Schuyler County: More than mental health
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Comptroller: Rural N.Y. faces health professionals shortage
Some rural parts of New York state have a significant shortfall in health professions, including primary care, pediatric, and obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) doctors, dentists and mental health practitioners. The rural counties examined were Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Washington, Wyoming and Yates. Ten of the 16 rural counties covered in this report are federally designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Four counties have no OBGYN physicians at all. Most rural counties have limited public transportation options, but paratransit for the elderly is relatively common.
The shortage of mental health practitioners in New York’s rural counties may be the most severe, with all counties designated by the federal government as areas having professional shortages.
The rural counties examined were Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Washington, Wyoming and Yates.
Some of the key findings the comptroller’s office found included:
Ten of the 16 rural counties covered in this report are federally designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care, dental and mental health
On average, the 16 rural counties have four primary care physicians per 10,000 people – a ratio that is less than half that of the state (8.1) and the U.S. (8.4)
The 16 rural counties have 0.5 pediatricians for every 10,000 people – less than one-fifth of the state ratio (2.8), one-third of the U.S. (1.8), and less than half the GMENAC guideline (1.2). There are no pediatric physicians in three of the 16 counties.
The OBGYN physician to 10,000 population ratio of the 16 rural counties is 0.4 – meaning there is roughly one OBGYN physician for every 23,000 people. This is less than half the GMENAC guideline (1). Four counties – Hamilton, Herkimer, Schuyler and Yates – have no OBGYN physicians at all.
The 16 rural counties’ dentist to 10,000 population ratio (3.6) is less than half of the state ratio (8.3). There are no dentists in Hamilton County
The rural counties’ mental health practitioner to 10,000 population ratio (6.9) is less than half that of the state (16.1)
“Having access to health care is an essential quality of life issue and helps people live healthier lives,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “Addressing gaps in the rural healthcare workforce to alleviate current shortages and plan for future demand will not only positively impact the health of people living in less populated areas of New York, but could also create new jobs and bolster our rural economies.”
The report added that transporting people to health care, particularly those with limited or no access to cars, is a challenge. Most rural counties have limited public transportation options, but paratransit for the elderly is relatively common, and there may be opportunities to expand services to other demographics where such services don’t exist.
The expansion of telemedicine for certain types of care is another option to bolster rural health systems but is not a complete solution.
Another offered solution is more mobile clinics, alleviating transportation barriers to access without the cost of opening and maintaining brick and mortar clinics. School-based health centers are another option to expand health care access to rural New York.
Rural New York’s health care crisis deepens amid federal funding battle
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released an audit on Aug. 7 detailing health care staffing shortages in 16 rural counties across New York. The report found the state lacking in primary care doctors, pediatricians, OB-GYNs, dentists and mental health professionals. The audit also reported a lack of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners. It recommends creating mobile clinics and school-based health centers to increase access to care, alongside expanded transportation and telemedicine programs. It also suggests offering loan forgiveness and stipends to new healthcare professionals in rural areas and creating educational opportunities for nursing staff to advance their degrees and bolster the workforce. The comptroller audit, which built on a 2023 comptroller report about rural New York, found that many of these areas struggle with population loss, an aging population, and decreases in the labor force. The new law also enacts new student loan limits of $200,000 annually for new doctors to attract any new rural doctors to the state. An April analysis also finds that the new law is likely to worsen the situation for rural hospitals.
The report found the state lacking in primary care doctors, pediatricians, OB-GYNs, dentists and mental health professionals.
According to DiNapoli’s office, they conducted the system-wide analysis following roundtable discussions in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes, where health care access represents a major concern. Per the report, which you can read at the bottom of this story, several counties do not have access to a variety of specialty medical providers.
On average, the 16 rural counties examined — Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Washington, Wyoming, and Yates — had just four primary care physicians for every 10,000 people. That’s less than half the statewide ratio of 8.1 and further still below the national average of 8.4.
And that disparity gets worse in designated “primary care health professional shortage areas,” where nearly 173,000 New Yorkers live. In those regions, it’s down to just 0.12 physicians per 10,000.
The 16 rural counties have just 0.5 pediatricians for every 10,000 people, less than a fifth of the state ratio of 2.8. Chenango, Schuyler, and Yates Counties have no pediatricians at all, per the audit.
