Rep. Randy Feenstra took a tour of All Care Health Center in Council Bluffs while taking a swing through the district over the congressional Thanksgiving break.
Feenstra met with CEO Joel Dougherty, Medical Director Cristella Torres and other members of All Care’s leadership team, as well as state Rep. Josh Turek and other dignitaries, during the tour on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
“I just want to say thank you for all you do,” Feenstra told the center’s staff. “It is just a privilege that I get to know your center here and what I can do to help.”
From left, All Care Health Center CEO Joel Dougherty, Medical Director Cristella Torres and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra discuss health care access in the hallways of the Council Bluffs community health center on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
Torres told the congressman that All Care is starting to run out of space at its clinic, and All Care has provider vacancies that it’s been unable to find qualified candidates to fill.
Mental health needs in the community have only grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, too, with not enough beds for those who are looking for in-patient treatment.
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“There’s not a whole lot of psychiatric places to admit them to,” Torres said.
U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra, left, talks with All Care Health Center Medical Director Cristella Torres in an examination room while touring the Council Bluffs community health center on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
Feenstra also discussed federal reimbursement rates and how insurance companies handle telemedicine claims. Officials said All Care uses telephone and video visits to check on patients who are unable to make appointments.
The Republican from Hull said he’s familiar with the Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, and he has a doctorate in business and health care administration. His dissertation was on maternal health care outcomes and health care desserts in rural America.
In his weekly column, Feenstra highlighted the need to expand behavioral health services for our farmers and rural communities. The All Care meeting included a discussion of the new mental health hospital planned in Council Bluffs as well as the county’s efforts in public health.
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, left, talks with All Care Health Center Medical Director Cristella Torres, right, while state Rep. Josh Turek looks on during a tour of the community health center on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
Feenstra said in the column that 65% of rural counties lack a psychiatrist and 47% lack a psychologist.
“These statistics cannot be the norm,” he said. “Our farmers and our families deserve access to high-quality care – no matter their ZIP code.”
Dougherty said All Care is interested in opening satellite locations — which Feenstra called a “game changer” — expanding its reach outside the Council Bluffs region.
“There are just so many areas in Iowa that could benefit from comprehensive, affordable health care,” Dougherty said.
U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra smiles during a discussion at All Care Health Center on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
While the community health center provides access to health care, it’s not able to meet every need for every patient.
All Care doesn’t offer urgent care services, but it does reserve some same-day access slots which provide a similar option for its clients, Torres said. Patients requiring emergency services might find themselves transported from All Care to a local emergency department.
The center sees some patients with Nebraska Medicaid, and Omaha community health centers are also able to see some patients from Iowa — although clinics on both sides of the river take a financial hit for accepting those patients, Dougherty said.
“All over the western part of Iowa, we have a diverse population,” Feenstra said. “When you have diverse populations, there’s uniqueness and different things that occur when it comes to public health and so forth.”
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