Ascension Sacred Heart Health System has been awarded more than $2.8 million to expand access to health care in rural communities, part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement of nearly $188 million through Florida’s Rural Health Transformation Program.

• The largest share of the funding, $2.4 million, will support a new mobile stroke unit that will serve rural counties along the Interstate 10 corridor, including Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Jackson counties. Those counties have higher rates of strokes than the state average, and many residents live long distances from hospitals with stroke accreditation.

“When a stroke happens, time is brain,” said Will Condon, President and CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Health System. “Providing rural communities with a CT scan to begin treatment while a patient is being transported helps support stroke care to help prevent disability and death.”

The mobile stroke unit will be custom-built because of its uniqueness. It will be equipped with a CT scanner and a CT technologist to assess strokes in the field through imaging and a secure telehealth connection to the care team at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola. The unit will also be fully stocked with treatments for stroke, including clot-busting medications, when clinically appropriate. It is expected to be complete and in use by summer 2027.

The Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Family Medicine Residency program received $450,000 for diagnostic and imaging equipment. The equipment will be used at a variety of sites where physician residents see patients in rural Walton County, including through home visits and mobile health options. The program aims to train doctors to provide care for many conditions that affect people living in rural communities, and to help patients receive a timely diagnosis and treatment regardless of their ability to pay.

“With this new equipment, we are expanding access to healthcare for individuals in Walton County while providing training for our physician residents to help equip them with additional skills as they complete their program and continue to serve rural communities,” said Dr. Joshua A. Hodge, Program Director of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Family Medicine Residency.

The Rural Health Transformation Program is administered by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and is designed to strengthen health care access and delivery in rural communities across Florida.