Opinion Pieces by Rob

Health care access in rural Virginia is not just a medical issue. It is an economic one.

Across Virginia’s First District, hospitals and health systems anchor local economies. They are often among the largest employers in their regions, supporting surrounding small businesses and giving families and employers confidence in their communities’ long-term stability.

Yet rural providers operate under sustained pressure. Workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, reimbursement challenges, and limited access to specialty services create structural strain. When a rural hospital struggles, the effects ripple outward, from delayed care to workforce recruitment challenges to economic uncertainty.

That reality is why stabilizing and modernizing rural health systems has been one of my priorities in Congress.

Last year, I voted to create the Rural Health Transformation Program, a significant federal investment designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of rural providers. This initiative is focused not on temporary relief, but on structural modernization. Its success will depend on disciplined implementation and regulatory flexibility that reflects the operational realities of rural hospitals rather than imposing models built for large metropolitan systems.

We are seeing what that modernization can look like in practice.

At Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in the Richmond region, leaders recently broke ground on a new Critical Care Tower that will expand capacity and strengthen advanced care delivery. At the same time, VCU Health’s Tappahannock Hospital is expanding access to clinical trials for the first time in its history through its affiliation with VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

That milestone means patients in the Northern Neck will no longer need to travel to Richmond or beyond to access certain cutting-edge cancer treatments. It connects one of Virginia’s premier academic medical institutions directly to a rural community hospital. That is exactly the kind of integration that strengthens both regional systems and rural access.

Modernization is not only about facilities. It is about creating durable connections between academic medicine, regional health systems, and rural providers. When those connections are strong, innovation does not stop at city limits.

Workforce stability is equally important. Retaining experienced nurses, physicians, and frontline staff is essential to maintaining consistent access to care. That includes ensuring safe working conditions. I have supported legislation to increase penalties for individuals who knowingly assault hospital employees. Health care professionals should not have to weigh personal safety as part of their daily work environment.

Preventive health and nutrition initiatives also contribute to long-term sustainability. Partnerships between local farms, schools, and health systems strengthen regional supply chains while reducing chronic disease burdens that drive long-term costs. When communities invest in prevention, hospitals can focus more effectively on acute and specialized care.

In Virginia’s First District, health access is also tied to national security. With a significant military presence, ensuring servicemembers and their families have reliable access to care directly supports readiness. Strong regional health systems are part of the broader infrastructure that underpins defense preparedness.

Stability in rural health care requires predictability in federal policy, regulatory clarity, and long-term planning. It requires viewing hospitals not simply as service providers, but as foundational infrastructure.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of economic strength, workforce competitiveness, and community confidence. When hospitals are stable, communities are stable. When they modernize, regions grow. Ensuring that federal programs support those outcomes is both a health care priority and an economic imperative for the Commonwealth.

Read the full article in the Richmond Times Dispatch here.