Liz Urbanski-Farrell has spent her career working to improve healthcare outcomes for people living in rural areas, both in the United States and abroad. In her new role as executive director of the New York State Association for Rural Health, she emphasized that 85% of the state, including a significant portion of upstate New York, is considered rural. This presents challenges for residents who must travel long distances to access healthcare facilities, often requiring them to take time off work and incur financial burdens.
Despite some progress with telehealth services, they can sometimes be more expensive than traditional care due to infrastructure and privacy requirements. Compounding the issue, funding for traditional health services in New York has remained stagnant for years. Urbanski-Farrell stressed the importance of increased support from both the state Legislature and Congress to address the rising costs of healthcare in rural areas and ultimately save money in the long term through investing in rural healthcare now.