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Gainwell Technologies’ new rural health data collaborative could help power Ben Albritton’s rural renaissance

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As Florida Senate President Ben Albritton works to revive his “rural renaissance” plan to revitalize low-population areas of the state, a Texas-based company is launching its own rural initiative to boost health care access, quality and outcomes in rural areas across the nation, including the Sunshine State. The initiative is centered on connecting data, systems, and partners to interoperate and enable better coordination and decision-making across rural health ecosystems.

Gainwell Technologies, a provider of digital and cloud-enabled health and human services program solutions, has launched its Gainwell Rural Health Transformation Collaborative, a nationwide initiative working to stabilize rural hospitals, expand access to care and build long-term sustainability in underserved communities.

The collaborative brings together state agencies, health care providers and technology and community partners in a connected model that supports the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). Gainwell serves as the data integrator and information broker enabling collaboration among participants to support program design, funding, and outcomes reporting.

As a self-described innovator in health care technology and Medicaid modernization, Gainwell expects additional partners to join its collaborative from heath care, policy and technology sectors as the program gets underway and expands.

The collaborative is developing a Rural Health Data Toolbox, integrating Medicaid data platforms, social care networks, and third-party applications, such as telehealth or care management systems, with analytics tools into one streamlined framework.  This shared data foundation helps states simplify planning, align to CMS guidelines, and measure outcomes across programs.

Simultaneously, the collaborative is working to equip rural hospitals with the technology and information to improve operations and maintain or establish financial resilience. Rather than delivering care or funding operations, Gainwell enables state agencies to use data insights to strengthen operations, model financial performance, and identify sustainability strategies.

Gainwell leaders emphasize that data, not just dollars will drive sustainability.

“Rural hospitals are the lifeblood of their communities, yet too many are at risk,” Gainwell Chief Client Officer Bill Allison said. “Through this collaborative, we’re uniting technology, policy, and partnership to help states and providers not only survive, but thrive, creating a sustainable future for rural healthcare.”

Launched last month, the timing in Florida is opportune.

Albritton, in his first year as Senate President, fought doggedly for his rural renaissance package, which among other provisions includes plans for improving rural health care, including through improved infrastructure and technology access. His push was successful in the Senate, but died in the 11th hour in the House.

Now, he’s reviving the effort. But the problems that plagued his first attempt may still exist in the 2026 Legislative Session.

At issue was an impasse between Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez over tax cuts. The sparring was over whether to implement Perez’s preferred sales tax cut or DeSantis’ push for large property tax reductions. Albritton’s rural renaissance package was a casualty of the GOP infighting.

Already, it appears that fight, which led to 45 extra days of the 2025 Legislative Session, may spill over into the 2026 lawmaking term.

The House proposed several options in October to lower property taxes that would be put before voters, who could approve “some, all, or none” of the options on the 2026 ballot, Perez said.

DeSantis rejected all of them, potentially setting up yet another showdown.

But with a large company like Gainwell — it boasts more than a half-century of expertise in the health care space — at least one component of Albritton’s priority legislation could get a new talking point.

An op-ed in collaboration with Gainwell and published by Becker’s Hospital Review earlier this month, posited that gains in rural health care need more than just funding to be successful, data is also an integral part of the plan.

That includes evaluating where needs exist and what barriers need to be overcome, information that can be accomplished by mapping states’ existing data access. By better understanding data, or where data is lacking, Medicaid and its partners can bridge gaps ranging from clinical records and workforce data to social determinants of health to better design for the future and enable targeted action, according to its op-ed.

And just because the company recognizes the critical role data plays in establishing sustainable health systems in rural communities, it also does not ignore the need for funding to implement successful strategies.

Already, that’s coming to fruition.

A total of $10 billion per year is being made available through the RHTP, which requires an extensive application to access. Half of the information required on the application related to the rural characteristics of the state, such as rural populations and how many hospitals serve them. The other half loosely relates to aligning with the Trump administration’s policies and health care priorities, information that, at least to some extent, relies on data access.

“The balance here is how you achieve the goals the feds have laid out from a data infrastructure (and) interoperability perspective to provide sustainability to rural hospitals,” Gainwell Senior Vice President Rushil Desai said, according to the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Through the Gainwell Rural Health Transformation Collaborative, the company is building the data infrastructure to drive measurable clinical and economic improvements — supporting initiatives that reduce maternal mortality, expand behavioral health access, and improve chronic disease management, all while empowering rural partners to act on insights.



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Miles Davis tapped to lead School Board organizing workshop at national LGBTQ conference

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Miles Davis is taking his Florida-focused organizing playbook to the national stage.

Davis, Policy Director at PRISM Florida and Director of Advocacy and Communications at SAVE, has been selected to present a workshop at the 2026 Creating Change Conference, the largest annual LGBTQ advocacy and movement-building convention.

It’s a major nod to his rising role in Florida’s LGBTQ policy landscape.

