Community Memorial Awarded More Than $1.5m to Transform Rural Health Care
Community Memorial (CMH) has been awarded up to $1,581,930 through New York State’s Rural Community Health Integration Initiative under the Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding will support “No Wrong Door: A Rural Care Partnership for Madison and Oneida Counties,” a comprehensive initiative designed to create more coordinated pathways to care for rural residents.
The award was announced by the New York State Department of Health in early September following CMH’s application to the Rural Community Health Integration Initiative.
At the heart of the initiative is a simple concept: wherever a person enters the healthcare system, there should be a pathway to care and resources needed. Entry points may be an emergency department visit, a 911 call, a hospital discharge, or an appointment at a primary care office. Today, these encounters can occur across disconnected systems, leaving patients and families responsible for navigating what comes next; ‘No Wrong Door’ is designed to change that.
“This award represents an important investment not only in Community Memorial, but in the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Kathryn Willbarger, President and CEO of CMH. “This plan is about making our healthcare system easier to access and navigate. By working together with our community partners, we can reach people earlier, and connect them with the right resources.”
The initiative will strengthen CMH’s existing system, which includes the hospital, after-hours care, six Family Health Centers and specialty services throughout Madison and Oneida counties. CMH serves a predominantly rural population facing significant health care access challenges, including shortages of providers of several types. The project will focus particularly on behavioral health integration, while also expanding access to primary and preventive care for children and families.
The need for this work is particularly evident in behavioral health. The community health assessment identified mental health as the top health concern in Madison County, with behavioral health services identified among the areas most in need of improvement. CMH’s behavioral health referrals from its Family Health Centers increased more than fourfold from 2024 to 2025.
Partners in this application were Central New York Health Home Network (CNYHHN), a regional Health Home and care management agency serving 10 counties in Central New York. Also, Madison County Emergency Medical Services – EMS will serve as an important gateway to individuals who may otherwise have limited connection to the healthcare system. The Madison County Rural Health Council will provide community health expertise and countywide coordination, including leveraging its transportation program to help address transportation barriers to care.
The initiative is also supported by the Madison County Department of Health and Madison County Mental Health, which provided letters of support for the project. “The strength of this project is that no single organization can solve these challenges alone,” said Willbarger. “Our partners allow us to reach people in places and at times when the hospital may not be their first point of contact. Together, we can build a system that follows the patient rather than expecting the patient to navigate the system.”
Designed to shift care away from a fragmented, crisis-driven model and toward earlier intervention, this project brings prevention awareness and builds ongoing relationships with providers. Technology will be invested in, allowing CMH and its partners to securely share information and better coordinate care, creating the infrastructure necessary for a more integrated rural health network.
The award notification from the New York State Department of Health states that the up to $1,581,930 award remains subject to applicable funding conditions, execution of a State of New York Contract for Grants, and final approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.