Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Talks With Healthcare Experts At Mahaska Health
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently toured Mahaska Heath.
October 22, 2022
On Wednesday, October 19, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and her health policy advisors visited the facility of Mahaska Health, where she talked with healthcare physicians and administrators.
Mahaska Health talked about rural healthcare delivery along with the broader topic of delivering care for the people in Southeast Iowa.
After the discussion, Reynolds was taken on a campus tour, including the surgery department.
Reynolds said in comments after the tour, “Just so impressed with what they’ve done. The level of service they’re providing not only to this community but also to surrounding communities.
Reynolds referenced her program to encourage innovation and collaboration.
“And I’m telling you what we saw here at Mahaska Health; they are an exceptional hospital that we believe we can partner with to help provide and expand what we’re trying to do with centers of excellence,” Reynolds said.
“And to be honest, they had the same vision,” added Reynolds. “It’s pretty darn good when you sit down, and they start talking about a vision that they have, and it aligns with exactly what we’re trying to do, to provide equal health care.”
“I come from rural Iowa, and I want to see our rural areas being prosperous and growing, expanding, and a huge component of that is healthcare,” Reynolds added.
Reynolds explained that she’d directed her team to work with those at Mahaska Health and discuss what a pilot program would look like.
Mahaska Health Chief Medical Officer and General Surgeon Dr. Timothy Breon explained the importance of the visit. “The key point is we’re wanting to be in a position where we can continue to do what we started. Recently, insurance companies make that difficult.”
Insurance companies can make it difficult for patients to choose a rural hospital versus a larger hospital in an urban area due to the expected savings from a larger institution.
“We also want her to be aware of the issues that rural communities are facing in terms of OB care. A lot of surrounding hospitals have lost all their OB services and surgical care,” Breon further explained.
Mahaska Health CEO Kevin DeRonde “We’re happy to accommodate her [Gov Reynolds] and her health policy team. We were able to exchange some great information.”
