U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.VA., along with U.S. Representatives Carol Miller, R-W.Va. and Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. wrote a letter to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson, urging HRSA to adequately include terrain factors in their definition of rural.
This classification determines communities’ eligibility to receive certain federal healthcare resources, and adopting ruggedness in the definition will ensure that West Virginia communities receive the federal funding they deserve.
“West Virginia is the only state that lies completely within the Appalachian Mountain region. It also has a higher mean elevation than any state in the east,” the lawmakers wrote in part. “We appreciate HRSA’s work to better account for difficult and mountainous terrain areas in the definition of rural for purposes of Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) grant eligibility. These funds are instrumental to providing access to quality health care and support health professionals in rural communities across the country.”
“This critical addition to HRSA’s proposal to include terrain factors in their definition of rural to be eligible of FORHP grants is important to better capture rugged terrain areas. These counties include Critical Access Hospitals, health centers, clinics, and many other health providers that will greatly benefit from the resources FORHP provides,” the lawmakers continued. “We urge you to take Congressional intent into account and adopt our suggestion to address high density of rugged areas. We look forward to continue working with you to improve health care access and quality across rural America.”