Virginia Health Leaders, Lawmakers Share Enhanced Healthcare Resources for Rural Communities

Eastern Shore residents and healthcare providers on Friday told state leaders about the opportunities and challenges they face serving their communities, with Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa outlining how the state government can support them and other rural Virginians.

Eastern Shore Rural Health CEO Jeanette Edwards shows Virginia Health and Human Resources Secretary Marvin Figeuroa a radiology room at the organization’s Eastville clinic on Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

“We’re here to learn what the challenges are, what the assets are and ‘how (we can) scale the work,” Figueroa said at Eastern Shore Community College, one of several stops on the listening tour.

The same day, the  state announced $122 million in Rural Health Transformation Fund awards were disbursed to healthcare organizations around the state. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin applied for the new federal grant last year.

The next RHTF funding wave will be allocated by the end of October, and Virginia has $189 million total to spend over time. Figueroa and his team are responsible for distributing the funding and coordinating with Gov. Abigail Spanberger and state lawmakers on its use. 

Del. Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack, joined Figueroa for the multi-stop tour, which highlighted the regional workforce and the unique connection they have with the people they serve. The local community college, the Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging, Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, local health centers, and various nonprofits participated.

Juan Gomez, an outreach coordinator with Eastern Shore Rural Health — a set of regional federally qualified health centers — described part of his work helping people sign up for health insurance at public events.

One of the clinic’s licensed practical nurses, Nicole Crockett, is an Eastern Shore native and has been with the clinic for 13 years.

“People know my face and feel comfortable because of that,” she said.

With her focus on pediatrics, she’s enjoyed watching the children she cares for grow up. To level up her career, she is also taking courses at the Eastern Shore Community College for a Registered Nurse degree.

Of the clinics’ over 400 employees, CEO Jeanette Edwards said that about half of them have graduated from the local college or are pursuing additional degrees or certifications there.

The day’s dialogue broached the looming changes stemming from H.R.1, the reconciliation bill Congress passed last summer that’s expected to trigger loss of Medicare and other healthcare benefits for millions nationwide.

The impact may be felt unequally in the state and hit rural areas hard, Bloxom said.

“When you go around rural parts of Virginia, not everyone has the network of people as we do. But we have things to worry about, and we need to adjust,” Bloxom said.

Because of the new standards, Figueroa said, “We’re losing more than we’re getting.”

The RHTF money can boost services at clinics, hospitals and nonprofits, and strengthen staffing, telehealth and workforce development, Figueroa added.

The state is also bracing for eligibility and procedural changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Of Virginia’s two million Medicaid enrollees, about 300,000 are at risk of losing their insurance, while about 5,800 lawful immigrants will lose their eligibility for it. Roughly 749,000 Virginians are also SNAP recipients.

Additionally, Congress let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, leading thousands of Virginians to drop that form of insurance due to higher premiums.

Virginia’s latest budget earmarked $150 million for a state-level version of the ACA subsidy that will be available this fall. The money will also provide a funding boost for federally qualified health centers and free clinics.

Hospitals are also expected to grapple with a forthcoming change in funding mechanisms it uses to help support Virginia’s Medicaid expansion. The various forthcoming cuts paired with long-established rural healthcare challenges mean that 13 rural hospitals are at risk of service cuts or closure, a state report found.

Last week Spanberger signed an executive order to solidify state and local government directives to streamline H.R. 1 implementation efforts.

“It’s a new system to build” before the changes kick in Jan. 1, Figueroa said.

The  state has created plain language toolkits for announcement materials that local agencies and nonprofits can use to make signs and handouts, Figueroa said, to help residents determine if they’re eligible and understand how to navigate the new process.

Even with streamlining efforts by state and local agencies, the event’s attendees said they were concerned that people may lose their benefits due to challenges in their own lives amid the new, twice-yearly verification requirements and eligibility standards.

Northampton Department of Social Services worker Mozella Francis said that she encounters many Medicaid or SNAP beneficiaries who lack consistent phone or computer access. Others may not have a car or easy access to public transit.

Francis implored Bloxom and his counterparts in the state legislature to do more to address transportation hurdles in rural areas.

Throughout the day, Figueroa reiterated the “tough time” patients, providers and public servants will have ahead of them. He noted the “bond” he feels with residents and healthcare workers around the state and said he is “committed” to helping ensure people can navigate the changes as smoothly as possible.

“We can’t solve all of people’s life problems, but it’s our responsibility to not make it worse,” he said.

By Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

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