Project by Ashley Krawshuk ’24 and Eve Rudin ’25
The Adirondacks poses an interesting model for state land. Half of the 6 million acre park is public, while the other half is private. This means that residents of the park are living among wilderness, often without easy and inexpensive access to basic necessities. Unlike many of us at Hamilton College, the nearest grocery store could be an hour’s drive away, through curvy mountainous and forested roads. In addition, when you add snow and ice to the mix, roads can become more dangerous and amenities even harder to access.
This is why we decided to look into the accessibility of healthcare in the Adirondack park. Over the course of the semester, we have learned that living in the Adirondacks has been difficult throughout history. The history of settlers working in the park has been challenging, from freezing winters, agriculture failing to be productive, mine and lumber towns booming then drying up, to modern day economic struggles in many interior towns. Today, due to the rise of seasonally occupied second homes, housing becoming more expensive, and businesses having trouble staying open or hiring employees, living as an Adirondack resident can be expensive. This project aims to uncover whether health services are easily reachable and convenient to all, or whether the medical industry is inadequate in supporting all of the remote citizens of the park.
