U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip Jim Clyburn was guest speaker at a healthcare forum at Marion County Medical Center this past Friday, addressing healthcare accessibility.
The hospital was celebrating National Patient Access week and Clyburn took the opportunity to stop in Marion to discuss healthcare accessibility, a topic he was speaking on at other locations in the state.
“It’s a great system,” he said of the nation’s healthcare, adding because of it’s goodness, he and his wife have enjoyed good health and are still together, for nearly 48 years, and his grandson, after two operations, can “out drive me” on the golf course. “The problem is,” Clyburn added, “it’s not accessible to everybody. We have got to make sure that the healthcare system is there for everybody.”
Discussing the status of rural hospitals in South Carolina Clyburn said there are many healthcare issues facing the community and that though state programs have expanded, there are still many children falling through the healthcare cracks. Clyburn said a budget plan has been laid out and passed by the U.S. House.
President Barack Obama is putting $634 billion in the budget toward healthcare, he said, adding “That’s why I’m here today.” Clyburn said he is out talking to people in the communities on how to meet the needs of people throughout the rural areas.
Clyburn said he would be taking the information he learns touring state healthcare facilities back to Washington. Committing funds to expand the network of community health centers is one example Clyburn listed as an idea to provide coverage for those who fall through the cracks, reaching out to communities across the nation.
“Not just the facility itself, but health information technology,” he said, regarding of the capability to reach those in need.
For instance, he said, he sat with a doctor in Columbia who examined patients' eyes via computer. The patients were miles away in a health care center in the Beaufort-Jasper area and the doctor was able to make a consult regarding the patients, who were in another location.
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