The ratio of obstetrician-gynecologists is 0.4 per 10,000, translating to about one for every 23,000 people. Hamilton, Herkimer, Schuyler, and Yates Counties have no OB-GYNs.
For dentists, these rural counties had 3.6 per 10,000 people, below half of the state’s ratio of 8.3. Ten of the 16 counties have dental primary care health professional shortage areas for those eligible for Medicaid, which includes 134,248 people. And according to the comptroller, Hamilton County has no dentists at all.
The audit determined a ratio of 6.9 mental health practitioners per 10,000 people in rural New York. The ratio for the entire state, meanwhile, is 16.1. All 16 counties are mental health primary care health professional shortage areas, either for the entire population or specific groups, like the Medicaid-eligible population. That means that almost 41 percent of the population in these counties — over 305,265 New Yorkers — are considered underserved in mental health care.
The audit also reported a lack of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners, positions meant to address doctor shortages in the 1960s. These professionals now deliver as many as 25 percent of health visits in the U.S. The ratio of PAs per 10,000 people in the rural counties is 4.2, less than half of the state ratio, 9.2. NPs are also lower, at 10.5 per 10,000 compared to the state’s 16.4.
The comptroller audit, which built on a 2023 comptroller report about rural New York, found that many of these areas struggle with population loss, an aging population, and decreases in the labor force. Low population densities and limited public transportation mean that people have to spend to maintain personal vehicles to access health care.
The report recommends creating mobile clinics and school-based health centers to increase access to care, alongside expanded transportation and telemedicine programs. It also suggests offering loan forgiveness and stipends to new healthcare professionals in rural areas and creating educational opportunities for nursing staff to advance their degrees and bolster the workforce. And it proposes that four-year SUNY schools offer satellite programs at local community colleges that blend online and in-person coursework.
The federal government has a huge impact on rural hospitals. A new federal law — Public Law No. 119-21, or the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) — earmarks $50 billion from 2026 to 2030 for a Rural Hospital Transformation Program, but it’s not guaranteed to offer funding to all states. According to the American Hospital Association, the law would reduce federal Medicaid spending on New York’s rural hospitals by $1.125 billion over 10 years.
And that law also reduces eligibility for Medicaid and the Essential Plan, which is likely to worsen the situation for rural hospitals operating on narrow profit margins. That’s because they need Medicaid funding to stay open.
The law also enacts new student loan limits of $50,000 annually for professional students and an aggregate limit of $200,000. This would make it harder for proposed loan forgiveness programs to attract any new doctors to rural New York.
An April 2025 analysis from the Center for American Progress found that federal funding cuts to Medicaid threaten these hospitals across the country. They determined that close to a third of those in New York would be at immediate risk of closing.
The numbers from another April analysis, this from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, were broadly aligned in finding that close to 200 rural hospitals in 34 Medicaid expansion states were already at immediate risk of closing because of financial instability.
In New York, they found that over a third of rural hospitals were at risk of immediate closure. They also counted three having closed since 2015, and 62 percent of the state’s rural hospitals reported financial losses in 2023-2024, even with Medicaid funding intact.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), rural hospitals survive best in states that increase Medicaid enrollment and eligibility. New York has six rural hospitals in the top 10 percent nationwide for their Medicaid payer mix, and five more have had negative margins for three consecutive years. In the 16 rural counties examined, 27 percent of the population was on Medicaid as of May 2025. That’s close to 205,000 people.
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) have opposed the OBBB. In letters sent to New York’s congressional delegation in May, both organizations warned of the bill’s catastrophic impact on the state’s healthcare infrastructure. HANYS stated that the bill would cost the Empire State almost $13.5 billion per year. GNYHA also argued that the bill’s cuts would be unsustainable for the state and wreck its hospital system.
A June analysis from the Fiscal Policy Institute found that hospitals at immediate risk for closure in New York get over 25 percent of their net patient revenue from Medicaid or other government appropriations. They also reported that 94 hospitals in the state would see their annual profits disappear altogether with just a 10 percent cut to Medicaid revenue, because the program already pays less than half of what commercial insurance pays for the same services.
