The Nexus Between Health Care and Rural Mobility

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Access to health and human services is the top mobility assistance need in our region. Transportation services are already over-extended. There are unmet needs today for access to health care and therapy and other services, especially those that require long-distance travel outside the county It is vitally important that we retain our health resources and wherever possible, increase locally available options. Any reduction of locally available health services will only exacerbate the unmet needs for mobility assistance we face.

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That is why this Human Services Transportation Plan supports the efforts of our health and human services allies in obtaining funding that retains and grows locally available care resources.  Thriving Together NCW, the Okanogan Coalition for Health Improvement, and the many tribal, non-profit, and private organizations providing essential health services to Okanogan residents have access to grants that can make the region’s health system more resilient and capable. This includes expanding access to mobile health services, support for provider programs, and such things as workforce development and retention programs. Non-transportation strategies and investments have direct and tangible transportation benefits.

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In addition to the traditional funding mechanisms for health providers, the Rural Health Transformation Program promises to open up some new opportunities over the next few years. The aim of that program is to shore up rural health programs and make them more sustainable over time with a comprehensive package of measures targeted at a wide range of considerations the health care sector must address.

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This HSTP supports those efforts. The HSTP serves as a demonstration of cooperation and coordination between our transportation and health services sectors. The HSTP recognizes our overlapping interests around access to necessary health and social services. OCOG supports efforts of our health care providers to obtain funding that enables our communities to retain and expand the health services available locally.

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Health sector allies wishing to reference this HSTP in their funding proposals may use the following citation:

2026 Human Services Transportation Plan for Okanogan County, Okanogan Council of Governments, Sept 2026