MHA, Rural Hospital Leaders Visit Mo. Senators, Representatives

Rural Missouri hospital leaders last week joined MHA staff in Washington, D.C., for meetings with Missouri’s congressional delegation to discuss several topics important to rural health, including reinforcing the importance of protecting long-term health care funding and securing Missouri’s share of the new Rural Health Transformation Program. Members also discussed the importance of several federal health care programs, including 340B, the Medicare-dependent and low-volume hospital designations and the need to reform payer practices. 

The trip included visits with Sen. Josh Hawley; Reps. Jason Smith, Eric Burlison and Sam Graves; and staff from the offices of Sen. Eric Schmitt and Reps. Mark Alford and Bob Onder. MHA staff thank Missouri’s congressional members for working with rural hospitals on policy design, relationship building and long-term strategy.  

MHA President and CEO Jon D. Doolittle along with MHA staff Jane Drummond, Rob Monsees, Andy Wheeler and Mary Beth Luna Wolf attended.  

The following Missouri hospitals and health systems sent representatives on this trip. 

• BJC HealthCare
• Bothwell Regional Health Center
• Citizens Memorial Hospital
• Community Hospital - Fairfax
• CoxHealth
• Fitzgibbon Hospital
• Freeman Health System
• Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare
• Hannibal Regional Healthcare System
• Harrison County Community Hospital
• Hedrick Medical Center
• Hermann Area District Hospital
• Lafayette Regional Health Center
• Mercy Hospital Cassville
• Mercy Hospital Lebanon
• Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital
• Missouri Delta Medical Center
• Mosaic Health System
• MU Health Care
• Northeast Regional Medical Center
• Parkland Health Center
• Phelps Health
• Pike County Memorial Hospital
• Ray County Hospital and Healthcare
• Saint Luke's Health - BJC Western Region
• Sullivan County Memorial Hospital
• Texas County Memorial Hospital
• University Health
• Washington County Memorial Hospital