The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)
Outside of California’s four major metropolitan areas, the majority of the state is rural. In general, the rural population is older, sicker, poorer, and more likely to be unemployed, uninsured, or underinsured. The lack of primary care, specialty providers and transportation continue to be significant barriers to access to health services in rural areas.
(b)
There is no coordinated or comprehensive plan of action for rural health care in California to ensure the health of California’s rural residents. Most of the interventions that have taken place on behalf of rural communities have been limited in scope and purpose and were not conceived or implemented with any comprehensive or systematic approach in mind. Because health planning tends to focus on approaches for population centers, the unique needs of rural communities may not be addressed. A comprehensive plan and approach is necessary to obtain federal support and relief, as well as to realistically institute state and industry interventions.
(c)
Rural communities lack the resources to make the transition from present practices to managed care, and to make other changes that may be necessary as the result of health care reform efforts. With numerous health care reform proposals being debated and with the extensive changes in the current health care delivery system, a comprehensive and coordinated analysis must take place regarding the impact of these proposals on rural areas.
(d)
Rural areas lack the technical expertise and resources to improve and coordinate their local data collection activities, which are necessary for well-targeted health planning, program development, and resource development. Data must be available to local communities to enable them to plan effectively.
(e)
The Legislature recognizes the need to take a comprehensive approach to strengthen and coordinate rural health programs and health care delivery systems in order to:
(1)
Facilitate access to high quality health care for California’s rural communities.
(2)
Promote coordinated planning and policy development among state departments and between the State and local public and private providers.