Charles City - Talking Healthcare @ the Floyd County Memorial Hospital

We just left Charles City after a visit to the Floyd County Memorial Hospital.

It was a great way to end the day, with a nice chat with the staff and administrators of the hospital.

When I was a nurse, I worked in a hospital that wasn't all that different from FCMH. For a dozen years, I worked at the Monroe County Hospital, a small 50 bed hospital in my hometown of Albia.

It was a challenging, yet rewarding job. And in the years since I left, nursing has remained a rewarding career, but it unfortunately has become more challenging. Nursing salaries have remained unchanged in Iowa for years, leading to fewer people entering the profession, and fewer people able to fill these critically important roles.

So, two years ago, the Governor asked me to lead a task force to look at nursing issues. And at the end of that process, we produced a roadmap for addressing the problems facing Iowa's nurses.

We are slowly making progress in implementing this report. The economic recession has certainly made that process more difficult. But I am proud to say that this year we passed legislation creating the nursing workforce center at Iowa Workforce Development. This center will help collect data, and make sure that lawmakers have the information they need to help tackle this problem.

Iowa's nurses are some of the most important public servants in our state. I know this. The Governor knows this. And we will not stop working to see that the quality of life for our nurses improves, and that they are paid the wages and shown the respect they deserve.

Well, we are now heading west to Mason City for the night before we head out for another day of travel. Check back tomorrow for more of my adventures from the road.

Until next time,

Patty