State Senator Patty Ritchie joined colleagues, health professionals and rural health experts from across New York State for a Rural Hospitals Roundtable, taking place at the Capitol on Monday. 

The group, which included members of the bipartisan Rural Resources Commission and Members of the Senate Health Committee, explored ways to strengthen rural hospitals and preserve access to quality healthcare in underserved communities.

In the wake of concerns raised at E.J. Noble Hospital in St. Lawrence County last year, Senator Ritchie, a member of the Rural Resources Commission, advocated for a forum to discuss the challenges being faced by rural hospitals like E.J. Noble.

Senator Ritchie played an active role in helping to get the Gouverneur hospital reopened so the area wouldn’t be deprived of vital healthcare services.

A map of New York’s rural hospitals can be found here.