Polk, Rhea, Meigs, Loudon, Blount
Tennessee Hospital Association	Blount, Campbell, Cumberland, Greene, Giles, Hardemon, Lauderdale, Lincoln, Macon, Marion, Maury, McMinn, Monroe, Obion, Rutherford, Scott, Sumner, Williamson
Upper Cumberland Workforce Development Board	Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren, White
University of Tennessee Health Science Center Nursing	Giles, Lauderdale, Lake, Obion, Weakley
University of Tennessee Health Science Center Pharmacy	Haywood, Crockett, Gibson, Lewis, Grundy, Sevier, Cocke, Lewis, Grainger, Jefferson, Monroe, McMinn
University of Tennessee Medical	Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Roane
Walters State Community College	Cocke, Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Sevier, Union
Williamson Health	Williamson
Workforce Innovations	Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley, Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy