National Rural Health Month

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Rural Health Month.

Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to high-quality healthcare, but I have heard so many stories from my constituents in rural areas who have to drive for hours to the nearest hospital or they don't have reliable internet for healthcare for telehealth.

Today, though, I will share a story celebrating the positive impact of rural healthcare. This mother and her family thrived because they had access to obstetric care in their rural hometown.

A local woman from Danville, a town in a rural county of my southern Illinois community, successfully delivered preterm twins because they lived by a hospital with a full labor and delivery unit. The mom and her babies remained at OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center with both of the babies in a level 2 nursery where they could receive 24/7 care.

The parents were able to spend the maximum time to bond with their babies while the mom recovered from the delivery. The dad was able to go to work because the hospital was close to their home. The mom could be with their newborns and focus on breastfeeding with one-on-one lactation support.

A nearby medical center was especially valuable to these parents who had limited resources and the additional challenge of a language barrier. If OSF Sacred Heart didn't have a birthing center, the mom's only choice would have been a hospital almost an hour away.

Imagine going into early labor with twins, driving to an emergency department, and then being told you have to drive even farther. No mother should have to go through that nightmare. I am so grateful that this mother was able to safely deliver her healthy babies.

We can hear more success stories when there is a greater access to maternal healthcare in every corner of our Nation. As co-chair of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus, I introduced the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act to support the creation of rural healthcare facilities.

As a healthcare equity champion in Congress, I commit myself to deploying additional digital tools in Danville, across my district, and our Nation to supplement rural health in-person care.

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