CMH to lead five-county Rural Health Transformation Hub

Community Growth Services
• 22 September 2026

ToRCH Care Hub 7 will bring healthcare and community organizations together across the region

Citizens Memorial Hospital is bringing organizations across five southwest Missouri counties together to tackle some of rural healthcare’s biggest challenges, including access to care, workforce shortages and the long-term sustainability of rural healthcare.

CMH is the hub anchor for Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Care Hub 7, which includes Cedar, Dade, Dallas, Hickory and Polk counties. The local community hubs will form the backbone of Missouri's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a five-year effort to strengthen rural healthcare through locally led partnerships and investments.

As the Hub 7 anchor, CMH will coordinate the regional network of healthcare and community organizations participating in the program and provide administrative and operational support for Hub 7.

"This is an opportunity to build on the good work already happening throughout our communities," said Michael Calhoun, CEO and executive director of Citizens Memorial Hospital and Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation. "By working together, we can improve access to care and find sustainable ways to keep essential healthcare services available close to home."

The Missouri Department of Social Services selected CMH as one of 27 hub anchor organizations statewide following a competitive application process. The Missouri Rural Health Transformation Office received 41 applications representing all 27 ToRCH Care hub areas, with one hub anchor selected for each area.

Jenna Hicks, director of quality and population health at CMH, oversees RHTP and ToRCH Care efforts for the organization. A 10-member RHTP Leadership Board provides strategic guidance and oversight for Hub 7, with cross-sector representation to help ensure regional equity. The board includes representatives from CMH, Ozarks Community Health Center, Cedar County Memorial Hospital, Centerstone, Polk County Health Center, SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging and Exceptional Pupil Cooperative.

Leadership Board members represent organizations involved in clinical care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, emergency medical services, public health and community-based services, along with other healthcare and social service organizations across the five-county region. The board will help establish local priorities, guide implementation of RHTP initiatives and monitor the hub’s progress.

More than 30 organizations are currently involved in Hub 7, with opportunities for additional community organizations to participate as the work develops.

The Rural Health Transformation Program represents a $50 billion federal investment over five years in rural healthcare across the United States. Missouri received approximately $216.3 million for the first year of the program and is implementing its plan through the ToRCH Care model.

RHTP focuses on five areas: improving rural health, maintaining access to care, developing the rural healthcare workforce, creating new approaches to care and using technology to improve rural healthcare.

Through ToRCH Care, Hub 7 organizations will work together on priorities specific to the five-county region. The work may include improving access to services, addressing workforce needs, coordinating care and community resources and identifying ways technology can help rural residents access care.

For more information about Missouri's Rural Health Transformation Program and ToRCH Care, visit dss.mo.gov/mhd/rural-health.

About Rural Health Transformation Program funding

This program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award authorized under H.R. 1, with 100 percent of the total program costs funded by CMS/HHS and no non-governmental funding. The contents of this presentation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.