Glencoe Regional Health Meets with U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Dan Nelson

On Wednesday, April 24, LeadingAge Minnesota member Glencoe Regional Health met with their Congressional Representative, Michelle Fischbach along with other local leaders and LeadingAge Minnesota staff.

Glencoe CEO Ben Davis and Vice President of Senior Services Julie Schmidt shared their expertise on the issues that rural health care providers are facing and the challenges brought to our sector by the new CMS staffing ratio rule for nursing homes.

Accessing Care Close to Home

Glencoe Regional Health, known for its comprehensive healthcare services including the GlenFields Living with Care nursing home, demonstrates a deep understanding of the evolving needs older adults and their families are facing across Minnesota. Ben and Julie highlighted the pressing workforce challenges faced by the healthcare industry, shedding light on how the CMS rule could exacerbate these issues. They also emphasized the reality of long waiting lists and the daunting challenge many older Minnesotans encounter in accessing care close to home.

The roundtable discussion was hosted by Hutchinson Health and featured local leaders from healthcare and local government including the mayor of Hutchinson, the Minnesota Rural Health Association, HealthPartners, McLeod County, and the Minnesota Hospital Association. There was a resounding message that aging services needs more resources and investments in workforce. We are hopeful that Representative Fischbach will bring this message to her colleagues in Washington to work on better solutions for our Minnesota seniors and their families.