Klobuchar touts plan for rural healthcare in Detroit Lakes

Courtesy: KVRR

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KVRR) – Senator Amy Klobuchar is out on the campaign trail sharing her plan for Healthcare.

“Something very important for greater Minnesota, protecting healthcare access. So it starts with lowering costs,” Klobuchar said.

One of the key parts of her plan is for Minnesota to replace the Affordable Care Tax Credits if they aren’t restored at the federal level.

“Good healthcare providers reach out proactively to their patients, to try to get them in for primary care visits, to try to get them in for chronic disease management visits. And what they’re saying to me overwhelmingly is that people are now declining those visits because of access to coverage,” Former head of St. Mary’s Hospital Peter Jacobsen said.

Klobuchar says these cuts have been especially hard on rural communities like here in Detroit Lakes.

“It means hospitals and clinics at risk of closing or cutting services. It means ambulances never show up when you need them. Because in greater Minnesota there is no back up. There isn’t another hospital 15 minutes down the road,” Ben Schierer, Klobuchar’s running mate, said.

That’s not the only problem hitting rural communities, as staffing shortages and service cuts are taking their toll as well.

“They don’t have any ability to come in for preventative care to figure out “What’s wrong with me right now?” They come in at the end. They come in when they’re going to the emergency rooms,” Klobuchar said.

And they say that when healthcare becomes unavailable, the whole community takes the hit.

“If you don’t have certain services right now, kids that grow up in Detroit Lakes won’t be able to continue living there, or kids that grow up in smaller towns won’t be able to continue living there. And we want them to live there,” Klobuchar said.

“I know so many families that made the decision to live here because of access to good healthcare. Especially the ability to deliver their babies here, and get that obstetrical care here has been a big issue. Having access to a facility like this has been a huge attraction as well, so it’s all tied together,” Jacobsen said.