Closing Gaps in Rural Healthcare: Copake Rapid Care Center Reopens

Local healthcare and government leaders celebrated the reopening of the Copake Rapid Care Center last Monday.

The facility, at 283 Mountainview Road, closed in December 2022 because of a nationwide staffing shortage following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are so many patients in rural communities that just can’t get any sort of local primary care or emergency care,” said Dr. Dorothy M. Urschel, president and chief executive officer of Columbia Memorial Health. “Having a physician’s assistant here, who is trained in emergency medicine, is really important to care for patients right now. If they require a higher level of care we get them to Columbia Memorial in Hudson.”  

“It’s great news for our whole community to have the Copake Rapid Care back in operation again,” said Ancram Town Supervisor Jim MacArthur in a press release.

Senator Michelle Hinchey spoke of the effort that led to the center’s reopening. “The Copake Rapid Care Center fulfills a vital local need for healthcare in our medically underserved region, and I thank both CMH and community members for turning a crisis into a collaborative effort that has made the reopening of this center possible,” she said in a press release. “We will continue to do everything we can to preserve local healthcare, bring more medical care into our area, and support facilities that may be facing challenges but are working diligently to find solutions to keep their services open and accessible to their communities.”

The Rapid Care Center is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m and does accept walk-ins. Additionally, the building houses CMH’s primary care practice, Callan Family Care, led by Dr. Dorinda Midwood, which provides services by appointment Monday through Thursday. The center, a 20 minute drive from downtown Pine Plains, is open to everyone.