Three Columbia Memorial Health Facilities Designated Rural Health Centers for Commitment to Accessible Care

Three Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) facilities—Chatham/Ghent Family Care, Callan Family Care in Copake, and Valatie Family Care—have received Rural Health Center (RHC) designation from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This designation recognizes CMH’s commitment to providing high-quality, accessible health care in Columbia and Greene Counties.

RHC designation allows these facilities to better serve the community by accessing cost-based reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ensuring the sustainability of rural health care services and improving community health outcomes.

“Receiving Rural Health Center designation reinforces our mission to provide readily accessible, quality, skilled care to the communities we serve,” said Dorothy Urschel, president and CEO of Columbia Memorial Health. “We are proud to provide these important services to our neighbors close to home and ensure the health of our region.”

To be designated an RHC, the facility must be in a non-urbanized area considered a shortage zone for health care professionals or medically underserved. Outpatient primary care or preventative services must be provided through routine clinic hours staffed by at least one mid-level practitioner (nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified nurse midwife) available at least fifty percent of operating hours.