a day ago
Health care staffing crisis hits New York rural counties
Good morning and welcome to the Weekly New York Health Care newsletter, where we keep you posted on what's coming up this week in health care news, and offer a look back at the important news from last week.
Beat Memo
Rural New York counties are facing 'alarming' shortages of primary care doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians and other health care professionals — and those workforce challenges will likely be exacerbated by looming federal funding cuts, according to a report released Thursday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
The comptroller's office reviewed the health care workforce in 16 rural counties across the state, finding practitioner shortages in every field, including dentistry and mental health, POLITICO's Katelyn Cordero reports.
The report noted that ten of the 16 counties are federally designated as 'primary care health professional shortage areas,' meaning that the rate of primary care providers per capita is below state and national averages.
'Having access to health care is an essential quality of life issue and helps people live healthier lives,' DiNapoli, a Democrat, said in a statement.
'Addressing gaps in the rural healthcare workforce to alleviate current shortages and plan for future demand will not only positively impact the health of people living in less populated areas of New York, but could also create new jobs and bolster our rural economies,' he said.
The report found that, on average, in the rural counties examined, there are four primary care physicians per 10,000 people. That's far below the state ratio of 8.1 per 10,000 and the national ratio of 8.4.
Mental health was a particular concern highlighted in the report, with all 16 counties facing shortages of mental health practitioners. The ratio of mental health practitioners per capita in those counties is less than half of the state ratio.
Recommendations to address shortages included in the report:
The report comes at a time of great uncertainty for New York's health care industry, as the Trump administration implements Medicaid cuts that were part of the recently enacted GOP megabill, which many experts anticipate will disproportionately impact rural parts of the state with fewer providers.
The package also included a $50 billion federal Rural Hospital Transformation Program, but it's unclear how much of the money will be allocated to New York.
One day after the report was released, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $300 million investment towards expanding access to health care statewide. The funding was awarded through the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, which will be allocated towards 50 projects that expand access to primary, inpatient, behavioral and long-term care.
'This targeted investment will help ensure that every New Yorker — regardless of ZIP code — can access safe, high-quality health care,' Hochul said in a statement. 'By supporting providers that serve vulnerable and underserved populations, we're strengthening the foundation of our health care system and building a healthier future for all.'
IN OTHER NEWS:
— The new CEO of Public Partnerships LLC, Miki Kapoor is speaking out for the first time since taking the helm of the company in recent weeks in an op-ed published in the Times Union. Kapoor bashed advocates and fiscal intermediaries that previously ran the state's consumer-directed personal assistance program for 'exploiting a vulnerable population for political or personal gain.'
PPL, he claimed, 'did not create the problems that have plagued CDPAP for years.'
'We were brought in to fix them,' he wrote.
According to Kapoor, PPL has paid $1.8 billion to 230,000 personal assistants who work for more than 200,000 consumers that completely the transition to the program's new administrative system. He noted that they've rooted out inflated administrative fees from previous fiscal intermediaries that ran the program, and did away with a system of 'fragmented oversight.'
'Let's not pretend challenges don't exist in transitions of this scale,' Kapoor wrote. 'But to suggest this rollout was not a good one, or that it has reduced care for New Yorkers, is simply untrue.'
— Breaking Ground is stationing outreach workers inside the emergency room at New York-Presbyterian's Lower Manhattan Hospital five days a week to connect unsheltered homeless patients to services.
It is an expansion of a program that launched in January 2024 at New York-Presbyterian's Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In the first year, Breaking Ground staff placed 50 people into transitional or permanent housing and made 184 referrals for needed items and connections to care, according to the organization.
MAKING ROUNDS:
— Melody Goodman was named dean of the NYU School of Global Public Health, effective immediately. She has served as the school's interim dean since March 2024 and a faculty member since 2017.
GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@ and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@
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What you may have missed
— The state Department of Health adopted a series of changes last week to loosen the regulatory review requirements for major health care projects, POLITICO Pro's Maya Kaufman reported.
Gov. Kathy Hochul had directed the department in 2024 to streamline the process by increasing the financial thresholds that trigger a detailed review, citing a need to 'alleviate strain on both providers and the State.'
Odds and Ends
NOW WE KNOW — Boar's Head plans to reopen troubled deli meat plant, but r eports of sanitation problems persist.
TODAY'S TIP — What to do when you make contact with poison ivy.
STUDY THIS — A Yale study finds that a mobile app designed to deliver suicide-specific therapy reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk patients.
WHAT WE'RE READING
— After years of anger directed at CDC shooting manifests worst fears. (New York Times)
— Claiming to fight waste, the Trump administration slashes potentially cost-saving research. (STAT)
— Patient seeking care at NIH hospital detained by ICE. (Washington Post)
Around POLITICO
— Everything we know about the fatal shooting near CDC headquarters, via Sophie Gardner.
— Lauren Gardner: Industry frets Kennedy's mRNA decisions will curb cancer breakthroughs.
— MAHA gets frustrated with Kennedy ahead of new policy report, Marcia Brown and Lauren Gardner report.
MISSED A ROUNDUP? Get caught up on the New York Health Care Newsletter.
