For families living in rural New York, the gap between policy and daily realities is wide. The state recently secured more than $212 million in first-year federal funding under a Rural Health Transformation Grant, yet rural families are still driving hours to see a specialist, navigating broadband dead zones to access telehealth, and raising children in communities where poverty rates are higher, public services are fewer, and hospital closures have left entire counties without reliable emergency care. And Federal Medicaid cuts threaten to undercut the progress this funding is meant to drive.
This media briefing features experts in federal health policy, pediatrics, and family experience. It highlights challenges in access to health care and other key services, along with potential solutions tailored to the unique needs of families living in rural areas.
- Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski, Chair, NYS American Academy of Pediatrics
- Johanna Lister, Policy Director, HealthySteps, ZERO TO THREE
- Danielle Cady, LMSW, HealthySteps Specialist, Newark Pediatrics
- Shelley Dallaire, mom of two & HealthySteps participant
Journalists who wish to interview a speaker or learn more about this topic should contact Samantha Prior, Sr. Communications Manager, at [email protected].