About
The Healthcare Consortium is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1998 to serve the rural community in and around Columbia County. The Healthcare Consortium’s mission is to improve access to healthcare services and support the health and well-being of the people in our rural community.
The Healthcare Consortium recognizes that people confront a number of barriers when trying to access care. These barriers can be physical, such as a lack of transportation, financial, such as a lack of health insurance or the ability to manage out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, and practical, such as a lack of knowledge and familiarity with our complex and often opaque health and human service systems. Through a variety of programs and services, The Healthcare Consortium helps people to get and stay healthy by dismantling barriers to care.
The work of the Consortium is generally focused on the residents of Columbia and Greene Counties, though occasionally, we serve people in neighboring counties, too. In one way or another, we wind up serving individuals of every age, gender, income, race/ethnicity, ability, and language. It is a nice feature of the organization that we are able to serve such a diverse group of community members across the lifespan.
We have a variety of programs, which we hope you will explore on our Programs and Services page, that are guided by the following core values:
VALUES:
- Access to quality health care is a fundamental right of every individual.
- Individuals are primarily responsible for their own health care decisions and require information and education to fulfill their role effectively.
- Collaboration and provision of preventive and wellness services have long term efficiencies.
In addition to the programs and services that the Consortium’s staff provides directly to residents, we have long served as one of New York State’s Rural Health Networks. As such, we created and sustain a formal partnership among many public agencies, our local hospital and its health system, providers of mental health, addiction, disability, and long-term care services, organizations focused on food security, faith-based institutions, and businesses, all of which commit to developing strategies to improve healthcare in our rural community. Called “Network Members,” each organization is represented on the Consortium’s Board of Directors, which also includes healthcare consumers, in order to ensure that we foster positive and productive working relationships, exchange information, and promote collaboration on a regular basis. See our impressive roster of Network Members on our Network Member page.
Our Goals for the next few years:
In 2024, select members of our Board and staff participated in a series of strategic planning sessions to plot a course for the next three years. The 2025-2027 Strategic Plan that emerged from these efforts is a recommitment to working directly with and on behalf of the residents of Columbia and Greene Counties to dismantle barriers to care so they can get and stay healthy. The Plan outlines four broad goals:
- Preserve and Enhance Our Core Functions
- Communicate Our Value
- Sustain Our Workforce
- Grow Our Support
Read more about the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan here:
