Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills Awarded $100,000 Grant

Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills has been awarded a $100,000 grant through the Rural Health Network Development Program to establish the Sullivan Transportation Health Access and Reliability Taskforce (STHART) in Sullivan County. The grant was awarded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, part of the Health Resources and Services Administration under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In partnership with Garnet Health Doctors, Rolling V Corporation, and the Sullivan County Division of Community Resources, the STHART Network will focus on expanding healthcare access; specifically, access designed to help rural residents with no personal transportation options to receive the care that they need via a coordinated and accessible transportation system.

“Many of our patients are unable to get to and from their medical appointments due to a lack of or unreliable public transportation, making it difficult to procure the medical services that they sorely need,” said Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills Chief Operating Officer Jerry Dunlavey. “A planning grant like this, with the help of our STHART Network partners, will effectively formulate a road map to lessen this barrier.”

According to the Mid-Hudson Region Community Health Assessment of 2019-2021, access to affordable, reliable transportation and access to affordable, reliable public transportation ranked first and third respectively as the Top 3 issues that affected health in Sullivan County. This is a highly concerning statistic, considering that a lack of ample public transportation in Sullivan County creates a barrier between people and their livelihoods, access to basic needs, and access to healthcare. With many residents of Sullivan County lacking access to personal transportation, the need for public transport is imperative.

“When it comes to accessing healthcare resources, we see the need for transportation every day while making appointments for our patients, as well as when patients are discharged from the hospital,” says Garnet Health Community Health Manager Moira Mencher. “After the planning period this network will have established a strategic plan to address healthcare access.”

The purpose of the Rural Health Network Development Program is to promote the development of integrated health care networks in order to achieve efficiencies; expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes; and strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.

About Garnet Health

Garnet Health is a New York State, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Middletown, New York, approximately 60 miles northwest of New York City. It is the corporate parent of Garnet Health Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills, Garnet Health Doctors, Garnet Health Urgent Care, Garnet Health Foundation and Garnet Health Foundation – Catskills. Garnet Health is dedicated to developing specialty services, medical programs and needed healthcare services that allow residents to remain close to home to receive quality care.

Providing healthcare to approximately 450,000 residents in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, Garnet Health was designed to improve the quality, stability and efficiency of healthcare services in the mid-Hudson and Catskill region. Garnet Health provides services by more than 4,000 employed professionals and over 850 medical staff members. An academic affiliate of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Garnet Health retains compassionate professionals who continually strive toward the hospital’s mission to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional healthcare. To learn more about Garnet Health, visit garnethealth.org.