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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Rural Health Transformation 1
Task Force. 2
WHEREAS, Kentucky is the 10th most rural state in the nation, with over 70 3
percent of its counties classified as rural; and 4
WHEREAS, rural Americans have been found to travel over twice the distance for 5
medical care than their urban counterparts; and 6
WHEREAS, a higher travel burden has been associated with delayed or foregone 7
care and mi ssed appointments, which can lead to reduced preventative care, greater 8
disease burden, poorer treatment outcomes, and reduced quality of life; and 9
WHEREAS, several rural hospitals have closed and an estimated 35 more are at 10
risk of closure as they operate on thin margins and rely heavily on declining Medicaid 11
funding; and 12
WHEREAS, nearly one in six Kentucky women of childbearing age live in 13
maternity care deserts, more than four times the national average; and 14
WHEREAS, 17 percent of Kentuckians live with m ultiple chronic conditions, 15
compared with 11 percent nationally; and 16
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2023, 17
compared to other states, Kentucky had the highest rate of deaths from cancer, 181.6 per 18
100,000; the highest rate of deaths from kidney disease, 22 per 100,000; the second 19
highest rate of death from chronic lower respiratory disease, 57.4 per 100,000; and the 20
sixth highest rate of death from diabetes, 28.6 per 100,000; and 21
WHEREAS, nearly one -half of Kentucky’s paramedics are concentrated in the 22
state’s five largest counties which limits access to rural communities; and 23
WHEREAS, nearly 75 percent of the emergency medical service volunteers in 24
Kentucky work in rural communities; and 25
WHEREAS, there is a need for licensed emergency medical responders, emergency 26
medical technicians, advanced emergency technicians, and paramedics across the state, 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2177
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especially in rural communities; and 1
WHEREAS, a shortage of qualified emergency serv ice trainers and training sites 2
across the state disproportionately impacts training emergency service providers in rural 3
communities; and 4
WHEREAS, Kentucky ranks 40th in the nation in the number of primary care 5
physicians per 100,000 people, and only 25 p ercent of Kentucky physicians practice in 6
rural counties; and 7
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 8
has designated 107 Kentucky counties as medically underserved areas; and 9
WHEREAS, HHS has designated 30 rural counties in Kentucky as primary care 10
shortage areas, 17 of which are designated as high-need areas; and 11
WHEREAS, HHS estimates that an additional 388 primary care providers, 219 12
dentists, and 150 mental health providers are needed to remove the shortage designation 13
for the entire state; though simply adding providers will not necessarily address shortages 14
in underserved areas; and 15
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has been awarded funding through 16
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Rural Health Transformation Fund; and 17
WHEREAS, these funds are intended to expand access and improve health 18
outcomes for rural residents across the Commonwealth; and 19
WHEREAS, the five interrelated initiatives of Kentucky's Rural Health 20
Transformation Program include rural comm unity hubs for chronic care innovation, 21
maternal and infant health, rapid response to recovery, rural dental access, and integrated 22
emergency medical services; and 23
WHEREAS, the General Assembly has a compelling interest in monitoring the 24
implementation of these initiatives and providing input and guidance to the Cabinet for 25
Health and Family Services on the progress of this implementation; and 26
WHEREAS, the health of the rural population is of vital importance for the health 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2177
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of all Kentuckians; and 1
WHEREAS, the General Assembly is committed to improving overall access to 2
health care services in rural communities; 3
NOW, THEREFORE, 4
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 5
Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 6
Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission is hereby directed to establish 7
the Rural Health Transformation Task Force. The task force shall: 8
(1) Identify programs, initiatives, and opportunities for: 9
(a) Expanding health care services by increasing the number s of health care 10
providers and health care facilities, including emergency medical services and hospitals; 11
and 12
(b) Improving the physical and mental health of rural Kentuckians; and 13
(2) Examine funding models and long -term sustainability plans for achievin g the 14
goals of the task force. 15
Section 2. The Rural Health Transformation Task Force shall be composed of 16
the following members, with final membership of the task force being subject to the 17
consideration and approval of the Legislative Research Commission: 18
(1) Three members of the Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate, 19
one of whom shall be designated to serve as co-chair; 20
(2) One member of the Senate to be appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of 21
the Senate; 22
(3) Three members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the 23
Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated to serve as co-24
chair; and 25
(4) One member of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Minority 26
Floor Leader of the House of Representatives. 27
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Section 3. The Rural Health Transformation Task Force shall at a minimum 1
meet monthly during the 2026 Interim of the General Assembly and shall submit 2
recommendations to the L egislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim 3
Joint Committee on Health Services by December 1, 2026. 4
Section 4. Provisions of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, the 5
Legislative Research Commissio n shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 6
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 7
designate a study completion date. 8