Welcome to the first issue of Rural Health Network's quarterly E-newsletter!

Since 1998, the Rural Health Network of South Central New York has worked to advance the health and well-being of rural people and communities throughout Broome, Tioga, and Delaware Counties. As a Network, we work cooperatively with organizations and communities across the region to provide individuals and families with greater access to health care, adequate and reliable transportation, and healthy foods and health information. 

We welcome and value your suggestions and feedback.  Please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey, describing your interests and telling us what you want to see in future issues. Click here to complete the survey.

We encourage you to share this newsletter with others.

The Rural Health Network of South Central New York (RHNSCNY) believes that all rural residents should have access to adequate and affordable health care. Staff members at RHNSCNY work with health and human service providers throughout our primary three-county service area and have an extensive knowledge of available services. 

At RHNSCNY, we are working with community partners to ensure that individuals and families are aware of, understand, and can access benefits available to them through the New York State of Health (NYSOH), the official Health Plan Marketplace.

Please see the table below to find out when Navigators will be at our Whitney Point office.  We encourage people who need enrollment assistance to call the Navigator agencies directly to schedule an appointment at our office. Note that the listings and schedule below is subject to change.  Remember to check the New York State of Health website for other assistance locations.

*Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network also serves Chemung, Otsego and Delaware Counties.
*Young Invincibles also serves Delaware, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester Counties.

To learn more about the ways Rural Health Network works to improve health care access for individuals and families across the South Central New York region, click here.

Mobility Management of South Central New York (MMSCNY) is a partnership of health, human service, transportation provider and transportation planning organizations. Rural Health Network is the lead agency. MMSCNY seeks to improve transportation access and coordination in South Central New York, with services targeted to rural communities and to populations that lack easy access to transportation. The GetThere Call Center, the principal program of MMSCNY, provides free trip planning, travel training, and transportation education services to people throughout the region and beyond.

On Wednesday, October 23 the Food and Health Network of South Central New York hosted a community forum on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) at Tompkins Cortland Community College. The forum was presented in partnership with Sustainable Cortland and NOFA-NY.

The Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in January of 2011, grants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broad new powers to monitor food safety and significantly impacts how food is grown, handled and processed. In South Central New York and across the country, a strong regional food system is being re-envisioned, and small and mid-sized farms and alternative food distribution models are at the center of this change.

"To ensure that this positive change continues, we need to carefully consider possible unintended consequences of the Food Safety Modernization Act, especially related to local and regional food systems and small farms," said Jack Salo, Executive Director of the Rural Health Network of South Central New York. During the forum, a panel explored the potential impacts on different sectors across the food system, from regional food hubs and farmers markets to conservation practices.