Elmira, N.Y.—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) Tuesday
said that legislation he supported in the Senate this year to reestablish a
“Rural Health Council” within the state Department of Health has been
signed into law.
“Health care is one of the most complex, difficult, and far-reaching
challenges facing patients, providers, and decision makers in New York’s
rural regions. This new law will help ensure that rural New Yorkers have a
strong and active voice at the table in Albany when state bureaucrats are
making decisions on programs and policies that impact the overall
well-being of rural communities.”
The new law (S4741/A7203, Chapter 419 of the Laws of 2017) will reestablish
and make the council permanent. The council formed in 1988 but has largely
not functioned in recent years. Among other provisions, the membership of
the newly designated, 21-member council will be composed of strictly rural
representatives appointed by Senate and Assembly leaders, and Governor
Andrew Cuomo.
O’Mara said the overriding goal is to have the council provide a firsthand
perspective, guidance, and expertise on rural health challenges and issues.
The newly designated council will advise the state Department of Health on
all aspects of rural health care, hold at least two statewide public
hearings annually, and be required to submit a yearly report to the state’s
10 Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) on the status of the
health care workforce in rural areas statewide.
