WESTFIELD – As the rain fell Tuesday morning, there were sounds of construction work in the air.

Those workers were creating a new emergency room entrance at Westfield Memorial Hospital, which is affiliated with the Allegheny Health Network.

Rep. Nick Langworthy was there and said those sounds are proof that the hospital will continue to be in the village for decades to come, serving the rural community. “This is a critical facility,” he said.

Langworthy argued that rural hospitals “have been treated like an afterthought in Washington” by both bureaucrats and some elected officials who don’t understand the mission of providing healthcare in areas where there are few options.

Earlier this year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City stated that Westfield as well as UPMC Hospital in Jamestown could both close due to potential Medicaid cuts.

Langworthy denied that statement. “Make no mistake, that’s all pure fiction. Today is a perfect day to set the record straight about Westfield Memorial Hospital. Westfield hospital is not in danger of closing. … They’re expanding their mission here,” he said.

Just last week, Westfield received a designation as a Rural Emergency Hospital from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the state Department of Health.

In the coming months, Westfield Memorial Hospital will transition from a small inpatient hospital to a 24/7 emergency, observation, and outpatient care facility.

“This is great news,” Langworthy said. “This not only helps them ensure their long-term financial viability, but more importantly it ensures that the people of this community have access to critical life-saving services.”

Langworthy highlighted the $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program, saying it is “one of the largest federal investments in our history to support rural healthcare.”

Langworthy said it will provide funding to keep rural hospitals sustainable, attract skilled workforce, modernize infrastructure, and will upgrade technology. “It ensures that our hospitals can continue serving patients right here, close to their homes, in our rural communities, like right here in Westfield.”

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

During the press conference, Langworthy discussed the stalemate going on between Republicans and Democrats, which has temporarily shut the government down.

He blamed the shutdown on Democrats, alleging they want to fund healthcare of illegal immigrants. “I’ll be damned if the people of Western New York and the Southern Tier are put at the back of the line to people while people who aren’t legally in this country are paid for in full,” Langworthy said.

During the question-and-answer period of the press conference, Langworthy was asked about how nationally Democrats have continued to deny that they want to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants or that any non-U.S. citizen is getting healthcare.

He rejected that statement. “It is crystal clear that illegals have been funded through Medicaid funds,” Langworthy replied. “They want us to remove all of the safeguards that we put in place to make sure that American tax dollars are funding Americans’ healthcare, not those who have come into our country illegally.”

He argued that “able-bodied working adults” should be required to work, volunteer or go to school for 20 hours a week in order to receive Medicaid.

JOB CORPS

Earlier this year, there were plans to shut down 99 Job Corps sites throughout the United States, including the Cassadaga branch. In June, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Department of Labor from shutting down the residential program for low-income youth, until a lawsuit against the move is resolved. Langworthy said since that lawsuit has been issued, he is “reserving judgment” until the lawsuit issue is settled.

ENERGY CHOICE ACT

Langworthy has sponsored a bill that would override New York state’s ban on using natural gas for new construction. He said the bill is due to be marked up and out of committee on Oct. 21, however with the government shut down, the committee can’t meet until the shutdown is resolved.