New York rural counties face severe health-care provider shortage

ALBANY, N.Y. — A recent report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found a severe shortage of health professionals, including primary care, OBGYN doctors, pediatricians, dentists, and mental-health practitioners in 16 rural counties in the Empire State. The report, titled “The Doctor is…Out: Shortages of Health Professionals in Rural Areas,” described the shortfalls as “alarming” and found that several of the counties have no pediatricians or OBGYN physicians at all. The 16 counties examined, with a combined population of 748,093 people, were: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Washington, Wyoming, and Yates. All of the counties have been designated by the federal government as having professional shortages in at least two fields of medicine. Key findings of the comptroller’s report include the following:

• On average, the 16 counties have four primary care physicians per 10,000 people, less than half the ratio for New York state (8.1) and the U.S. (8.4) as a whole.
• The rural counties examined have 0.5 pediatricians for every 10,000 people, compared to the statewide ratio of 2.8 and the national ratio of 1.8.
• In the 16 counties combined, there is an average of one OBGYN physician for every 23,000 people.
• There are no pediatric physicians in three of the 16 counties. Four of the counties have no OBGYN physicians.
• The rural counties’ dentist to 10,000 population ratio (3.6) is less than half of the state ratio (8.3).
• All 16 of the rural counties studied are designated as mental health HP Shortage Areas either for the entire population, or for segments such as the low-income or Medicaid-eligible populations.

A key factor driving the shortage, according to the DiNapoli report, is the limited number of physical facilities in New York’s rural counties. The report stated, “Not all counties have hospitals or rural health clinics, and those that do operate on tight margins, or at a loss.” The report offers some potential options for overcoming the barriers to access in rural areas including medical-transport services, expanded telemedicine, mobile clinics, and incentivizing health professionals to serve in rural areas through loan forgiveness, stipends, or subsidies. “Having access to health care is an essential quality of life issue and helps people live healthier lives,” DiNapoli said. “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.” You can check out the full report at: https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/pdf/rural-health-shortages.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery