Peter Schorsch
The Florida Senate aims to deliver much-needed relief to the state’s rural communities through Senate President Ben Albritton’s “Rural Renaissance” legislative proposal. These communities have historically faced significant challenges in accessing essential services.
The Florida Hospital Association (FHA) strongly supports the initiative.
Senate Bill 110, filed by Sen. Corey Simon and championed by President Albritton, is strategically designed to bolster health care, education, infrastructure, and environmental enhancements in these smaller, often fiscally constrained communities. These areas frequently grapple with limited resources, making it difficult to attract a medically-trained workforce and sustain essential health services.
According to FHA President and CEO Mary Mayhew, this legislation precisely addresses the needs of rural Florida communities to thrive.
“Senate President Albritton’s vision for a Rural Renaissance aims to meet the greatest needs of Floridians – keeping hospitals open, instituting cutting-edge technologies, and ensuring that Floridians can receive the right care as soon as possible for the best possible outcome,” Mayhew said. “The central goal here is to ensure that rural residents will not have to drive tens or even hundreds of miles to access high-quality care.”
The Florida Hospital Association’s ongoing collaboration with lawmakers to tackle the health care challenges confronting the state’s rural communities has culminated in this proposed bill. Proximity to care is a primary concern, as many residents must travel across multiple counties to receive critical medical services.
SB 110 proposes allocating nearly $70 million to address critical needs within these communities. These investments include:
— $25 million in nonrecurring funds and $10 million in recurring funds to expand the Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program, encompassing mobile units to provide primary care, behavioral health, and obstetric and gynecologic services. The program also includes telemedicine kiosks to facilitate remote urgent care services.
— $25 million to establish the Rural Access to Primary and Preventive Care Grant Program, designed to help establish or expand preventive and primary care offices, potentially improving quality of life and reducing health care costs for rural Florida families.
— $5 million to create the Stroke, Cardiac and Obstetric Response and Education (SCORE) Grant Program, aimed at training rural EMTs and paramedics to enhance stroke, cardiac, and obstetric response, ultimately improving patient outcomes in smaller communities with limited access to advanced treatments.
— $6.3 million in state and $8.2 million in federal funds to increase existing Florida Medicaid reimbursements for rural hospitals not classified as critical access hospitals.
Albritton shared in a memorandum regarding Florida’s Rural Renaissance: “In addition to employment opportunities, currently, our rural quality of life can be limited by access to education and health care. I believe we can combine enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that expand and strengthen access to these public services.”
SB 110 offers a pathway for Florida’s rural communities to ensure access to high-quality care close to home, making rural Florida a better and healthier place to live. The FHA is eager to collaborate with lawmakers and stakeholders to strengthen the health care infrastructure in Florida’s smaller communities.
