Virginia House Speaker Don Scott created the Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small-Town Health Care as one of his earliest initiatives after touring rural parts of the Commonwealth. Members of that committee presented the fruit of their labor Tuesday afternoon.
Committee chair and Henrico County Delegate Rodney Willett said he and his fellow committee members across the state to witness the challenges some face for themselves.
“Rural hospitals are closing, the percentage of care providers being much lower on a proportional basis in rural areas," Willett said. "And probably to me the most troubling, people aren’t living as long.”
Brunswick County Delegate Otto Wachsmann is a rural pharmacist and also member of the committee. He said he’s witnessed firsthand the barriers to quality healthcare that more developed parts of the Commonwealth take for granted.
“I’ve watched as our areas have lost independent practitioners, our pharmacies, our specialists," Wachsmann said. "I’ve seen our grocery stores, when they leave, I’ve seen the food deserts.”
To that end the committee voted to send dozens of initiatives to their respective chambers ahead of the 2025 legislative session. They include funding for patient transportation, a mobile surgical unit pilot program in Hampton Roads, additional funds for the existing Rural Healthcare Fund, and expanded telehealth access.
Delegate Nadarius Clark represents some rural parts of western Hampton Roads. He hoped to see a long-distance monitoring program for pregnant women, something both other Democrats and Governor Glenn Youngkin have already supported.
“Hypertension and diabetes are some of the top causes for maternal mortality in the commonwealth,” Clark said.
The collection of bills and budget amendments will all be debated when Virginia’s legislative session starts January 8th.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
