Established in 2024, the Health Care Innovation Loan Program, administered by the Florida Department of Health with recommendations from the Health Care Innovation Council, provides low-interest loans to eligible entities seeking to implement innovative health care solutions.
Unlike grants, these funds are intended to be repaid, ensuring the program’s sustainability and continued support for health care advancements. These loans are designed to support projects that improve the quality and delivery of health care across Florida, demonstrate a significant impact on health care efficiency, workforce support, patient outcomes, and cost savings while maintaining high-quality care.
Explore funding opportunities available through this program to bring your innovative health care ideas to life and contribute to the betterment of health services in our state.
Health Care Innovation Council
Works to transform Florida’s health care system through patient-centered service delivery models to improve care quality, efficiency, and accessibility, putting patients first, while reducing costs for the state.
Program Highlights
Loans cover up to 50% of total project costs, or up to 80% for rural or underserved area applicants.
Low-Interest Loans
- Maximum 1% interest rate
- Up to $5 million per project
- 10-year repayment terms
Priority Focus
- Rural hospitals
- Underserved communities
- Nonprofit Medicaid providers
Eligible Uses
- Innovative technology implementation
- Equipment and materials
- Service delivery model adoption
Loan Eligibility
- Health care providers licensed, registered, or certified by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, per section 408.802, F.S., except for those specified in subsections (1), (3), (13), (23), or (25)
- Education or clinical training providers partnering with above eligible health care entities
Priority is given to rural hospitals and nonprofit entities that accept Medicaid patients, particularly in rural or medically underserved areas designated by the Florida Department of Health.
Application Process
The Health Care Innovation Loan Program is not currently accepting applications. Please check back for updates.
Subject to loan funding allocations by the Florida Legislature and in coordination with the Health Care Innovation Council, the Florida Department of Health may set multiple application periods each fiscal year (up to four periods annually). Applications are reviewed by the council based on:
- Potential to increase health care system efficiency
- Impact on reducing workforce strain
- Improvement in patient outcomes
- Expansion of public access to health care
- Cost savings without reducing quality
Loans Issued
Pursuant to section 381.4015(8), Florida Statutes, the following table contains information related to the loan recipients to date.
| FY / Loan Cycle | Entity Name | Project Title/Overview | Loan Amount | Loan Agreement | Quarterly Reports |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Blackstone Medical Services LLC | Mobile App for Expanded Access to Home Sleep Testing: This project will deploy an AI-driven app integrating telehealth, automated workflows, and low-cost sensors to streamline diagnosis, improve completion rates, and reduce healthcare costs for sleep apnea across Florida. | $600,000 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Calhoun Liberty Hospital | Restoring Full Inpatient Capacity and Health Innovation Project: This project includes a $7.75M smart-care expansion that restores inpatient capacity lost after Hurricane Michael by adding 16 technology-enabled beds and modern infrastructure to improve rural access, reduce transfers, support telehealth, and strengthen long-term sustainability for patients across four Florida counties. | $5,000,000 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Hendry Regional Medical Center (HRMC) | HRMC 340b Project: This project aims to purchase an old CVS pharmacy to pass on 340b drug savings to patients and employees and be able to provide other telehealth services. | $4,000,000 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Jackson Hospital | Surgical Robotics Program Expansion – da Vinci 5 Acquisition: This includes the acquisition of a da Vinci 5 robotic system to bring minimally invasive surgery to a rural hospital for the first time, improving patient outcomes, reducing complications, and expanding local access to advanced surgical care without added costs. | $2,538,500 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Old Cutler Retirement Home | Behavioral Assisted Living Expansion and Innovation Initiative: This project focuses on expanding behavioral assisted living capacity by integrating housing, psychiatric care, tele-mental health, mobile outreach, and specialized workforce training into a single preventive care model designed to stabilize high-need individuals, reduce hospital and justice-system cycling, and create a scalable, technology-enabled solution for Florida’s underserved psychiatric population. | $200,000 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Open Arms & Heart Services | Integrated Pediatric and Disability Care Hub: The scope of this project will combine PPEC, skilled home health, and medical transportation services into a single technology-enabled model to improve care continuity, reduce hospitalizations, and expand access for medically fragile children and individuals with disabilities in underserved communities. | $900,000 | Coming Soon | Coming Soon |
| 2025-26 / 01 | Special Friends Inc. | Skilled Nursing and Private Duty Nursing Expansion Project: This project will broaden home health services across 15 counties by adding skilled and private duty nursing, implementing EMR-enabled care coordination, and launching workforce training partnerships to improve access, reduce hospitalizations, and strengthen staffing in underserved areas. | $150,000 | Loan Agreement | Coming Soon |
| Total loan funds disbursed to date: | $13,388,500 | ||||
Note: The loan agreements and quarterly reports will be added to the table once they are available.