'Game changer': CDC's Dr. Mandy Cohen visits NC to talk drug costs, rural health
Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was in North Carolina on Friday bringing attention to efforts to expand access to health care in rural areas and lower prescription drug costs.
Cohen, North Carolina's former health secretary, joined Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, after a roundtable discussion at the Granville Vance Public Health Department in Oxford.
Cohen and other health leaders discussed how to expand healthcare in rural areas and make prescription drugs more affordable.
The Rural Health Information Hub defines the following barriers to care in rural areas:
- Desire to receive care
- Lack of anonymity when seeking treatment
- Shortages of mental health workforce professionals
- Lack of culturally-competent care
- Affordability of care
- Transportation to care
Health leaders said these discussions about rural healthcare come at a critical time when many rural health systems are closing their doors or offering fewer services.
Fatima Gutierrez, who lives in Granville County, said her family has dealt with the struggles of trying to get help with seemingly few options.
"One time, I tried to have therapy services," Gutierrez said. "We would have to translate to Durham or Raleigh to have the services."
Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows 193 rural hospitals have either closed or converted since 2005, including 12 in North Carolina.
Gutierrez said one of her four children was struggling with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My husband and I have to work and the kids are in school, so it's always a matter of time taken out of work or school," she said.
Cohen noted a link Medicaid expansion and access to rural hospitals.
“What we're seeing in states that have not expanded Medicaid, we're seeing rural healthcare sites close,” she said. “With us expanding Medicaid, we're going to...support other rural health care providers now that more folks have an insurance card in their pocket.”
The state is expanding Medicaid, starting Dec. 1.
"That is important that Democrats and Republicans came together for North Carolina. I think it is a game changer for our health,” he said. “When we're all healthier, we're also more economically prosperous. It lifts us all up. I think it's going to be a game-changer for North Carolina.”
The federal government is investing $1 million in the Granville-Vance District Public Health department over four years. The money will fund services to expand access to behavioral health for young people. It’s part of the Health Resources and Services Administration's investments in rural healthcare across the country.
Health leaders took a broader focus on rural health at the Medical Arts Pharmacy and Medical Supplies in Henderson.
Tamara Imperiale spoke during that event, sharing that it initially cost her $365 for her husband’s medication after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“When I went to the pharmacy, they said insurance doesn't cover it,” she said.
Imperiale said she had to open a credit card just to pay for his medication. A federal report found that out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications have been rising faster than inflation or health spending overall.
“Sometimes, you have to make a choice. A lot of times, people choose housing over medical,” she said.
As part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, insulin prices are capped and certain vaccines are covered. Plus -Medicare is now allowed to negotiate better prices for prescription drugs. That program is faced with several lawsuits.
WRAL News had an opportunity to speak with Cohen after the second event and ask what has surprised her the most in her new leadership role at the CDC.
"The surprise for me is about how many hard-working people there are working for North Carolina," Cohen said. "I know that it seems far away, but I've just been really impressed by the staff at CDC."
