The West Virginia Department of Health (DH) today announced the formation of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Advisory Panel, a major step forward in strengthening the state’s nearly $200 million federally awarded RHTP.
The Advisory Panel will serve in an advisory capacity to provide strategic insight, subject matter expertise, and stakeholder perspective as DH advances implementation of the program’s seven-pillar transformation framework. The panel does not have governing or budgetary authority. All operational decisions, contracting actions, and other decision-making functions remain within the DH under the direction of West Virginia Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh.
“This Advisory Panel represents some of the strongest talent across health care, workforce, innovation, and economic development in West Virginia,” said Secretary Singh. “Their role is advisory in nature, ensuring that as we deploy nearly $200 million in federal funding, we remain aligned with on-the-ground realities, measurable outcomes, and long-term sustainability for rural communities. The responsibility for execution remains with DH, but we welcome informed counsel as we move forward.”
The RHTP was designed in partnership with hundreds of stakeholders across West Virginia and formally approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Advisory Panel reflects the multidisciplinary approach outlined in the original application, bringing together leaders from primary care, emergency medical services (EMS), hospital systems, workforce development, higher education, industry, health technology, and rural economic development.
The appointed members include:
- Sherri Ferrell, WV Primary Care Association
- Trish Watson, WV EMS Coalition
- Dr. Katherine Calloway, Hospice Care West Virginia
- Jason Landers, Highmark and Association of Health Plans
- Merinda Stricklen, Food is Medicine Coalition
- Sarah Tucker, Higher Education Policy Commission
- Dr. Ali Rezai, WVU Neurosciences Institute
- Dr. John Cornell, Marshall Health
- Dr. Mark McDaniel, Acting State Health Officer
- Rebecca McPhail, Gas and Oil Association
- Josh Spence, Stitch AI
- Nick Fantasia, Marion Regional Development Corporation
- Heather Sigel, Valley Health (Eastern Panhandle)
- Virgil Underwood, Boone Memorial
- Dr. Andy Tanner, Vandalia Health
The Advisory Panel will provide structured input across the program’s key pillars, including telehealth expansion, rural workforce development, chronic disease management, behavioral health coordination, health technology modernization, and economic integration of health initiatives. Their feedback will support data-driven decision making and accountability tied directly to CMS-approved metrics.
The formation of the Advisory Panel marks another milestone as DH continues to finalize pathways, release targeted requests for proposal and assistance, and aggressively build out the full RHTP implementation team. As with all federal awards, timely program deployment remains contingent upon completion of the state’s legislative spending authorization process. DH stands ready to implement program deployment immediately upon authorization.
The RHTP is focused on strengthening access to care, modernizing rural health infrastructure, supporting workforce recruitment and retention, and improving measurable health outcomes across the Mountain State.
This RHTP is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the financial assistance award totaling $199M with 100% funded by CMS HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor endorsement, by CMS/HS, or the U.S. Government.