According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, two Republican lawmakers who voted for the bill, Reps. Nicholas Langworthy and Elise Stefanik, represent districts with some of the highest numbers of at-risk hospitals. Eight are in Langworthy’s, and seven in Stefanik’s.
In fact, five Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation— including Stefanik and Langworthy —even published a letter in June on the topic. While they said they support OBBB’s “intent to prioritize federal benefits for citizens and long-term residents,” they asked to delay the implementation of two sections. They argued that states and healthcare providers avoid “drastically disruptive consequences” for the healthcare system with a less abrupt transition.
Their letter asked for sections 112101 and 112102, modifying tax credit eligibility for certain lawful immigrants, to not take effect until January 2029.
The law would force 500,000 immigrant New Yorkers who live here legally onto state-only Medicaid — because New York is constitutionally required to provide coverage—with state and county taxpayers footing the bill. This could cause “unsustainable spikes in uncompensated costs” for local health services and destabilize the state’s Essential Plan, they warned.
Take a look at the comptroller’s report below:
rural-health-shortagesDownload
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Schuyler County Italian American Festival set to return in August
The Watkins Glen Italian American Festival has been running for more than 40 years. There will be rides, food, music, eating competitions and a cornhole tournament.
The Watkins Glen Italian American Festival has been running for more than 40 years.
More information on this year’s schedule of events can be found here.
Schuyler County: More than mental health
Schuyler County Mental Health Association has opened its umbrella to a variety of new services. Project Restoration is an intensive service for recovering addicts that provides housing for up to six months for no more than two guests at a time. Executive Director Reggie Stambaugh describes the program not as just a place to crash, but as a support system with strict guidelines. No visitors are allowed on the property, curfew is 10 p.m., there is no smoking, and guests must wear appropriate attire and maintain hygiene and grooming while staying in the shelter. The organization estimates that by this time next year, the organization will be open for patients for the first time in over 30 years. The nearest dentist office to Rushville is either Beardstown, Virginia or Macomb, Illinois, but the nearest mental health clinic is either in Beardstown or Virginia, according to the organization’s executive director. It is not known if the organization has already hired a dentist for the new facility, but it is expected to be open by next year.
Founded in 1971, Schuyler County Mental Health Association primarily offers psychiatric medication services, outpatient substance abuse groups, and counseling.
In 2025, however, the organization has opened its umbrella to a variety of new services to fill gaps in the local community.
“We’re not afraid to take on that challenge,” Executive Director Reggie Stambaugh said. “That’s the whole thing, we’re just trying to do what we’re called to do and do the best for everyone.”
Stambaugh started at Schuyler County Mental Health 13 years ago as a family resource worker. Eventually, he landed the role that he serves in currently. He assumed that role with several ideas in mind.
One that came to fruition in the last six months is Project Restoration, an intensive service for recovering addicts that provides housing for up to six months for no more than two guests at a time.
“I always felt like we were lacking,” Stambaugh said. “We would talk to people, help people, but we might send them home to the exact situation.”
Project Restoration
Two guests currently occupy small-sized apartments on the organization’s property. Stambaugh describes the program not as just a place to crash, but as a support system with strict guidelines.
For example, no visitors are allowed on the property, curfew is 10 p.m., there is no smoking, and guests must wear appropriate attire and maintain hygiene and grooming while staying in the shelter.
Guests also must check in with staff by 10 a.m. each day to work on stabilization and a needs assessment. These are just a handful of strict guidelines that must be followed.
Stambaugh said it’s a chance for recovering addicts like they’ve never gotten before.
“We found that they would continually go through the same routine,” he said. “They would be prosecuted. They would start services, but they had nowhere to go, so they’d go back to the friends they were doing drugs with, and thinking they were going to make a better way out of it, they’d just get drug back into the same situation.”
Guests must go through an application process and go before a committee to discuss the future. If approved, guests must complete weekly drug testing.
Bryson Matteson is a recovering addict and is one of the first two people to be a part of Project Restoration.
“It really does feel like home,” Matteson said.
Matteson has stayed at the shelter for several months and believes it’s made a real difference in his recovery.
“It’s hard to ask for help, too,” Matteson said. “It takes a bit of humility, but in doing so, you find great things.”
The property is under 24-hour video surveillance.
