Compared to urban and suburban areas, rural communities have fewer inpatient and outpatient clinics to provide care for individuals and families. Often, rural health care facilities are not as modernized and updated as ones in major urban areas, furthering the need for federal investment.

Last summer, through the Working Families Tax Cuts, Congressional Republicans secured the largest investment in rural health care ever: $50 billion in funding over the next five years to revitalize rural health care. The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program has already invested in Washington state facilities with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allocating $181 million for this fiscal year. I voted for H.R. 1 in part because of the establishment of the RHT and the benefits it provides for my constituents.

To build on the investments in H.R. 1 and to provide additional support to rural health facilities, I introduced bipartisan legislation alongside my Washington state colleague Rep. Rick Larsen: the Ensuring Rural Health Care Access for Military and Tribal Families Act. This legislation would allow states to designate rural health facilities as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) if the facility does not meet existing CAH requirements but is located on a tribal reservation.

Specifically, the Ensuring Rural Health Care Access for Military and Tribal Families Act would allow Astria Toppenish Hospital to be designated as a CAH and provide long-term financial stability for the clinic and the surrounding community. This builds on two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests I secured in previous Appropriations packages for Astria Toppenish, totaling over $4 million for upgrades to their behavioral health unit and emergency department. These resources will improve the quality-of-care Astria provides in the lower Yakima Valley.

With these targeted investments from the RHT and my CPF requests, health care facilities will be able to serve their communities more effectively. This means better care, more staff and higher-quality services for those living in rural or tribal populations. However, while these funding vehicles demonstrate a step in the right direction, they aren't a silver bullet. There is more work to be done, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to expand health care access for those who need it the most.

Originally published in the Washington Times on June 25. (link is external)