Rob Sand Continues “Iowa for All” Tour in Southeast Iowa, Visiting Rural Hospital, Meeting with Voters, Union Workers

DES MOINES, IA – Yesterday, nominee for governor Rob Sand continued his statewide “Iowa for All” tour in southeast Iowa, meeting with voters, union workers, and health care providers to hear about the challenges facing their communities and share his plans to move Iowa forward.

Rob started the day in Ottumwa with a “Solvin’ Iowa’s Problems” conversation over coffee, answering questions from Iowans about his plans to tackle Iowa’s cancer crisis, raise the minimum wage, and strengthen rural economies. He then traveled to Keosauqua to tour Van Buren County Hospital’s newly renovated emergency room and hear directly from health care providers about the challenges facing rural hospitals. Rob discussed his plans to end Medicaid privatization, make Iowa more competitive in attracting and retaining health care professionals, and expand access to affordable, quality health care, especially in rural communities.

In Burlington, Rob met with union members from across southeast Iowa to hear about the issues facing working families and discuss how he’ll stand up for Iowa workers as governor. From walking the picket line with UAW members at John Deere to supporting Teamsters Local 238 workers at Amcor, Rob has a long record of standing with Iowa workers. He wrapped up the day in Muscatine, rallying an energized crowd of Iowans ahead of the November 3 election.

Learn more about Rob’s recent “Iowa for All” tour stops below:

Rob Sand in Ottumwa for coffee and a candid conversation about Iowa’s future with voters.

Rob Sand meeting with local workers in Burlington.

Rob closed out the day with an energetic rally in Muscatine.

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KTVO: Rob Sand campaigns on rural healthcare concerns in southeast Iowa

With the November midterm election less than two weeks away, Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand is traveling across the state to hear firsthand about the challenges facing rural hospitals and healthcare workers.
During a visit to Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, Sand toured newly developed sections of the facility and met with healthcare professionals to discuss the growing concerns surrounding access to affordable healthcare in rural Iowa.
Rural communities across the state continue to face challenges, including healthcare worker shortages, long travel distances for medical treatment and financial pressures that threaten the future of smaller hospitals.
“One of the really important things that we can do to do that, as they said, was end the privatization of Medicaid,” Sand said. “It’s been a disaster, and that’s a big distinction in this point. I’ve been right here in Iowa watching it fail.”

WHBF: Rob Sand Rallies with Supporters

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Ottumwa Courier: Sand tours hospital improvements, discusses rural care

A remodeled emergency department, new breast screening equipment and expanded specialty services were among the improvements Van Buren County Hospital staff showed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand during a visit Thursday.
The visit followed a morning campaign event at Hotel Ottumwa, where Sand answered questions about Medicaid, water quality, wages and access to doctors.
“Access to health care does not mean access to services,” said Haley Brewington, the hospital’s population health nurse manager. “Our patients, they struggle to get transportation. … We see food insecurity, lack of water, lack of electricity, lack of caregiver.”
McEntee, who worked at the hospital before and after Medicaid’s privatization, said payment problems with the private managed care organizations, or MCOs, have forced the hospital to add staff to pursue reimbursements.
Sand said he would use an executive order to begin ending privatized Medicaid. When a staff member asked how he would protect patients’ benefits during the transition, he said the change would take time.
Sand also said Iowa needs competitive reimbursement rates to retain health care providers.
“If health care providers can just go across the state line down to Missouri, or where I grew up in Decorah can go up to Minnesota and make more money, a lot of them are going to do that,” he said after the tour.