Approved guests cannot be a convicted sex offender, convicted of murder, or assault charges. Additionally, a warrant check is run by local police before granting space in the shelter.
Stambaugh said guests like Matteson must be active in volunteering and searching for jobs.
“You almost don’t recognize them for how much they’ve changed,” Stambaugh added.
Matteson gets to see his kids certain times throughout the week. Since staying at Schuyler County Mental Health, he’s grown a love for photography.
Next door
On July 10, Schuyler County Mental Health broke ground on a new dentist’s office right next door to the organization’s primary facility at 127 S. Liberty Street, just off the Rushville square.
Stambaugh estimates that by this time next year, it will be open for patients.
Funded by an anonymous donor, the organization has already hired a dentist for the facility.
Dr. Amit Kumar and his wife are already looking for a place to live in town.
“What Reggie and the donor and the mental health clinic were doing really spoke to me, and it just clicked,” Kumar said.
Kumar has lived in the Midwest for the last 5 years and currently resides in Galesburg.
According to Stambaugh, the nearest dentist’s office to Rushville is either in Beardstown, Macomb, or Virginia.
He said it will create around a half-dozen jobs once the facility is ready.
Mental health at its core
When Clinical Coordinator Taylor Caputo joined Schuyler County Mental Health over 5 years ago, it was just him and a handful of other people to provide counseling services.
That number has since grown to seven clinical staff, one of which does intake, being the first person someone in need talks to.
According to Caputo, he and other counselors see hundreds of clients per year. Schuyler County Mental Health is outpatient, meaning people in need have to come to them to have their needs be met.
“Everybody has the right to self-determination,” Caputo said. “When they decide that they don’t want to return, they have that right.”
Counselors see clients who suffer from everything from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Caputo believes the mental health stigma is slowly going away, but it will take everyone to drive it away for good. He hopes that one day mental health can be talked about freely, and that the world gets to a point where everybody helps everybody.
“There are still times where people get talked down upon when they have the need or when they even think about coming,” Caputo said.
Further expansion
Schuyler County Mental Health has also opened temporary shelter rooms for those who are homeless or displaced. They are hotel-style rooms, and guests must work on permanency during their stay.
2025 has also meant a new food pantry for Schuyler County.
Just over a year ago, Schuyler County Mental Health started working with the local food pantry, eventually bringing it under its umbrella. Stambaugh said that having control of it made the pantry more available for better funding to better serve the community.
The new pantry opened this spring and is a grocery-styled pantry on the organization’s property.
Additionally, Schuyler County Mental Health now oversees local tiny home projects for veterans. Stambaugh said crews are working on a third home right now. Homes come furnished, and food is also provided at first.
The organization is also carrying on the local tradition of the Christmas basket program, where families and individuals in Schuyler County are able to receive food and gifts for their children.
Schuyler County Mental Health is supported by fees for service, contributions, grants, and 708 funds. The organization has been strongly supported by an anonymous donor and the Tracy Family Foundation.
Copyright 2025 WGEM. All rights reserved.
Rushville community formally breaks ground on new dentist office
Schuyler Dental to offer specialized services at the facility. Estimated completion date is next March with an opening date later that spring. Construction costs are $3.5 million and equipment cost for the office are about $500,000. O’Shea Builders based in Springfield, Illinois, are working on the project.
Located next to Schuyler County Mental Health Association at 127 S. Liberty St., organizers said they plan to offer specialized services at the facility.
Mental Health Executive Director Reggie Stambaugh said an anonymous donor asked the mental heath association to see if there was a need for such services in the community, and if there was, it would be covered.
“There are dentist offices in Beardstown and Mount Sterling and around the area,” Stambaugh said. “Medicaid are the ones that suffer the most. There’s an office in Virginia [Illinois], but a lot of times, if it’s specialty services, they have to go to St. Louis or Chicago.”
According to Stambaugh, construction costs are $3.5 million and equipment cost for the office are about $500,000.
A dentist has already been hired.
Stambaugh said the estimated completion date is next March with an opening date later that spring. O’Shea Builders, based in Springfield, Illinois, are working on the project.
Copyright 2025 WGEM. All rights reserved.
Source: https://www.wgem.com/video/2025/08/16/schuyler-county-more-than-mental-health/