The NY RHTP is designed to address persistent disparities in rural health outcomes, workforce shortages, and infrastructure gaps by investing in innovative models, technology, and partnerships. - New York’s (NY) rural communities are home to approximately 2.1 million residents, who represent 10.6% of the state's total population. These rural communities face significant disparities across a variety of health indicators when compared to their regional counterparts, including care coordination, primary care access, behavioral health care access, and incidence of chronic conditions. These challenges demand collaborative, innovative, and sustainable solutions. NY envisions a rural health system that is resilient and sustainable where every resident, regardless of geography, has timely access to high-quality, coordinated care. Informed by input from nearly 170 stakeholder organizations and community partners, NY’s Rural Health Transformation Program strategy seeks to improve health care access for rural communities through a set of four, interrelated initiatives that strategically leverage local providers, regional partnerships, and statewide infrastructure. These initiatives and their goals include: 1) Rural Community Health Integration: establish rural health partnerships that facilitate comprehensive care coordination and enhance patient access to a wide range of providers across the care continuum, effectively addressing health and social needs; 2) Strengthening Rural Communities with Technology-Enhanced Primary Care: improve rural patient access to and utilization of high-quality primary care; 3) Rural Roots: Building a Sustainable Rural Healthcare Workforce: create a self-sustaining cycle of workforce development that addresses both immediate staffing needs and long-term capacity-building, ensuring NY’s rural communities have continuous access to high-quality health care services; and 4) Investments in Technology Innovation and Cybersecurity Enhancements: expand access to care through telehealth, improve patient outcomes through eConsult partnerships, increase usable alerts in rural counties, and strengthen cybersecurity of rural facilities. To ensure that funding directly benefits rural residents across the state, NY will implement a funding distribution process that prioritizes the identified needs of rural populations. NY will collaborate closely with rural hospitals, clinics, and community-based organizations to identify areas of highest need and allocate resources accordingly. Program implementation will be supported by ongoing stakeholder engagement, including feedback from providers, tribal and faith-based organizations, local leaders, and community members, to target resources where they will have the greatest impact.
