The state is convening a group of health officials and experts, including several from Hampshire and Franklin counties, that will guide distribution of $162 million in Medicare and Medicaid funds awarded to Massachusetts to improve the quality and accessibility of health care in rural communities.
The 35-member group, dubbed the Rural Health Transformation Program Community Advisory Council, includes representatives with expertise in managing hospitals or clinics, insurance providers, as well as town administrators, nonprofit partners and residents.
“The Rural Health Transformation Program is a huge opportunity,” said member Allison van der Velden, CEO of the Community Health Center of Franklin County. “Right now is a time when funding is being cut, and this is one of the few areas of investment in health care we’re seeing.”
The state received the $162 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program launched by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last September. The centers plan to disburse a total of $50 billion to states over the next five years to promote health care innovation and workforce development, and make health care more sustainable and accessible in rural communities.
Rural communities differ from suburban and urban regions, and they face a variety of challenges, van der Velden said. She added that, while Cape Cod and Franklin County both have towns that are considered rural, they face different problems. She said she appreciates that members of the council will be able to provide perspectives on the full scope of rural Massachusetts, as they come from the cape, the Berkshires and everywhere in between.
“I’m just excited to bring my perspective to the table,” van der Velden said.
Multiple local representatives expressed their gratitude for being selected, and emphasized the importance of rural voices being heard.
“I’m very excited about it. … There’s good representation, and I think we’ll be able to accomplish a lot,” said Michael Purdy, CEO of Hilltown Community Health Center in Hampshire County. “I’m filled with optimism at this point.”
Phoebe Walker, director of community health at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, echoed that thought. “I feel very strongly about representing our region. I will be taking that role very seriously. … The goal of this committee is to ensure every flavor of rural is represented.”
Other regional representatives on the council are Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski; Maile Shoul of Behavioral Health Network; Rozanna Penney, CEO of Heywood Healthcare; and Margaret Burch, program manager of the Local Public Health Nurse Consultant Program, a joint initiative between the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the state Department of Public Health.
In a statement, Gov. Maura Healey said these individuals will provide a unique perspective on the challenges of rural health care and opportunities for growth, and that their insight will be invaluable to improving the health of Massachusetts’ rural communities.
“Rural communities understand their health care challenges and opportunities better than anyone, and their voices need to be at the center of this work,” Healey said. “The members of this council bring valuable experience and perspectives from across Massachusetts, and their guidance will help us make thoughtful investments that improve care, expand access and support healthier communities statewide.”
Walker said one of her goals will be ensuring that the council listens to and is guided by a range of perspectives from across Massachusetts’ different rural communities, and she believes that some of the priorities already outlined by the Rural Health Transformation Program overlap with priorities established by local agencies, such as FRCOG.
Massachusetts’ application for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services funding outlined seven initiatives it hopes to support with the money: Population Health Advancement, Innovation in Rural Care Models, Training Healthcare for Retention, Innovation & Excellence (THRIVE), Healthy Rural Communities, EMS Service Integration, Enhancing Technology Interoperability and Connectivity and Facility Modernization & Re-Use.
The state classifies 160 of its 351 towns as rural, based on federal criteria, population size and density, and the presence of small or critical access hospitals. According to the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, these 160 towns cover “over half the state’s land and [are] home to roughly 10% of the population (700,000+), including many vulnerable groups such as seasonal workers, tribal members, older adults (60+) and low-income families.”
The communities also “experience major health care disparities in access and outcomes due to limited providers, aging infrastructure and systemic decline in local health services.”
“These areas face higher chronic disease and behavioral health burdens, workforce shortages and financial instability, resulting in poorer health outcomes compared to non-rural regions,” the executive office states.
Some of the key issues van der Velden hopes the program can address include transportation, care for its aging population, workforce development and digital equity. While there are several issues the funds could be used to combat, van der Velden said one of her top priorities is ensuring the Rural Health Transformation Program is working to make long-term improvements in health outcomes, not just short-term fixes.
“I really want to make sure that investments are made that have long-term outcomes,” van der Velden said.
Purdy added that he, too, is prioritizing systemic changes and improving health care infrastructure in western Massachusetts.
“The first priority is making sure it’s going to be a useful injection of money,” Purdy said. “Not just a one-time investment, but systematic change that will break down barriers to health care.”
Walker said she hopes the council will also be able to support existing work and projects that are underway in rural communities.
“My priority is going to be to make sure plans are manageable, and take our particular contexts and perspectives into account,” Walker said.
While the council will provide guidance and direction, the Rural Health Transformation Program will be managed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, led by Project Director Eliza Lake and Director of Rural Health Transformation Kirby Lecy.
Van der Velden shared that the state has not yet told council members what the next steps will be following their appointment, but she added that it is a five-year term, so they have plenty of time to get the work done.