The National LGBTQ Task Force, which organizes the conference, announced that Davis will present his session, “School Board Organizing 101.” His proposal rose to the top of more than 550 submissions competing for roughly 140 slots, a press note said, making this year’s conference one of the most competitive program cycles in the event’s history.

His workshop will be scheduled during the Jan. 21-24 gathering in Washington, D.C.

Davis said his selection caps a strong year for PRISM Florida, where he helped shepherd the organization’s first-ever bill (HB 331) into the Legislature. The measure, sponsored by Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart, would restore local oversight over reproductive health and HIV/AIDS instruction, undoing changes enacted under a 2023 expansion to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.

Davis’ workshop draws directly from that work and aims to train LGBTQ youth, families and advocates in how local boards operate, how public comment can shape decisions and how communities can mobilize around issues like book access, inclusive classrooms and student safety.

“School boards are where the real battles over student safety, book access, and inclusive classrooms are happening,” Davis said. “I’m honored to bring this training to Creating Change and help our community build the skills to show up, speak out, and win — especially as PRISM advances legislation like HB 331 that returns power to our local communities.”

Davis’ profile has grown in recent years, during which he jumped from working on the campaigns and legislative teams of lawmakers like Hart and Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones to working in key roles for organizations like America Votes, PRISM and SAVE.

The National LGBTQ Task Force, founded in 1973, is one of the nation’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy organizations. It focuses on advancing civil rights through federal policy work, grassroots engagement and leadership development.

Its Creating Change Conference draws thousands for four days of training and strategy-building yearly, a press note said.



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Kevin Steele seeks insight from conservative leaders at Rick Scott-led summit

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State Rep. Kevin Steele’s campaign for Chief Financial Officer already enjoys political support from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. The Dade City Republican attended a summit headlined by the Senator to also gain some policy insight and mentoring.

Steele was among the attendees for the Rescuing the American Dream summit held on Thursday in Washington, D.C. He said it was a quest for knowledge that drew him to Capitol Hill to hear the discussion.

“The way you do things better in the future is by learning from people who have already accomplished something,” Steele told Florida Politics at the event.

Scott gave a shoutout to Steele from the stage. The Governor already endorsed Steele, who is challenging the appointed Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in 2026. At the summit, Scott both promoted conservative successes in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term and laid out visions on issues from health care reform to cryptocurrency.

Steele called the panel discussions “amazing” and instructive on tackling affordability issues in Florida.

“If we don’t start addressing those things head first, we’re going to fall behind,” Steele said. “I think we’ve lost several million jobs in the state of Florida over the past six or seven years. Learning from Rick Scott and how to bring jobs back to the state is a good thing. And I think that we need to start tackling some of the big, big things that we need to attack.”

That includes addressing property insurance premiums head on and evaluating the property tax situation.

While he will be challenging a Republican incumbent in a Primary, Steele voiced caution at comparing his philosophy too directly with Ingoglia, a former Republican Party of Florida Chair with a history of animus with Scott.

But he did suggest Ingoglia’s recent scrutinizing of local governments may be starting at the wrong place when it comes to cutting spending.

“We need to start focusing on state down, instead of going to a county and pointing out flaws there,” Steele said. “There’s a lot of issues at the state level that we can address, some of which we are, some of which I’ve submitted different bills to address. I think that there’s a lot of waste and abuse at the state level that we can focus on.”



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Darren Soto refuses to call for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation

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U.S. Rep. Darren Soto is refusing to say whether indicted U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick should vacate her seat in Congress.

Video obtained by Florida Politics shows Soto being confronted on Capitol Hill. “Will you call on Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign?” the videographer asks.

Initially, Soto remains silent, but the questioner suggests that silence shows “support” for someone who “stole $5 million in health care funds for the most vulnerable.” The Kissimmee Democrat then responds but continues walking away from the camera. He then conflates a censure motion against U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, and Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat.

“Both Mills and Cherfilus-McCormick, both will have due process. Thank you,” Soto said.

Both Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills remain the subjects of ongoing House Ethics Committee investigations. But only Cherfilus-McCormick now faces criminal prosecution for alleged financial crimes.

A grand jury in November indicted Cherfilus-McCormick on charges she stole $5 million in disaster relief funds to finance her 2021 congressional campaign.

The indictment alleges that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, secured funding intended for a COVID vaccine distribution program, but when overpayments were made, she routed the spending through several accounts that later donated the funds as campaign contributions.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said pursuant to House rules that Cherfilus-McCormick had to give up her ranking status on the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. Local Democrats have started to issue calls for the Miramar Democrat’s resignation. But there have been no calls from Democratic members of Congress.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, has said if she won’t resign, he will move for her expulsion.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which lists Soto as a target in 2026, slammed Soto’s unwillingness to criticize a fellow Democrat.

“Darren Soto’s refusal to call on Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign is unacceptable,” said NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole. “Floridians deserve a representative who fights for them, not his taxpayer-thieving colleague.”



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