Cornell's Rural Vision Project has received the Sen. Patricia M. McGee Award of the New York State Association for Rural Health. The award, which was presented in September at the Chautauqua Institution, recognizes an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to the rural health care field.

The Rural Vision Project is a collaborative effort involving the Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI), the Department of Development Sociology's Rural New York Initiative and the New York Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. The project aims to improve economic development and environmental health in rural New York and to provide opportunities for individual and community planning, problem solving and entrepreneurial leadership. "Health care is clearly a central concern voiced throughout rural New York," said Max Pfeffer, chair of the Department of Development Sociology.

Rod Howe, CaRDI executive director who accepted the award on behalf of the project, said, "It was gratifying to receive this award in Senator Pat McGee's name since the idea for the Rural Vision Project came from a visit when Senator McGee and Assemblyman David Koon met with faculty who were doing research on rural New York in the spring of 2004."