Members of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means visited Beaufort and Pitt counties this week to talk about the challenges facing rural health care in America.
Chairman Jason Smith said they include traveling long distances to receive emergency care to finding and keeping a quality health care workforce with the scarce resources available.
He said they will use what they heard in a roundtable conversation with ECU Health leaders and Beaufort County community leaders to determine the best way to expand access to health care in rural communities.
ECU Health CEO Dr. Michael Waldrum said he was pleased legislators not only recognize the need to explore solutions to maintain rural health care, but also recognize ECU Health as a leading voice on the topic.