Chamberwise: A Quality Economy Requires Quality Communities

A quality economy requires a quality community is something we have been saying for years, and is a leading message in our letters and appeals on behalf of a variety of regional projects.

This issue involves a number of topics beyond those most directly thought of as necessities for a strong and growing economy. It means looking well beyond sites, infrastructure and workforce skills to include housing, childcare, arts and culture, and of course -- health care. And there is no place that presents greater challenges to providing access to all forms of health services than a rural region like the North Country.

To offer a range of services and specialties where the critical mass, and therefore the revenue, does not match metro areas, and to do it while providing basic access to care in communities across a huge, sparsely populated region, is a complex and ever-evolving numbers game.

While there will always be shortcomings and legitimate complaints, we must value the extraordinary range of services provided in the face of nearly constant fiscal stress by UVM network members at CVPH, Alice-Hyde, Elizabethtown, and Ticonderoga, along with Adirondack Health and the amazing network of rural health centers developed by Hudson Headwaters and supplemented by other exceptional providers — all of which grapple with the national shortage of healthcare personnel.

From support for federal and state investments in area health centers, to the enhancement of reimbursement rates for our hospitals by Medicare, to the pursuit of visas for new specialists, the North Country Chamber is a committed ally to our healthcare institutions, because quality healthcare is foundational to a quality community.