HCANYS Participates In the Rural Resources Fair in Albany
The Situation Report | March 31, 2025
The Legislative Commission on Rural Resources and the New York State Legislature hosted the annual 2025 Rural Resources Fair at the Legislative Office Building in Albany. HCANYS was thrilled to be invited to share our resources, programs, and make connections with others working toward bringing needed healthcare to rural communities. Check out our poster here.
HCANYS policy team members including President and CEO Al Cardillo; Vice President of Finance and Management Patrick Conole, and Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy Taylor Perre were joined by member representative Erika Swenton, Director of Operations of Continuing Care at the Eddy Visiting Nurse and Rehab Association for the event.
Homecare services can be accessed in all areas of the state, but rural areas have their own unique challenges when bringing skilled nursing services and personal care services into homes. In rural areas, travel to and from one home could take hours, each way. Our rural home care partners have shared several experiences about how they take whatever means necessary to get care to people’s homes, including by boat, snowmobile, four-wheeler, whatever means necessary.
HCANYS has several grant funded programs aimed at improving and enhancing the delivery of health care at home, specifically to provide services to hard-to-reach areas of the state.
HCA E&R partnered with Selfhelp to bring the virtual senior center into more homes throughout NYS. The VSC combats social isolation and the associated high risks to health, by enabling homebound older adults to connect with peers, volunteers, professional caregivers and community members in virtual social sessions, educational and exercise classes, personal and cultural enrichment, health self-management and wellness activities. Most importantly, it helps older adults to maintain and expand their social network.
Health Literacy through the VSC
Through the Addressing Health Disparities through Home Care grant, this initiative pilot tests the efficacy of providing virtual health literacy education and information to home care and hospice care recipients through the Virtual Senior Center (VSC), in partnership with Selfhelp Community Services, operator of the VSC. All home care, hospice, MLTC, FI/CDPAP and Waiver Program recipients encouraged to participate.
Rural Primary Care Collaborative
HCA E&R partnered with two Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) and local home care agencies to provide primary care access and intervention for individuals who do not, or have difficulty, accessing primary care in a clinic or other office-based environment. Currently, two models are operating as pilots with the aspiration that they will be prototype models for replication and primary care access across the state.
Collaborative Models of Community Medicine
HCA E&R was awarded funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and partnered with the Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA), and IPRO, the state-federal regional quality improvement organization, to develop and pilot Collaborative Models of Community Medicine and Paramedicine. Core health sector partners and practitioners from local hospitals, home health agencies, physicians, clinics, and emergency medical service (EMS) organizations are working together to develop and implement collaborative models to strengthen care in their communities. This initiative involves a multiyear plan that is currently underway in seven rural and small community regions that have developed pilots across NYS.
Read the most recent program brief here.
Learn more about each of these grants and more on our Grant Funded Initiatives website here.
HCANYS will continue our work with the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources and will keep the membership appraised on opportunities and updates.