(WTAJ) \u2014 Major federal cuts to how rural healthcare is funded has left some local medical experts concerned that resources may become scarce.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth\u2019s Health Transformation Program is the state\u2019s outline for how they plan to spend their cut of the $10 billion that the federal government set aside for funding rural healthcare over the next year. It details the state\u2019s push to bolster hospital staffs and deliver some clinical services outside of a traditional setting.<\/p>\n
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHT) is a $50 billion initiative meant to replace a previous federal funding plan of $1.2 trillion. From now until 2030, $10 billion will be released each year for the 50 states to fight for. Pennsylvania now has to figure out how to provide services for the third largest rural population in the nation using only a small fraction of that funding.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania Health Transformation Program<\/a>Download<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe think that there\u2019s plenty of additional at risk hospitals that could face closure. I know we\u2019ve talked in the past about the kind of deserts for maternal health all across Pennsylvania. I don\u2019t think that there\u2019s going to be enough money in this initiative to try to fix, you know, what\u2019s already really broken,\u201d said Matt Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the largest union representing healthcare workers in the state.<\/p>\n Yarnell said the union is happy for any action but has some concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to do something and there\u2019s resources set aside. I think it\u2019s, again, not anywhere near what the impact of the cuts are going to be,\u201d Yarnell said.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania is receiving $193 million. Most of the money will be allocated to sixth through eighth class counties locally including Bedford, Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Huntingdon, Jefferson and Somerset Counties, many of which are already experiencing substantial loss of medical services. The plan is focused on providing better care for veterans, pregnant women and individuals with disabilities, chronic disease and behavioral health concerns.<\/p>\n State Rep. introduces bill expanding which pharmacies can fill Medicaid prescriptions <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat fund will bring, all told, about $1 billion into the Commonwealth over the next five years. And in that piece, that plan in particular is solely focused on our rural communities,\u201d said Department of Human Services Secretary Valerie Arkoosh in an interview with WTAJ News in February.<\/p>\n WTAJ News spoke with Arkoosh about the growing maternal care desert in the state\u2019s northern region in February. She said she hopes this plan will get care to families in the most rural areas and that the state is getting creative with creating services.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be able to help provide funding to maybe buy that equipped van that could literally go to meet patients and bring health care to them. For folks that are quite a distance from where there might be other care,\u201d Arkoosh said.<\/p>\n The mobile health units will focus on providing primary care services, behavioral health care and OBGYN services.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vision is that there\u2019ll be a centralized access point for comprehensive, coordinated maternity care and opportunity for somebody to not have to drive quite so far to get that blood pressure check or other just regular checkups during their pregnancy, and that it\u2019ll be a place where people can get access to other services as well,\u201d Arkoosh said.<\/p>\n But not everyone feels these health hubs are the solution to the hemorrhaging of maternal care services \u2014 especially since the hubs will not increase options for women when it\u2019s time to give birth.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like for maternal care it might be a half step, but it does feel like, more longer term, having some kind of access for maternal care in rural areas is going to be really important,\u201d Yarnell said.<\/p>\n Other goals outlined in the plan including expanding telehealth access and connecting 85% of rural hospitals to telehealth services, reducing hospital staff vacancy rates by hiring more nurses and physicians, and integrating artificial intelligence into clinical settings to take over some bedside nursing tasks like admissions, discharges, documentation and patient education. The state hopes giving those tasks to AI will help reduce provider burnout.<\/p>\n