The Washington Times
Special Section: Revitalizing Rural America
Revitalize rural health care, a lifeline for communities
Commentary
By U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.
OPINION:
More than 70% of America’s land is rural, a vast stretch of forests, plains, farms, small towns, and open country that approximately 50 million people call home. In Mississippi, “rural” isn’t just geography — it’s identity. More than half of Mississippians live outside urban areas, in communities built on resilience, tradition, and an unshakable sense of belonging. But these same communities face challenges that threaten their very future, especially when it comes to healthcare.
Across rural America, hospitals are closing, doctors are leaving, and a simple medical emergency can become a tragedy. In my hometown of Monticello, Miss., I’ve watched the local pharmacist step in as the de facto family doctor and seen neighbors face such long waits at overcrowded emergency rooms that many decide to seek care elsewhere or leave without care. As access to care disappears, the gap between rural and urban health outcomes keeps growing.
Rural Americans tend to be older and face higher rates of chronic disease, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Cancer rates are rising too, with rural patients more likely to be diagnosed with later stages of colon and lung cancers. Access to oncologists and other specialists is often limited or nonexistent, which also contributes to higher mortality.
This crisis has been decades in the making, but COVID-19 made it impossible to ignore. Rural communities like mine were hit hardest, exposing deep cracks in America’s public health system and raising urgent questions about how the federal government, particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can do better for rural America.
Recognizing that need, I took action. In 2021, I began working to establish a CDC Office of Rural Health to help rural communities respond to the pandemic and build lasting public-health capacity. I proposed an office empowered to coordinate across all CDC programs and work with other subagencies within the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the agencies are effectively serving rural Americans. Partnering with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., we successfully secured language in the FY2023 appropriations funding bill that created the office, which was signed into law that December.
This was an important first step, but real progress requires permanence. This year, I introduced the Rural Health Focus Act, which would officially authorize the CDC Office of Rural Health. Statutory authorization of the CDC Office of Rural Health would improve opportunities for Congress to provide regular funding to strengthen the agency’s ability to coordinate programs that serve rural communities.
Under this legislation, the Director of the Office of Rural Health would lead efforts across the agency to advance rural health policies, expand telehealth, reduce health disparities, and guide investments that improve care for rural Americans.
The Rural Health Focus Act is just one piece of the larger effort to revitalize health care in rural America. As a member of the Senate Telehealth Working Group, I will continue advocating for permanent telehealth access — a lifeline for communities. Keeping rural hospitals and clinics open, supporting doctors and nurses who serve in these communities, and rebuilding the rural health workforce are among my top priorities.
For decades, rural Americans have quietly shouldered the burden of declining healthcare systems. The pandemic finally opened the nation’s eyes to what these communities have endured. But, for those of us where rural America is our backyard, the mission has always been clear: To lift our neighbors and make sure their voices are heard.
As a senator, I will continue to be the champion for my neighbors across all corners of healthcare. Rural America is the backbone of our nation, and it deserves nothing less than our full commitment to its strength and vitality.
• Cindy Hyde-Smith, who has represented Mississippi as a Republican in the United States Senate since 2018, serves on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, and Related Agencies.