For an Iowan fighting cancer or another long-term illness, getting the right treatment shouldn’t mean spending hours on the road, away from the family, friends, and community helping them get through it.
That’s why we secured $209 million in the first year of the new rural health fund created in the Working Families Tax Cuts. Since then, I’ve sat down with nurses, doctors, and families in rural hospitals across our communities to talk about what this funding means for their patients and to hear what they need next.
What’s next: Iowa has put in its request for the second year of this funding, and I joined Senator Grassley to make sure rural Iowa gets what it needs. ⬇️
Iowa’s rural hospitals are making the case for a second year themselves. In those conversations, I’ve heard how they’re already putting the first year to work for patients across our communities:
🎗️ Standing up new cancer hubs across Southwest Iowa that partner with smaller hospitals nearby to bring cancer treatment closer to home.
👩⚕️ Helping small-town hospitals recruit doctors, nurses, and specialists who commit to caring for patients full-time.
🏥 Lucas County Health Center in Chariton, one of the smaller hospitals in Wayne County’s cancer network, is buying its first-ever MRI for early cancer screenings.
Bottom Line: We fought to deliver $209 million to Iowa, and rural providers are putting it to work for their patients. I’ll keep fighting to bring a second year of this funding home so the nurses and doctors I’ve sat down with across rural Iowa can keep delivering quality care for the families who depend on them.