Rep. Martin Causer called on March 23 for Governor Josh Shapiro to allocate federal rural health care funding to Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier, highlighting urgent needs in the region.
The issue is significant as Pennsylvania will receive $193 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Funding, which is intended to improve sustainable access to care, workforce development, and innovation in rural areas. Causer said that directing these funds toward communities like those in the 67th Legislative District is critical due to limited access to health care services.
“It is absolutely vital that this money be directed to communities like ours, where access to health care is increasingly limited,” Causer said. “With the planned closure of Bradford Regional Medical Center and our communities being in the heart of an eight-county maternity care desert, the need for investment here is about more than just quality of life. It’s about life and death.”
In his letter addressed to Governor Shapiro, Causer emphasized how targeted use of federal funds could help maintain emergency departments, restore labor-and-delivery services, provide financial stability for local providers, and support local economies. “Gov. Shapiro, your administration’s support of targeted investment of the Rural Health Transformation Plan funding in areas with limited access to services is a pivotal opportunity to show what rural health equity looks like,” Causer wrote. “By working with rural legislators and community leaders to prioritize these funds for areas with the most significant health care deficits, you can assist in safeguarding the lives and futures of rural Pennsylvanians.”
Additional regulatory guidance on how these federal funds may be used is expected next month.
