On National Rural Health Day, Rob Sand Recommits to Protecting Iowa’s Rural Hospitals

INDIANOLA, IA — Today on National Rural Health Day, candidate for governor Rob Sand joined the Iowa Rural Health Care Association (IRHA) in person to speak and answer questions about the growing challenges facing health care in rural Iowa — from shortages in health care professionals, challenges with Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system, lack of telehealth services, and more. 

A new report released this week revealed that for at least the next twelve years, rural communities across the country will only have two-thirds of the primary care doctors they require, and 92% of rural counties are considered primary care professional shortage areas. 

Iowa is currently living that reality. Over the last few years, communities across the state have seen a dramatic drop in health care workers who are leaving either for better opportunities or to states where they know they’ll have access to resources needed to practice and provide care. This migration has contributed to facilities across the state having to close their doors, having a particularly big impact on maternal health care centers, mental health facilities, and senior care centers. According to a report from earlier this year, 20 rural Iowa hospitals are at risk of closure, with 5 facing immediate risk of shutting down.

Just last year, MercyOne Newton had to close their birthing unit. Now, that same hospital is on a national list of hospitals under threat of closing altogether because of the federal budget bill passed earlier this year – which every single one of Iowa’s federal representatives voted for.

“Rural hospitals are the lifeblood of their communities. They take care of Iowans and serve as major employers and economic hubs. Folks in our small towns deserve the same access to care as people in our big cities,” said candidate for governor Rob Sand. “That means keeping the health care workers we have, bringing more into the field, and making sure our rural hospitals can stay open and take care of their neighbors. On National Rural Health Day, we’ve got to be honest about where things stand. Rural Iowa deserves leaders who make it easier to get the care they need and for health care workers to stay and serve our communities.” 

Iowa’s recent health care rankings continue to decline: 

• Iowa ranks 44th in the nation for physicians per capita.
• Iowa ranks last in the nation for OB-GYNs per capita.
• Iowa is ranked number one for cancer growth in the nation.
• A recent report revealed that Iowa now ranks 48th in the nation for hospital safety.
• Iowa is the worst in the nation for psychiatric beds.