New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey visits the Kingston Family Health Center
December 22, 2021
On December 21, Institute staff were pleased to welcome New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey to the Kingston Family Health Center in Kingston, New York.
Senator Hinchey met with Dr. Neil Calman, President and CEO of the Institute; Dr. Wesley Ho, the Medical Director of the Kingston Family Health Center; and Susanne Callahan, Vice President for Planning and Community Engagement for the Mid-Hudson region, as well as health center leaders and staff.
In addition to a tour of the health center, staff spoke with Senator Hinchey about expanding Broadband access in rural areas to enhance telehealth and educational opportunities, reimbursement issues related to telehealth, and the need for increased healthcare workforce development, focusing on the need for primary care providers, nurses, and behavioral health counselors. They also discussed the need to expand efforts to address substance use and overdose.
Senator Hinchey has been a strong supporter of community health centers since she was elected in 2020 representing District 46, which includes Kingston and Port Ewen. She also chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee.
At our visit, Senator Hinchey said “The Institute for Family Health is a pillar of high quality, comprehensive health care in Kingston that is patient-centered, community-directed, and available to all.
It was great to join the Institute’s leadership team to tour their facilities and speak with the dedicated staff across family practice, behavioral health, dentistry, and podiatry who are not only making affordable health care accessible in our community but training the next generation of upstate doctors in the process through one of the oldest residency programs in the nation.
The Institute has developed something that so many of our small and more rural communities often lack, and that’s a successful model of whole-person care. Whether it’s a COVID test, access to substance use disorder services, a place to pick up fresh vegetables (at the bi-weekly farmstand the Institute hosts with the YMCA Farm Project), a long-overdue visit to the dentist, or a care manager to help you navigate other local resources, the Institute provides that holistic level of support.
We’re lucky to be served by a health care provider that is so embedded in and attuned to the needs of our community! At the state level, I’ll continue to do everything I can to move us toward greater health equity in New York.”
