Donnalee Lozeau, director of New Hampshire’s GO-NORTH rural health initiative, has said the state’s approach to managing hundreds of millions in federal funding will focus on long-term investment rather than short-term fixes. Speaking at a public health meeting in Concord, she emphasized that the goal is not simply to spend money, but to strategically invest it to create lasting improvements in rural healthcare.
GO-NORTH was launched after New Hampshire received about $200 million from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, with similar annual funding expected through 2030. The initiative is structured around five regional “hubs,” each responsible for channeling funds into specific areas such as expanding access to primary and specialty care, upgrading healthcare infrastructure, strengthening mental health services, and building workforce pipelines through universities and community colleges.
Key planned uses of the funding include renovating rural hospitals and care facilities, improving healthcare payment models, and introducing mobile medical units capable of providing advanced diagnostic services like X-rays and MRIs. Lozeau highlighted that the current healthcare system is largely reactive rather than preventive, fragmented in delivery, and constrained by workforce shortages, financial pressures, and transportation barriers in rural areas.
She also pointed to the rapid rollout timeline, noting that federal agencies had only weeks to design and implement the program and that the state had very limited time to respond to funding requirements. Despite these constraints, she said the initiative is designed to be flexible and responsive, allowing it to adapt to the needs of rural communities.
Lozeau, who does not come from a public health background, described her role as bringing together the right stakeholders to drive progress. A former state legislator and mayor of Nashua, she said she was originally planning to retire before being asked by Governor Kelly Ayotte to lead the initiative. She emphasized that the office was created within the governor’s structure to remain agile while still coordinating closely with the state health department.
The GO-NORTH director urged healthcare providers to engage with the program to help identify funding opportunities that align with community needs. The broader federal Rural Health Transformation Program, which allocates $50 billion nationwide, was created alongside major healthcare policy changes that include significant Medicaid reductions, raising concerns about long-term funding gaps in rural health systems.
While acknowledging uncertainty about whether the funding is sufficient to fully offset these challenges, Lozeau said the initiative represents an opportunity to test new approaches. She noted that while the scale of the federal cuts is substantial, the program could still help mitigate some impacts by enabling innovative, locally driven healthcare solutions.
