Pat Bradley at WAMC Northeast Public Radio reports on a virtual forum held by the New York State Nurses Association that focused a spotlight on the growing concerns Caregivers have about the future of rural health care services: Vicki Davis-Courson – who serves as NYSNA’s Eastern Regional Director and is a Nurse at the UVM Health Network CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh, says there is a health care crisis, and that access to care is one of the most significant challenges for rural communities. “As Federal health care funding cuts North Country Hospitals will have important choices to make. We want a secure future for our Health Care Systems. That means preserving services, fighting for increased access to care and ensuring hospitals maintain care locally.” The challenges detailed by Caregivers during the virtual forum echoed findings of an August report by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli that looked at 16 rural New York Counties. The report found “alarming” staffing shortfalls in several treatment areas - including primary care, pediatrics, gynecology and mental health. NYSNA Researcher Sivan Rosenthal outlined facility closures and cuts across the North Country over the past 10 years that have affected pediatric, pregnancy and behavioral health services: “Hospitals in the North Country have basically continuously reduced services and hospital beds throughout the last decade and that has made it harder for people who live there to access necessary health care.”

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