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New York

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The spectacular Niagara Falls, the rugged mountains of the Adirondacks, the enchanting Catskills, the Hudson River, and Fire Island -- the variety and range of natural amenities is awesome. New York covers 47,214 square miles, with a 2006 estimated population of 19,306,183 people – with 1,559,871 people living in rural New York (USDA-ERS). Albany is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are New York, Buffalo, and Rochester. According to the 2006 Census, 73.7% of the state’s population is white, 17.4% is Black/African-American, and 16.3% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.

According to the New York Office of Rural Health (September 2007), there are 237 hospitals in New York, with 13 currently identified as Critical Access Hospitals. 43 of the state's hospitals are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, 2007). There are 9 Rural Health Clinics in New York, and 47 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 422 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2005-2006). 14% percent of New York residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2005-2006).

According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all New York residents in 2006 was $44,027, although rural per-capita income lagged at $28,526. Estimates from 2005 indicate a poverty rate of 13.7% exists in rural New York, compared to 13.9% in urban areas of the state. Regarding education levels, 2000 data reports 20.0% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 21.0% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural New York is 5%, and in urban New York it is 4.5% (USDA-ERS, 2007).

For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.

Data Sources:

U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts

USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

New York State Office of Rural Health

North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center

Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts

Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List

State Contacts

Directory of Rural Health Contacts: New York
Contact information for people and organizations in New York with an interest in rural health.

Organizations

Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS)
State/regional organization
Continues to support its mission to be the Voice of Community Health Care in New York State, by representing approximately 100 community health and migrant centers and affiliated members.

Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)
State/regional organization
Promotes better health care for all the people of the State of New York through the coordinated effort of its membership.

HUD Community Development Block Grants: New York
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.

New York and New Jersey Public Health Training Center
State/regional organization
Provides access to training and learning resources that will enable the current and future public health workforce in New York and New Jersey to better deliver the essential public health services to their communities.

New York Department of Health: Office of Minority Health
State government
Works to improve the health of racial and ethnic minorities by bridging communication, delivery, and service requirements, and by providing customized services and practical approaches to problems and issues encountered by organizations and communities working to address the needs of these populations.

New York Division of Child Support Enforcement
State government
For anyone who applies, child support services are provided free of charge. These services are provided jointly by the State Division of Child Support Enforcement and each of the local district Child Support Enforcement Units.

New York State Area Health Education Center (NYS-AHEC)
State government
Works to enhance the quality of and access to health care, improve health care outcomes and address health workforce needs of medically underserved communities and populations by establishing partnerships between the institutions that train health professionals and the communities that need them most.

New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSARH)
State/regional organization
Leads and collaborates on issues that affect the health, welfare and well-being of rural New York residents.

New York State Community Action Association (NYSCAA)
State/regional organization
Is dedicated to the growth and education of Community Action Agencies in New York State to sustain their efforts in advocating and improving the lives of low-income New Yorkers.

New York State Department of Health
State government
Works to improve the health of New York residents.

New York State Health Foundation
Nonprofit/Foundation
A philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers.

New York State Office of Children and Family Services
State government
Serves New York's public by promoting the well-being and safety of our children, families and communities.

New York State Office of Rural Health (Charles D. Cook Office of Rural Health)
State government
A division of the New York State Department of Health.

New York State Rural Health Networks
State/regional organization
The NYSARH web site contains a list of links to the New York State Rural Health Networks, which are listed alphabetically.

New York State Rural Housing Coalition
State/regional organization
Committed to providing safe, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income rural New Yorkers.

Northstar Community Career Web
Local organization
Provides healthcare workforce development in New York.

Resources for Communities and People Solutions
State/regional organization
Helps support rural community infrastructure in the northeastern United States.

Rural New York Initiative
Academic/Research
Works to support social scientific research and community development efforts relevant to rural New York. Part of Cornell University's Department of Development Sociology.

Rural Schools Association of New York State (RSA)
State/regional organization
The Rural Schools Association is a statewide, member driven organization dedicated to representing the interests of small and rural school districts in New York State.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: New York
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.

USDA Rural Development New York State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.

Tools

Environmental Public Health Tracking (New York State)
Web site
Provides access to data about the environment and human health in New York State such as birth outcomes, asthma, cancer incidence, childhood lead poisoning levels and cardiovascular disease, drinking water, pesticide use, radon, outside air and more.
Sponsoring organization: New York State Department of Health

ERS State Fact Sheet: New York
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service

My Health Career (New York)
Web site
Designed to promote regional healthcare workforce development in New York.

National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: New York
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

New York QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau

New York Community Level Information on Kids (CLIKS)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Sponsoring organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation

New York Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.

