Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, is Tennessee s senior U.S. senator.
Every parent knows the sinking feeling that hits when your child drops from the monkey bars or when a grandparent can’t get up from a fall. For families in rural areas, that sense of worry is immediately followed by the risk of not getting medical care in time.
Through phone calls with friends and virtual meetings, I hear from Tennesseans in rural areas who were struggling to access health care even before the pandemic.
It’s a grim reality that many Americans have to drive hours through remote areas to find emergency medical care. If they make it in time, they find overcrowded facilities filled with the COVID-19 patients urban hospitals are funneling into rural areas.