Founder of Hudson Headwaters to speak about current health care threats

NORTH CREEK | Almost half a million North Country residents received health care from Hudson Headwaters in 2024, and now that care could be in jeopardy. On Nov. 16, the founder of Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Dr. John Rugge, will speak at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek about current threats to that 45-year-old system. His 2 pm interview by health consultant Arthur Webb comes on the heels of a vote by Congress to eliminate federal funding for local health centers that deliver care in medically underserved areas and reduce funding for Medicaid, thus impacting the availability of healthcare in many North Country communities. "The big question for all of us now is how to save health care for the North Country," Rugge said in preparation for his talk. Rugge notes that he started the first medical office in 1974 in Chestertown because medical professionals were not available, and now rural areas could face the same medical wasteland challenge. Rugge and Webb are among 250 volunteers who make up a newly formed Healthcare Coalition for the North Country to inform community members of the dangers to affordable healthcare posed by Congressional cuts and to lobby for replacement funding. A report issued by the group notes that 47,000 North Country residents, about one-third of recurrent recipients, could lose Medicaid funding because of the cuts. Webb, a North Country resident for more than 50 years who chairs the Johnsburg Emergency Medical Squad and is active in the town's Senior Committee, was a commissioner of four New York State agencies before becoming CEO of a NYC healthcare nonprofit and eventually becoming a healthcare consultant. Rugge's interview by Webb will be the last Tannery Talk of the year. The new series is made possible, in part, by the Warren County Occupancy Grant Program, regranted by the Town of Johnsburg, and the Adirondack Foundation's Generous Acts grant. While there is no charge for admission, the requested donation is $10 per person. Reservations are not required; attend at first come first serve, but capacity is limited. Tannery Pond Center, which is dedicated to bringing the best performances, art exhibits and community events to the Gore Mountain Region, is on the corner of Route 28N and Main Street, North Creek. For further information, call 518-251-2505, visit: tannerypond.org, email: director@tannerypondcenter.org.

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Founder of Hudson Headwaters to speak about current health care threats

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