New York Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis

New York State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation

New York State Nursing Home Profile
Web site
Use this site for information about nursing homes in New York State and the quality of care they provide. The quality measures data are from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Sponsoring organization: New York State Department of Health

State Profiles- New York: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center

See also: Resources for All States: Tools

Maps & Map Collections

New York Rural Definition Maps
Geographic coverage: New York
Set of maps showing the geographic coverage provided by 9 different rural definitions for the state.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service

See also: Resources for All States: Maps

Funding

BJ’s Charitable Foundation
Funding for safety, security and well-being of children and families, education and health programs, community service opportunities, and hunger and disaster relief.

Laura Jane Musser Fund: Rural Initiative Program
Fund hopes to fund projects where citizens work together towards improving their rural communities.

Inactive Funding

Inactive Funding Opportunities - Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.

Documents, Reports and Other Publications

Demographic and Economic Profile: New York
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 07 / 2006

Immigrants and the Community: Farmworkers with Families
Author(s): Pilar A. Parra, Max J. Pfeffer
Sponsoring organization: Rural New York Initiative
Discusses factors that promote and limit integration of immigrants and their families into rural communities. Based on findings from five New York agricultural communities that rely on hired farm labor.
Date: 04 / 2005

Immigrants and the Community: Former Farmworkers
Author(s): Max J. Pfeffer, Pilar A. Parra
Sponsoring organization: Rural New York Initiative
Describes experiences and demographics of former farmworkers in rural New York. Discusses economic and social integration of new immigrants into rural communities.
Date: 09 / 2005

Plan to Stabilize and Strengthen New York's Health Care System
Author(s): Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century
The Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century was created to review and strengthen New York State's acute and long term care delivery systems.
Date: 12 / 2006

Push and Pulls behind Residential Mobility of Low-Income Families in Upstate New York
Author(s): Kai A. Schafft
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center
Examines the high mobility among rural families in the New York State. Includes findings that most moves are short moves and often driven by housing issues. Discusses potential impact on schools and other community supports.
Journal citation: Perspectives: On Poverty, Policy, and Place Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages: 6-9
Date: 2005

Rural Vision Initiative Summary Report
Sponsoring organization: Rural New York Initiative
Summary Report of the Rural Vision Initiative. Discusses the challenges and opportunities facing New York's rural communities. Includes insights from listening sessions with rural residents and attendees of the Future of Rural New York Symposium.
Date: 2006

Small Business Profile: New York
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006

State Profiles - New York: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005

See also: Resources for All States: Documents

Success Stories

EMS Co-op Helps Rural Providers
Using the power of group purchasing within a cooperative structure, the North Central EMS Cooperative (NCEMSC) is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) cooperative developed to serve Minnesota and surrounding states.

Farmworker Alcohol Substance Abuse Project
In New York State, as in other parts of the country, migrant farmworkers, resettled farmworkers, and other rural people of color face a multitude of barriers in accessing alcohol and substance abuse treatment services.

Lake Plaines Community Care Network -- Warsaw, NY
The Lake Plaines Community Care Network was developed to give the rural community members and employers more control over health care.

Livingston County Department of Health Injury and Illness Prevention Project
In this injury and illness prevention project, the Livingston County Department of Health and its partners seek to maximize the health and quality of life of rural, community-dwelling older adults and will implement a system based on emergency medical services (EMS) to screen, identify, educate, and refer rural-dwelling individuals at risk for preventable conditions.

North Country Diabetes Project
The project will execute a unique community health approach including screenings, risk awareness, and education sessions, creatively using a registered dietitian at the Health Department, home health care registered nurses, JCEO case managers, and community outreach workers.

Norwich School District Project
This project plans to improve the health status of its school-age populations by enrolling 90 percent of the target population into school-based health centers by the end of the school year; increasing access to primary care, mental health, and dental care services for students; and increasing enrollment in Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus.

Oral Health Outreach in an Underserved Rural Area of Western New York
The main goal of the project was to build a comprehensive network of oral health providers in southern New York so that medical and geographic barriers to primary and preventive dental health services could be eliminated.

Rochester New York Regional Quality Improvement Initiative
The Rochester, New York (Monroe County) RQI initiative is working across payers to improve the quality of care provided to individuals with diabetes at the practice-site level.

Save My Neighbor
The Save My Neighbor program was developed to provide an essential link in what the American Heart Association (AHA) calls the "Chain of Survival."

School-Based Health Centers Expansion Consortium
Bassett Healthcare and six school districts have formed a Consortium that seeks to expand and enhance their School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) to include dental and mental health care programs and community outreach services.

Thiel Hospitality House
The Thiel Hospitality House is a community supported short residence opportunity for not just loved ones of hospitalized patients in crisis, but for overnight ambulatory care patients, visiting practitioners, and health professions students as well.

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Page last updated 8/7/2008
State last reviewed 7/16/2008

Events
Aug 19 - 20, 2008
"Art and Science of Grant Writing Training"
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Free Training
Syracuse, NY
Contact:
  Amatullah Yamin
  Amatullah.Yamini@hud.gov


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holly@raconline.org

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