NARROWSBURG – The annual Big Eddy Film Festival, produced by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, kicked off on Thursday last week, rolling into the weekend with a full slate of film screenings and programming.

Thursday evening was dedicated to healthcare in rural areas across America, with four short documentary film screenings followed by a panel discussion of local people involved in healthcare in the region.

The first film, “Teddy” directed by Lauren Santucci, was about a male doula in Texas, emphasizing the stark statistic that black women are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women and Hispanic women.

The second, “If Dreams Were Lightening” directed by Ramin Bahrani, was about a mobile clinic in Appalachian Virginia, where many residents can’t go to a regular doctor’s office because of transportation or cost. The film focused on the two nurses running the clinic, while also telling the stories of the patients who see them, highlighting deeply personal stories of what it means to be sick and how they feel about the current healthcare system.

The third film, “I Just Wanted to Hear Your Voice” directed by James Pellerito, was a look inside what it’s like to care for someone who is elderly and cannot take care of themselves. The filmmakers got up close and personal as “Jamie” cared for his mother, dressing her, feeding her and bathing her.

The fourth film, “Doc Albany” directed by Ben Proudfoot, centered on two doctors who made the choice to stay in the rural area of Albany, Georgia. One of the doctors, OBGYN Dr. Sheena Favors, talks about caring for her patients while also facing the realities of pregnancy and motherhood in her own life.

Following the documentary screenings was a panel moderated by Dr. Chris Dickey, NYU School of Global Public Health, with Martin Colavito (Sullivan Allies Leading Together, SALT), Dr. Chyrise Taylor (Director of Nursing, SUNY Sullivan) and community member and cancer survivor Ramona Jan.

They spoke about the effects of the looming changes to Medicaid (beginning January 1) and SNAP (beginning October 1).

“The forthcoming lack of health insurance is going to be a crisis,” Dickey said.

Colavito, who through his work with SALT delivers meals to people across Sullivan County, said, “We’re seeing every single day people whose food stamps are gone.”

Dr. Taylor spoke about her path to working in healthcare and coming to SUNY Sullivan where she leads the nursing program.

“I found out that we are very close to being a healthcare desert in this county, and we’ve been close for a long time,” she said.

Healthcare deserts are geographic areas where residents lack adequate access to essential medical infrastructure.

Both Colavito and Taylor are working with Dickey on the Highland Health Access Initiative—a community-led project to turn a former medical office in Barryville into a local health and wellness hub.

Dickey explained that they see the project as filling a need in Barryville and the surrounding area and will bridge healthcare gaps by connecting residents with services such as early screenings, physical therapy and more, and thus reduce the need for emergency room visits.

Speaking of the current situation, Dickey said, “A lot of people just give up [on their health]. And then it gets so bad they go to the ER.”

The Highland Health Access Initiative is also partnering with Sullivan 180, the New York Health Foundation and Sun River Health and received a grant secured by Assemblywoman Paula Kay from the state of $100,000 to go toward renovations.

Dickey reported that the renovations are complete, but they can’t open until they receive more funding.