Fourth District Focus: Touring Burgess Health Center and participating in a town hall with healthcare providers
After kicking off my 5th biannual 36 County Tour on Thursday with a town hall in Cherokee, I kept my travels going on Friday to hear more about the concerns and perspectives of Iowans across the Fourth District. I once again swung through Monona County to tour the Burgess Health Center in Onawa and participate in a town hall with healthcare providers.
My latest stop in Onawa marked my 8th trip to Monona County on my 36 County Tour over the years. Among several stops, I have previously held a roundtable discussion with Attorney General Brenna Bird and local law enforcement officers in Onawa, met with the MVAO FFA in Mapleton, stopped by Pleasant View Care Center in Whiting, held a town hall with cattle producers in Moorhead, and toured the Port of Blencoe. With each stop that I make, I am better able to represent our families, farmers, businesses, and communities in Congress.
On my tour of the Burgess Health Center, I witnessed their incredible technology and medical services. Their professional staff operate a 24-hour ER as well as family clinics and wellness centers. During our town hall, we discussed telehealth services, protecting rural healthcare facilities from burdensome regulations, the importance of access to quality maternity care in our rural communities, and many more pressing issues.
In Congress, I have always been a strong voice for Iowa’s caregivers and physicians. Iowa’s Fourth District is dotted with small communities that rely on regional healthcare facilities or get their service from facilities in the “bigger” towns. Geographic factors pose a different challenge to Iowa’s providers than typical healthcare facilities on the national scale.
This is why last year I introduced the Rural Hospital Stabilization Act. This legislation — which passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee in May — would authorize the Rural Hospital Stabilization Pilot Program through 2029, allowing struggling hospitals to improve financial stability, retain healthcare services, increase service capacity, and improve patient outcomes. My bill would specifically prioritize vital financial support for rural hospitals, those with smaller patient capacity, and those at most risk of closure. It would also ensure that these funds can be utilized for renovations, training, hiring, staff compensation, and equipment purchases. These investments not only address short-term commitments like paying staff and incentivizing physicians and other practitioners to work in rural communities but also support long-term projects like needed upgrades to hospital infrastructure, increased bed capacity, and expansions for more personalized and targeted care.
I also led legislation last year to protect access to telehealth services. The Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act would make Medicare’s coverage of audio-only telehealth services permanent. The current Medicare waiver – which is set to expire at the end of March absent congressional action – allows CMS to reimburse providers for patient evaluation, patient management, and behavioral health services over the phone. I have voted to extend this coverage on several occasions and will continue to advocate for robust telehealth services in rural Iowa.
I represent the geographically largest district in Iowa where many senior citizens and other residents rely on access to telehealth services. Especially during Iowa’s frigid winters — where blizzards often make traveling to obtain in-person services hazardous — Iowans need alternative methods of reliable care. Telehealth access is truly vital to the health and wellbeing of our communities.
As my 36 County Tour continues, I will be sure to continue to meet with healthcare professionals and families in every corner of our district to discuss the importance of keeping hospitals open and operational in our rural communities and maintaining access to high-quality, dependable care for our seniors.
This op-ed was originally published in the Mapleton Press on March 5, 2025.