Rep. Jamie Lane urges county to seek rural health funds, announces local meetings for Wyoming Health Department

Representative Jamie Lane told the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners that federal rural-health funding programs could help sustain local access, workforce and women’s health services and asked the commission to send concerns from the community to the Wyoming Health Department’s listening sessions.

Lane described the "Big Beautiful Bill" and a rural-health transformation program she said aims to sustain rural care through workforce development, wage support, technology, accountable-care models and other measures. She told the commission the program represents about "$10,000,000,000 over a year for 5 years" and listed upcoming Wyoming Health Department listening sessions: Sept. 18 in Buffalo at 7 p.m., Sept. 30 in Lander at noon, and Oct. 2 in Laramie at 6 p.m.

The representative said she would carry county concerns to the state and federal level and asked commissioners to tell her what to convey about Natrona County’s needs, specifically citing workforce and women’s care capacity in Casper. Commissioners and others at the meeting raised concerns about OB-GYN access and provider departures and asked Lane for advice on how the county might secure funds to support salaries or recruitment.

Lane said some proposed funding could be used for wages or facility supports to help recruit clinicians and that the federal program includes digital health and other innovations. She said the U.S. appropriations committee has formed a task force reviewing the Wyoming Department of Health budget for reallocation opportunities, including support for DD waiver programs.

Commissioners thanked Lane and asked her to report back after she attends department sessions and after further appropriations committee activity. No formal action was taken by the board on Lane’s remarks.